Search

Stellar spectral template libraries play an important role in the automated analysis of stellar spectra. Synthetic template libraries cover a very large parameter space but suffer from poor matching with observed spectra. In this study, we propose a synthetic-to-observed spectral translation (SOST) method based on generative adversarial networks. The SOST method is able to calibrate synthetic spectra by converting them to the corresponding observed spectra. We applied this method to Kurucz synthetic spectra and observed spectra data from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST). After that, we constructed a stellar spectral library with uniform and broad parameter distributions using the SOST-corrected Kurucz synthetic spectra. Our stellar spectral template library contains 2431 spectra spanning a parameter space of 3500–8000 K for effective temperature (Teff), 0.0–5.0 dex for surface gravity (log g), and −2.0–0.5 dex for metallicity ([Fe/H]). The spectra in the library have a resolution of R ∼ 1800 and cover the wavelength range 3900–8700 Å. In order to verify the accuracy of this template library, we used the template library and the template-matching algorithm to derive the parameters of the PASTEL database. Compared to measurements using the original synthetic template library, the accuracies of the three parameters, Teff, log g, and [Fe/H], are improved, from 140 K, 0.31 dex, and 0.21 dex to 121 K, 0.26 dex, and 0.13 dex, respectively. In addition, we re-parameterised more than six million stellar spectra released by LAMOST DR8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the relationship between age, metallicity, and α-enhancement of FGK stars in the Galactic disk. The results are based upon the analysis of high-resolution UVES spectra from the Gaia-ESO large stellar survey. We explore the limitations of the observed dataset, i.e. the accuracy of stellar parameters and the selection effects that are caused by the photometric target preselection. We find that the colour and magnitude cuts in the survey suppress old metal-rich stars and young metal-poor stars. This suppression may be as high as 97% in some regions of the age-metallicity relationship. The dataset consists of 144 stars with a wide range of ages from 0.5 Gyr to 13.5 Gyr, Galactocentric distances from 6 kpc to 9.5 kpc, and vertical distances from the plane 0 < ∣Z∣ < 1.5 kpc. On this basis, we find that i) the observed age-metallicity relation is nearly flat in the range of ages between 0 Gyr and 8 Gyr; ii) at ages older than 9 Gyr, we see a decrease in [Fe/H] and a clear absence of metal-rich stars; this cannot be explained by the survey selection functions; iii) there is a significant scatter of [Fe/H] at any age; and iv) [Mg/Fe] increases with age, but the dispersion of [Mg/Fe] at ages >9 Gyr is not as small as advocated by some other studies. In agreement with earlier work, we find that radial abundance gradients change as a function of vertical distance from the plane. The [Mg/Fe] gradient steepens and becomes negative. In addition, we show that the inner disk is not only more α-rich compared to the outer disk, but also older, as traced independently by the ages and Mg abundances of stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. A successful identification of an interstellar compound requires that its spectrum has first been assigned in the laboratory. New and sensitive radiotelescopes, such as ALMA, will make it possible to detect interstellar molecules in much smaller concentrations than before. Cyanoallene (CH2=C=CH-CN) has recently been observed in the dense molecular cloud TMC-1 by means of its rotational spectrum. Its methyl congener, 4-methylcyanoallene (CH3CH=C=CH-CN), may also be present in the interstellar medium (ISM). This chiral compound exists in two forms, which are mirror images. Chirality is an essential feature of life. So far, no chiral compounds have been detected in the ISM. Aims. The synthesis and assignment of the rotational spectrum of CH3CH=C=CH-CN, will facilitate the potential detection of this compound in the ISM. Methods. The spectrum of 4-methylcyanoallene has been recorded between 13 and 116 GHz using the microwave spectrometer at the University of Oslo. The spectroscopic study has been augmented with high-level quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/ccpVTZ and CCSD/cc-pVTZ levels of theory. Results. The rotational spectra of CH3CH=C=CH-CN in the ground vibrational state and in the first vibrationally excited state are reported for the first time and accurate spectroscopic constants have been obtained from a large