Poster Abstracts

Name/Affiliation:  Juan Carlos Beamin (P. Universidad Catolica de Chile - European Southern Observatory)

Title:  Nearby low mass stars and brown dwarfs with the VVV survey.

Abstract:
The VVV survey is an ESO VISTA Public survey, observing over 500 sq. degrees towards the Galactic bulge and southern disk in the near infrared, imaging around 100 times each pointing in the Ks band, over a period of 5-7 years. A search for high proper motions has successfully found dozens of new nearby low mass stars (VLMS) and brown dwarf candidates. The VVV data allow us to calculate proper motion and parallaxes, and also study the long-term variability of VLMS with a precision of ~0.05 magnitudes. Spectroscopic follow up is being obtained to confirm the spectral types and obtain full kinematic information. Here we show the main results on nearby companions to known high proper stars, the first brown dwarf discovered by the VVV survey, and isolated low mass stars and binaries. A detailed list of fully characterized objects as well as refined catalogs of high proper motion objects will become available as the VVV survey progresses.