WeCAPP - Wendelstein Calar Alto pixellensing project I. Tracing dark and bright matter in M 31

Riffeser, A.; Fliri, J.; Gössl, C. A.; Bender, R.; Hopp, U.; Bärnbantner, O.; Ries, C.; Barwig, H.; Seitz, S.; Mitsch, W.
Bibliographical reference

Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.379, p.362-373 (2001)

Advertised on:
11
2001
Number of authors
10
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
50
Refereed citations
40
Description
We present WeCAPP, a long term monitoring project searching for microlensing events towards M 31. Since 1997 the bulge of M 31 was monitored in two different wavebands with the Wendelstein 0.8 m telescope. In 1999 we extended our observations to the Calar Alto 1.23 m telescope. Observing simultaneously at these two sites we obtained a time coverage of 53% during the observability of M 31. To check thousands of frames for variability of unresolved sources, we used the optimal image subtraction method (OIS) by Alard & Lupton (cite{1998ApJ...503..325A}). This enabled us to minimize the residuals in the difference image analysis (DIA) and to detect variable sources with amplitudes at the photon noise level. Thus we can detect microlensing events with corresponding amplifications A>10 of red clump giants with MI=0. Based on observations obtained at the Wendelstein Observatory of the University Observatory Munich.