number of transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. A key science goal of the Gaia-ESO survey (GES) at the VLT is to use the kinematics of low-mass stars in young clusters and star forming regions to probe their dynamical histories and how they populate the field as they become unbound. The clustering of low-mass stars around the massive Wolf-Rayet binary system γ2 Velorum was one of the first GES targets. Aims. We empirically determine the radial velocity precision of GES data, construct a kinematically unbiased sample of cluster members and characterise their dynamical state. Methods. Targets were selected from colour-magnitude diagrams and intermediate resolution spectroscopy was used to derive radial velocities and assess membership from the strength of the Li i 6708 Å line. The radial velocity distribution was analysed using a maximum likelihood technique that accounts for unresolved binaries. Results. The GES radial velocity precision is about 0.25 km s-1 and sufficient to resolve velocity structure in the low-mass population around γ2 Vel. The structure is well fitted by two kinematic components with roughly equal numbers of stars; the first has an intrinsic dispersion of 0.34 ± 0.16 km s-1, consistent with virial equilibrium. The second has a broader dispersion of 1.60 ± 0.37 km s-1 and is offset from the first by ≃2 kms-1. The first population is older by 1-2 Myr based on a greater level of Li depletion seen among its M-type stars and is probably more centrally concentrated around γ2 Vel. Conclusions. We consider several formation scenarios, concluding that the two kinematic components are a bound remnant of the original, denser cluster that formed γ2 Vel, and a dispersed population from the wider Vela OB2 association, of which γ2 Vel is the most massive member. The apparent youth of γ2 Vel compared to the older (⩾10 Myr) low-mass population surrounding it suggests a scenario in which the massive binary formed in a clustered environment after the formation of the bulk of the low-mass stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Accurate determination of the redshifts of galaxies comes from the identification of key lines in their spectra. Large sky surveys, and the sheer volume of data they produce, have made it necessary to tackle this identification problem in an automated and reliable fashion. Current methods attempt to do this with careful modelling of the spectral lines and the continua, or by employing a flux/magnitude or a signal-to-noise cut to the dataset in order to obtain reliable redshift estimates for the majority of galaxies in the sample. Aims. In this paper, we present the Darth Fader algorithm (denoised and automatic redshifts thresholded with a false detection rate), which is a new wavelet-based method for estimating redshifts of galaxy spectra. Automated, simple, and largely empirical, we highlight how the Darth Fader algorithm performs in the very low signal-to-noise regime, and demonstrate its effectiveness at removing catastrophic failures from the catalogue of redshift estimates. Methods. We present a new, nonparametric method for estimating and removing the continuum in noisy data that requires no a priori information about the galaxy properties. This method employs wavelet filtering based on a tuneable false detection rate (FDR) threshold, which effectively removes the noise in the spectrum, and extracts features at different scales. After removal of the continuum, the galaxy spectra are then cross-correlated with the eigentemplates, and a standard χ2-minimisation used to determine the redshift of the spectrum. FDR filtering is applied to the spectra a second time to determine the number of spectral features in each galaxy spectrum, and those with fewer than six total features are removed from the catalogue as we are unlikely to obtain a reliable and correct estimate of the redshift of such spectra. Results. Applying our wavelet-based cleaning algorithm on a simulated testing set, we can successfully build a clean catalogue including extremely low signal-to-noise data (S/N = 2.0), for which we are able to obtain a 5.1% catastrophic failure rate in the redshift estimates (compared with 34.5% prior to cleaning). We also show that for a catalogue with uniformly mixed signal-to-noise ratios between 1.0 and 20.0, with realistic pixel-dependent noise, it is possible to obtain redshifts with a catastrophic failure rate of 3.3% after cleaning (as compared to 22.7% before cleaning). Whilst we do not test this algorithm exhaustively on real data, we present a proof of concept of the applicability of this method to real