@article{ChristliebWisotzkiReimersetal.2001,
  author    = {Christlieb, N. and Wisotzki, Lutz and Reimers, Dieter and Homeier, D. and Koester, D. and Heber, Ulrich},
  title     = {The stellar content of the Hamburg/ESO survey : I. Automated selection of DA white dwarfs},
  year      = {2001},
  abstract  = {We describe automatic procedures for the selection of DA white dwarfs in the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey (HES). For this purpose, and the selection of other stellar objects (e.g., metal-poor stars and carbon stars), a flexible, robust algorithm for detection of stellar absorption and emission lines in the digital spectra of the HES was developed. Broad band (U-B, B-V) and intermediate band (Str{\"o}mgren c_1) colours can be derived directly from HES spectra, with precisions of sigma U-B=0.092 mag; sigma B-V=0.095 mag; sigma c_1=0.15 mag. We describe simulation techniques that allow one to convert model or slit spectra to HES spectra. These simulated objective-prism spectra are used to determine quantitative selection criteria, and for the study of selection functions. We present an atlas of simulated HES spectra of DA and DB white dwarfs. Our current selection algorithm is tuned to yield maximum efficiency of the candidate sample (minimum contamination with non-DAs). DA candidates are selected in the B-V versus U-B and c_1 versus W_lambda (Hbeta +Hgamma +Hdelta ) parameter spaces. The contamination of the resulting sample with hot subdwarfs is expected to be as low as ~ 8\%, while there is essentially no contamination with main sequence or horizontal branch stars. We estimate that with the present set of criteria, ~ 80\% of DAs present in the HES database are recovered. A yet higher degree of internal completeness could be reached at the expense of higher contamination. However, the external completeness is limited by additional losses caused by proper motion effects and the epoch differences between direct and spectral plates used in the HES. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla and Paranal, Chile.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RahmaniWendtSrianandetal.2013,
  author    = {Rahmani, H. and Wendt, Martin and Srianand, R. and Noterdaeme, P. and Petitjean, P. and Molaro, P. and Whitmore, J. B. and Murphy, M. T. and Centurion, Martin and Fathivavsari, H. and D'Odorico, S. and Evans, T. M. and Levshakov, S. A. and Lopez, S. and Martins, C. J. A. P. and Reimers, D. and Vladilo, G.},
  title     = {The UVES large program for testing fundamental physics - II. Constraints on a change in mu towards quasar HE 0027-1836},
  series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
  volume    = {435},
  journal   = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0035-8711},
  doi       = {10.1093/mnras/stt1356},
  pages     = {861 -- 878},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {We present an accurate analysis of the H-2 absorption lines from the z(abs) similar to 2.4018 damped Ly alpha system towards HE 0027-1836 observed with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (VLT/UVES) as a part of the European Southern Observatory Large Programme 'The UVES large programme for testing fundamental physics' to constrain the variation of proton-to-electron mass ratio, mu m(p)/m(e). We perform cross-correlation analysis between 19 individual exposures taken over three years and the combined spectrum to check the wavelength calibration stability. We notice the presence of a possible wavelength-dependent velocity drift especially in the data taken in 2012. We use available asteroids spectra taken with UVES close to our observations to confirm and quantify this effect. We consider single-and two-component Voigt profiles to model the observed H-2 absorption profiles. We use both linear regression analysis and Voigt profile fitting where Delta mu/mu is explicitly considered as an additional fitting parameter. The two-component model is marginally favoured by the statistical indicators and we get Delta mu/mu = -2.5 +/- 8.1(stat) +/- 6.2(sys) ppm. When we apply the correction to the wavelength-dependent velocity drift, we find Delta mu/mu = -7.6 +/- 8.1(stat) +/- 6.3(sys) ppm. It will be important to check the extent to which the velocity drift we notice in this study is present in UVES data used for previous Delta mu/mu measurements.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MolaroCenturionWhitmoreetal.2013,
  author    = {Molaro, P. and Centurion, Martin and Whitmore, J. B. and Evans, T. M. and Murphy, M. T. and Agafonova, I. I. and Bonifacio, P. and D'Odorico, S. and Levshakov, S. A. and Lopez, S. and Martins, C. J. A. P. and Petitjean, P. and Rahmani, H. and Reimers, D. and Srianand, R. and Vladilo, G. and Wendt, Martin},
  title     = {The UVES Large Program for testing fundamental physics I. Bounds on a change in alpha towards quasar HE 221-2818},
  series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  volume    = {555},
  journal   = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {EDP Sciences},
  address   = {Les Ulis},
  issn      = {0004-6361},
  doi       = {10.1051/0004-6361/201321351},
