M dwarfs in the b201 tile of the VVV survey: Colour-based selection, spectral types and light curves

Context. The intrinsically faint M dwarfs are the most numerous stars in the Galaxy, have main-sequence lifetimes longer than the Hubble time, and host some of the most interesting planetary systems known to date. Their identification and classification throughout the Galaxy is crucial to unravel the processes involved in the formation of planets, stars and the Milky Way. The ESO Public Survey VVV is a deep near-IR survey mapping the Galactic bulge and southern plane. The VVV b201 tile, located in the border of the bulge, was specifically selected for the characterisation of M dwarfs. Aims. We used VISTA photometry to identify M dwarfs in the VVV b201 tile, to estimate their subtypes, and to search for transit-like light curves from the first 26 epochs of the survey Methods. UKIDSS photometry from SDSS spectroscopically identified M dwarfs was used to calculate their expected colours in the YJHKs VISTA system. A colour-based spectral subtype calibration was computed. Possible giants were identified by a (J Ks;HJ) reduced proper motion diagram. The light curves of 12.8

Keywords:

• Milky Way
• Bulge
• Proper motion
• Galaxy
• Photometry (optics)
• Planetary system
• Stellar classification
• Astrophysics
• Light curve
• Physics

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