data, showing that the wavelet filtering techniques perform well when applied to some typical spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey archive. Conclusions. The Darth Fader algorithm provides a robust method for extracting spectral features from very noisy spectra: spectra for which a reliable redshift cannot be measured are automatically identified and removed from the input data set. The resulting clean catalogue, although restricted in number, gives an extremely low rate of catastrophic failures, even when the spectra have a very low S/N. For very large sky surveys, this technique may offer a significant boost in the number of faint galaxies with accurately determined redshifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The large amount of spectra obtained during the epoch of extensive spectroscopic surveys of Galactic stars needs the development of automatic procedures to derive their atmospheric parameters and individual element abundances. Aims. Starting from the widely-used code MOOG by C. Sneden, we have developed a new procedure to determine atmospheric parameters and abundances in a fully automatic way. The code FAMA (Fast Automatic MOOG Analysis) is presented describing its approach to derive atmospheric stellar parameters and element abundances. The code, freely distributed, is written in Perl and can be used on di erent platforms. Methods. The aim of FAMA is to render the computation of the atmospheric parameters and abundances of a large number of stars using measurements of equivalent widths (EWs) as automatic and as independent of any subjective approach as possible. It is based on the simultaneous search for three equilibria: excitation equilibrium, ionization balance, and the relationship between log n(Fe i) and the reduced EWs. FAMA also evaluates the statistical errors on individual element abundances and errors due to the uncertainties in the stellar parameters. The convergence criteria are not fixed "a priori" but are based on the quality of the spectra. Results. In this paper we present tests performed on the solar spectrum EWs that assess the method's dependency on the initial parameters and we analyze a sample of stars observed in Galactic open and globular clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The discovery of brown dwarfs (BDs) in the solar neighborhood and young star clusters has helped to constraint the lowmass end of the stellar mass function and the initial mass function. We use data of the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV), a near-infrared (NIR) multi-wavelength (ZYJH Ks) multi-epoch (Ks) ESO Public Survey mapping the Milky Way bulge and southern Galactic plane to search for nearby BDs. Aims. The ultimate aim of the project is to improve the completeness of the census of nearby stellar and substellar objects towards the Galactic bulge and inner disk regions. Methods. Taking advantage of the homogeneous sample of VVV multi-epoch data, we identified stars with high proper motion (⩾0.1'' yr-1), and then selected low-mass objects using NIR colors.We searched for a possible parallax signature using the all available Ks band epochs. We set some constraints on the month-to-year scale Ks band variability of our candidates, and even searched for possible transiting companions. We obtained NIR spectra to properly classify spectral type and then the physical properties of the final list of candidates. Results. We report the discovery of VVV BD001, a new member of the local volume-limited sample (within 20 pc from the Sun) with well defined proper motion, distance, and luminosity. The spectral type of this new object is an L5 ± 1, unusually blue dwarf. The proper motion for this BD is PM(α) = -0.5455±0.004'' yr-1, PM(δ) = -0.3255±0.004'' yr-1, and it has a parallax of 57±4 mas which translates into a distance of 17.5 ± 1.1 pc. VVV BD001 shows no evidence of variability (ΔKs < 0.05 mag) over two years, especially constrained on a six month scale during the year 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To investigate the nonthermal emission mechanism and their interaction during cluster mergers, we analyze multiple lowfrequency radio data for the X-ray luminous massive galaxy cluster MACS J0717.5 + 3745, located at z = 0.5548. Large-scale structure-formation models in the Universe suggest that galaxy clusters grow via constant accretion of gas and the merger of galaxy groups and smaller clusters. Low-frequency radio observations trace these mergers in the form of relics and halos. The dual frequency observations were performed on MACS J0717.5 + 3745 to investigate the spectral index