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VVV-WIT-04: An extragalactic variable source caught by the VVV Survey

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Saito, RK 
Minniti, D 
Ivanov, VD 
Masetti, N 
Navarro, MG 

Abstract

We report the discovery of VVV-WIT-04, a near-infrared variable source towards the Galactic disk located ~0.2 arcsec apart from the position of the radio source PMN J1515-5559. The object was found serendipitously in the near-IR data of the ESO public survey VISTA Variables in the V'ia L'actea (VVV). Our analysis is based on variability, multicolor, and proper motion data from VVV and VVV eXtended surveys, complemented with archive data at longer wavelengths. We suggest that VVV-WIT-04 has an extragalactic origin as the near-IR counterpart of PMN J1515-5559. The Ks-band light-curve of VVV-WIT-04 is highly variable and consistent with that of an Optically Violent Variable (OVV) quasar. The variability in the near-IR can be interpreted as the redshifted optical variability. Residuals to the proper motion varies with the magnitude suggesting contamination by a blended source. Alternative scenarios, including a transient event such as a nova or supernova, or even a binary microlensing event are not in agreement with the available data.

Description

Keywords

catalogues, surveys, stars: individual: VVV-WIT-04, infrared: stars, radio continuum: galaxies, radio continuum: general

Journal Title

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0035-8711
1365-2966

Volume Title

490

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/S000623/1)
R.K.S. acknowledges support from CNPq/Brazil through projects 308968/2016-6 and 421687/2016-9. P.W.L. is supported by STFC Consolidated Grant ST/R000905/1. Support for the authors is provided by the BASAL CONICYT Center for Astrophysics and Associated Technologies (CATA) through grant AFB-170002, and the Ministry for the Economy, Development, and Tourism, Programa Iniciativa Cient´ıfica Milenio through grant IC120009, awarded to the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS). D.M. acknowledges support from FONDECYT through project Regular #1170121.