pattern of the nonthermal emission and its interaction within the intracluster medium (ICM), during merger process. Methods. Continuum observations were carried out using GMRT at 0.235 and 0.61 GHz on MACS J0717.5 + 3745 and archival data from the VLA (0.074 and 1.42 GHz) and WSRT (0.325 GHz) was used to complement the results. Furthermore, to explore the thermal and nonthermal interactions within the ICM and the morphological distribution, Chandra X-ray and HST data were used. Results. A highly complex nonthermal radio emission distribution is seen in the cluster at very low frequencies, with a global spectral index α0.235 0.61 ~ -1.17 ± 0.37. We have detected a giant radio halo within the cluster system with a linear size of 1.58 Mpc and a "Chair-shaped" filament structure between the merging subclusters of linear size 853 kpc at 0.235 GHz. This is the most powerful halo ever observed with P1.4 = 9.88 × 1025 WHz-1 and an equipartition magnetic field estimate of ~6.49 μG. The bright filament structure is well located in the central merging region of subclusters with enhanced temperature, as shown by Chandra and HST data analysis, further indicating the formation of this structure due to shock waves encountered within the ICM during the merger events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. This programme is aimed at obtaining one of the largest X-ray selected samples of identified active galactic nuclei to date in order to characterise such a population at intermediate fluxes, where most of the Universe's accretion power originates.We present the XMM-NewtonWide Angle Survey (XWAS), a new catalogue of almost a thousand X-ray sources spectroscopically identified through optical observations. Methods. A sample of X-ray sources detected in 68 XMM-Newton pointed observations was selected for optical multi-fibre spectroscopy. Optical counterparts and corresponding photometry of the X-ray sources were obtained from the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey. Candidates for spectroscopy were initially selected with magnitudes down to R ~ 21, with preference for X-ray sources having a flux F0.5-4.5keV ⩾ 10-14 erg s-1 cm-2. Optical spectroscopic observations were made using the Two Degree Field of the Anglo Australian Telescope, and the resulting spectra were classified based on optical emission lines. Results. We have identified through optical spectroscopy 940 X-ray sources over Ω ~ 11.8 deg2 of the sky. Source populations in our sample can be summarised as 65% broad line active galactic nuclei (BLAGN), 16% narrow emission line galaxies (NELGs), 6% absorption line galaxies (ALGs) and 13% stars. An active nucleus is also likely to be present in the large majority of the X-ray sources spectroscopically classified as NELGs or ALGs. Sources lie in high-galactic latitude (∣b∣ > 20 deg) XMM-Newton fields mainly in the southern hemisphere. Owing to the large parameter space in redshift (0 ⩽ z ⩽ 4.25) and flux (10-15 ⩽ F0.5-4.5keV ⩽ 10-12 erg s-1 cm-2) covered by the XWAS this work provides an excellent resource for the further study of subsamples and particular cases. The overall properties of the extragalactic objects are presented in this paper. These include the redshift and luminosity distributions, optical and X-ray colours and X-ray-to-optical flux ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first public data release (DR1) of the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey. It consists of science-grade optical datacubes for the first 100 of eventually 600 nearby (0:005 < z < 0:03) galaxies, obtained with the integral-field spectrograph PMAS/PPak mounted on the 3.5 m telescope at the Calar Alto observatory. The galaxies in DR1 already cover a wide range of properties in color-magnitude space, morphological type, stellar mass, and gas ionization conditions. This offers the potential to tackle a variety of open questions in galaxy evolution using spatially resolved spectroscopy. Two different spectral setups are available for each galaxy, (i) a low-resolution V500 setup covering the nominal wavelength range 3745-7500 Å with a spectral resolution of 6.0 Å (FWHM), and (ii) a medium-resolution V1200 setup covering the nominal wavelength range 3650-4840 Å with a spectral resolution of 2.3 Å (FWHM). We present the characteristics and data structure of the CALIFA datasets that should be taken into account for scientific exploitation of the data, in particular the effects of vignetting, bad pixels and spatially correlated noise. The data quality test for all 100 galaxies showed that we reach a median limiting continuum sensitivity of 1.0 x 10-18 erg s-1 cm-2 Å-1 arcsec-2 at 5635 Å and 2.2 x 10-18 erg s-1 cm-2 Å-1 arcsec-2 at 4500 Å for the V500 and V1200 setup respectively, which corresponds to limiting r and g band surface brightnesses of 23:6 mag arcsec-2 and 23:4 mag arcsec??2, or an unresolved emission-line flux detection limit of roughly 1 × 10-17 erg s-1 cm-2 arcsec-2 and 0:6 x 10-17 erg s-1 cm-2 arcsec-2, respectively. The median spatial resolution is 3″,7, and the absolute spectrophotometric calibration is better than 15% (1σ). We also describe the available interfaces and tools that allow easy access to this first public CALIFA data at http://califa.caha.es/DR1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Pure gas-phase chemistry models do not succeed in reproducing the measured abundances of small hydrocarbons in the interstellar medium. Information on key gas-phase progenitors of these molecules sheds light on this problem. Aims. We aim to constrain the chemical content of the Horsehead mane with a millimeter unbiased line survey at two positions, namely the photo-dissociation region (PDR) and the nearby shielded core. This project revealed a consistent set of eight unidentified lines toward the PDR position. We associate them to the l-C3H+ hydrocarbon cation, which enables us to constrain the chemistry of small hydrocarbons. We observed the lowest detectable J line in the millimeter domain along a cut toward the illuminating direction to constrain the spatial distribution of the l-C3H+ emission perpendicular to the photo-dissociation front. Methods. We simultaneously fit 1) the rotational and centrifugal distortion constants of a linear rotor; and 2) the Gaussian line shapes located at the eight predicted frequencies. A rotational diagram is then used to infer the excitation temperature and the column density. We finally compare the abundance to the results of the Meudon PDR photochemical model. Results. Six out of the eight unidentified lines observable in the millimeter bands are detected with a signal-to-noise ratio from 6 to 19 toward the Horsehead PDR, while the two last ones are tentatively detected. Mostly noise appears at the same frequency toward the dense core, located less than 40" away. Moreover, the spatial distribution of the species integrated emission has a shape similar to radical species such as HCO, and small hydrocarbons such as C2H, which show enhanced abundances toward the PDR. The observed lines can be accurately fitted with a linear rotor model, implying a 1Σ ground electronic state. The deduced rotational constant value is B = 11 244.9512 ± 0.0015 MHz, close to that of l-C3H. Conclusions. This is the first detection of the l-C3H+ hydrocarbon in the interstellar medium. Laboratory spectroscopy is underway to confirm these results. Interferometric imaging is needed to firmly constrain the small hydrocarbon chemistry in the Horsehead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. The aim of the project is to improve our current knowledge of the density of T dwarfs and the shape of the substellar initial mass function by identifying a magnitude-limited sample of T dwarfs in the full southern sky. Methods. We present the results of a photometric search aimed at discovering cool brown dwarfs in the southern sky imaged at infrared wavelengths by the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) and the Wide Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite mission. We combined the first data release (DR1) of the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and the WISE preliminary data release to extract candidates with red mid-infrared colours and near- to mid-infrared colours characteristics of cool brown dwarfs. Results. The VHS DR1 vs. WISE search returned tens of T dwarf candidates, 13 of which are presented here, including two previously published in the literature and five new ones confirmed spectroscopically with spectral types between T4.5 and T8. We estimate that the two T6 dwarfs lie within 16 pc and the T4.5 within 25 pc. The remaining three are 30-50 pc distant. The only T7 dwarf in our sample is the faintest of its spectral class with J = 19.28 mag. The other six T dwarf candidates remain without spectroscopic follow-up. We also improve our knowledge on the proper motion accuracy for three bright T dwarfs by combining multi-epoch data from public databases (DENIS, 2MASS, VHS, WISE, Spitzer). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the CFBDSIR wide field survey for brown dwarfs, we identified CFBDSIRJ214947.2-040308.9, a late T dwarf with an atypically red J - KS colour. We obtained an X-Shooter spectra, with signal detectable from 0.8 μm to 2.3 μm, which confirmed a T7 spectral type with an enhanced KS-band flux indicative of a potentially low-gravity, young object. The comparison of our near infrared spectrum with atmosphere models for solar metallicity shows that CFBDSIRJ214947.2-040308.9 is probably a 650-750 K, log g = 3.75-4.0 substellar object. Using evolution models, this translates into a planetary mass object with an age in the 20-200 Myr range. An independent Bayesian analysis from proper motion measurements results in a 87% probability that this free-floating planet is a member of the 50-120 Myr-old AB Doradus moving group, which strengthens the spectroscopic diagnosis of youth. By combining our atmospheric characterisation with the age and metallicity constraints arising from the probable membership to the AB Doradus moving group, we find that CFBDSIRJ214947.2-040308.9 is probably a 4-7 Jupiter mass, free-floating planet with an effective temperature of ∼700 K and a log g of ∼4.0, typical of the late T-type exoplanets that are targeted by direct imaging. We stress that this object could be used as a benchmark for understanding the physics of the similar T-type exoplanets that will be discovered by the upcoming high-contrast imagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the second data release from the GALEX Arecibo SDSS Survey (GASS), an ongoing large Arecibo program to measure the Hi properties for an unbiased sample of ∼1000 galaxies with stellar masses greater than 1010 M☉ and redshifts 0.025 < z < 0.05. GASS targets are selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) imaging surveys, and are observed until detected or until a gas mass fraction limit of a few per cent is reached. This second data installment includes new Arecibo observations of 240 galaxies, and marks the 50% of the complete survey. We present catalogs of the Hi, optical and ultraviolet parameters for these galaxies, and their Hi-line profiles. Having more than doubled the size of the sample since the first data release, we also revisit the main scaling relations of the Hi mass fraction with galaxy stellar mass, stellar mass surface density, concentration index, and NUV-r color, as well as the gas fraction plane introduced in our earlier work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The recent star formation history in the solar vicinity is not yet well constrained, and the real nature of the so-called Gould Belt is still unclear. Aims. We present a study of the large-scale spatial distribution of 6482 ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) X-ray sources in approximately 5000 deg2 in the general direction of Orion. We examine the astrophysical properties of a sub-sample of ~100 optical counterparts, using optical spectroscopy. This sub-sample is then used to investigate the space density of the RASS young star candidates by comparing X-ray number counts with Galactic model predictions. Methods. The young star candidates were selected from the RASS using X-ray criteria. We characterize the observed sub-sample in terms of spectral type, lithium content, radial and rotational velocities, and iron abundance. A population synthesis model is then applied to analyze the stellar content of the RASS in the studied area. Results. We find that stars associated with the Orion star-forming region, as expected, do show a high lithium content. As in previous RASS studies, a population of late-type stars with lithium equivalent widths larger than that of the Pleiades stars of the same spectral type (hence younger than ∼70-100 Myr) is found widely spread over the studied area. Two new young stellar aggregates, namely "X-ray Clump 0534+22" (age ∼ 2-10 Myr) and "X-ray Clump 0430-08" (age ∼ 2-20 Myr), are also identified. Conclusions. The spectroscopic follow-up and comparison with Galactic model predictions reveal that the X-ray selected stellar population in the general direction of Orion is characterized by three distinct components, namely the clustered, the young dispersed, and the widespread field populations. The clustered population is mainly associated with regions of recent or ongoing star formation and correlates spatially with molecular clouds. The dispersed young population follows a broad lane that apparently coincides spatially with the Gould Belt, while the widespread population consists primarily of active field stars older than 100 Myr. We expect the still "bi-dimensional" picture emerging from this study to grow in depth as soon as the distance and the kinematics of the studied sources will become available from the future Gaia mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. The aim of the project is to improve our knowledge of the low-mass and low-metallicity population to investigate the influence of metallicity on the stellar (and substellar) mass function. Methods. We present the results of a photometric and proper motion search aimed at discovering ultracool subdwarfs in large-scale surveys. We employed and combined the Fifth Data Release (DR5) of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 complemented with ancillary data from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), the DEep Near-Infrared Survey (DENIS) and the SuperCOSMOS Sky Surveys (SSS). Results. The SDSS DR7 vs. UKIDSS LAS DR5 search returned a total of 32 ultracool subdwarf candidates, only two of which are recognised as a subdwarf in the literature. Twenty-seven candidates, including the two known ones, were followed-up spectroscopically in the optical between 600 and 1000 nm, thus covering strong spectral features indicative of low metallicity (e.g., CaH), 21 with the Very Large Telescope, one with the Nordic Optical Telescope, and five were extracted from the Sloan spectroscopic database to assess (or refute) their low-metal content. We confirm 20 candidates as subdwarfs, extreme subdwarfs, or ultra-subdwarfs with spectral types later than M5; this represents a success rate of ≥ 60%. Among those 20 new subdwarfs, we identify two early-L subdwarfs that are very likely located within 100 pc, which we propose as templates for future searches because they are the first examples of their subclass. Another seven sources are solar-metallicity M dwarfs with spectral types between M4 and M7 without Hα emission, suggesting that they are old M dwarfs. The remaining five candidates do not have spectroscopic follow-up yet; only one remains as a bona-fide ultracool subdwarf after revision of their proper motions. We assigned spectral types based on the current classification schemes and, when possible, we measured their radial velocities. Using the limited number of subdwarfs with trigonometric parallaxes, we estimated distances ranging from ∼95 to ∼600 pc for the new subdwarfs. We provide mid-infrared photometry extracted from the WISE satellite databases for two subdwarfs and discuss their colours. Finally, we estimate a lower limit of the surface density of ultracool subdwarfs about 5000-5700 times lower than that of solar-metallicity late-M dwarfs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Observations of giant stars indicate that the frequency of giant planets is much higher for intermediate-mass stars than for solar-like stars. Up to now all known planets of giant stars orbit at relatively far distances from their host stars. It is not known whether intermediate-mass stars also had many close-in planets when they were on the main sequence, which were then engulfed when the star became a giant star. To understand the formation and evolution of planets it is therefore important to find out whether main-sequence stars of intermediate-mass have close-in planets or not. Aims. A survey for transiting planets of intermediate-mass stars would be ideal to solve this question, because the detection of transiting planets is not affected by the rapid rotation of these stars.With CoRoT it is possible to detect transiting planets around stars up to a spectral type B4V. As a first step for an efficient survey we need to identify intermediate-mass stars in the CoRoT-fields, which can then be used as an input list. Methods. To compile the input list we derived the spectral types of essentially all O, B and A stars down to 14.5 mag in the CoRoT fields IRa01, LRa01, LRa02 taken with the multi-object spectrograph AAOmega. We determined the spectral types by comparing the spectra with template spectra from a library. Results. In total we identify 1856 A and B stars that have been observed with CoRoT. Using multiple spectra of these stars, we find that the accuracy of the resulting spectral classification is 1.61 ± 0.14 sub-classes for A and B stars. Conclusions. Given the number of planets that have been detected in these fields amongst late-type stars, we estimate that there are one to four transiting planets of intermediate-mass stars waiting to be discovered. Our survey not only allows us to carry out a dedicated planet search programme but is also essential for any types of studies of the light curves of early-type stars in the CoRoT database. We also show that it would be possible to extend the survey to all fields that CoRoT has observed using photometrically determined spectral types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]