  pages     = {17},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Context. Absorption-line systems detected in quasar spectra can be used to compare the value of the fine-structure constant, alpha, measured today on Earth with its value in distant galaxies. In recent years, some evidence has emerged of small temporal and also spatial variations in alpha on cosmological scales. These variations may reach a fractional level of approximate to 10 ppm (parts per million). Aims. To test these claims we are conducting a Large Program of observations with the Very Large Telescope's Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES), and are obtaining high-resolution (R approximate to 60 000) and high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N approximate to 100) UVES spectra calibrated specifically for this purpose. Here we analyse the first complete quasar spectrum from this programme, that of HE 2217-2818. Methods. We applied the many multiplet method to measure alpha in five absorption systems towards this quasar: z(abs) = 0.7866, 0.9424, 1.5558, 1.6279, and 1.6919. Results. The most precise result is obtained for the absorber at z(abs) = 1.6919 where 3 Fe II transitions and Al II lambda 1670 have high S/N and provide a wide range of sensitivities to alpha. The absorption profile is complex with several very narrow features, and it requires 32 velocity components to be fitted to the data. We also conducted a range of tests to estimate the systematic error budget. Our final result for the relative variation in alpha in this system is Delta alpha/alpha = +1.3 +/- 2.4(stat) +/- 1.0(sys) ppm. This is one of the tightest current bounds on alpha-variation from an individual absorber. A second, separate approach to the data reduction, calibration, and analysis of this system yielded a slightly different result of -3.8 +/- 2.1(stat) ppm, possibly suggesting a larger systematic error component than our tests indicated. This approach used an additional 3 Fe II transitions, parts of which were masked due to contamination by telluric features. Restricting this analysis to the Fe II transitions alone and using a modified absorption profile model gave a result that is consistent with the first approach, Delta alpha/alpha = +1.1 +/- 2.6(stat) ppm. The four other absorbers have simpler absorption profiles, with fewer and broader features, and offer transitions with a narrower range of sensitivities to alpha. They therefore provide looser bounds on Delta alpha/alpha at the greater than or similar to 10 ppm precision level. Conclusions. The absorbers towards quasar HE 2217-2818 reveal no evidence of any variation in alpha at the 3-ppm precision level (1 sigma confidence). If the recently reported 10-ppm dipolar variation in alpha across the sky is correct, the expectation at this sky position is (3.2-5.4) +/- 1.7 ppm depending on dipole model used. Our constraint of Delta alpha/alpha = +1.3 +/- 2.4(stat) +/- 1.0(sys) ppm is not inconsistent with this expectation.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LopezReimersGreggetal.2005,
  author    = {Lopez, S. and Reimers, Dieter and Gregg, M. D. and Wisotzki, Lutz and Wucknitz, Olaf and Guzman, A.},
  title     = {Metal abundances in a damped Ly alpha system along two lines of sight at z=0.93},
  issn      = {0004-637X},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {We study metal abundances in the z = 0.9313 damped Ly alpha system observed along the two lines of sight, A and B, toward the gravitationally lensed double QSO HE 0512-3329. Spatially resolved Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra constrain the neutral-gas column density to be N(H I) = 1020.5 cm(-2) in both A and B. UV-visual Echelle Spectrograph spectra ( spectral resolution FWHM = 9.8 km s(-1)) show, in contrast, significant line-of-sight differences in the column densities of Mn II and Fe II; these are not due to observational systematics. We find that [Mn/H] = -1.44 and [Fe/H] = -1.52 in damped Ly alpha system A, while [Mn/H] = -0.98 and [Fe/H] > -1.32, and possibly as high as [Fe/H] approximate to -1, in damped Ly alpha system B. A careful assessment of possible systematic errors leads us to conclude that these transverse differences are significant at a 5 sigma level or greater. Although nucleosynthesis effects may also be at play, we favor differential dust depletion as the main mechanism producing the observed abundance gradient. The transverse separation is 5 h(70)(-1) kpc at the redshift of the absorber, which is also likely to be the lensing galaxy. The derived abundances therefore probe two opposite sides of a single galaxy hosting both damped Ly alpha systems. This is the first time firm abundance constraints have been obtained for a single damped system probed by two lines of sight. The significance of this finding for the cosmic evolution of metals is discussed},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WisotzkiSchechterChenetal.2004,
  author    = {Wisotzki, Lutz and Schechter, P. L. and Chen, H. W. and Richstone, D. and Jahnke, Knud and Sanchez, Sebastian F. and Reimers, Dieter},
  title     = {HE 0047-1756 : a new gravitationally lensed double QSO},
  issn      = {0004-6361},
  year      = {2004},
  abstract  = {The quasar HE 0047-1756, at z = 1.67, is found to be split into two images 1."144 apart by an intervening galaxy acting as a gravitational lens. The flux ratio for the two components is roughly 3.5:1, depending slightly upon wavelength. The lensing galaxy is seen on images obtained in the i (800 nm) and K-s bands (2.1 mum); there is also a nearby faint object which may be responsible for some shear. The spectra of the two quasar images are nearly identical, but the emission line ratio between the two components scale differently from the continuum. Moreover, the fainter component has a bluer continuum slope than the brighter one. We argue that these small differences are probably due to microlensing. There is evidence for a partial Einstein ring emanating from the brighter image toward the fainter one},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchorckChristliebCohenetal.2009,
  author    = {Schorck, Torben and Christlieb, Norbert and Cohen, Judy G. and Beers, Timothy C. and Shectman, Steve and Thompson, Ian and McWilliam, Andrew and Bessell, Michael S. and Norris, John E. and Mel{\´e}ndez, Jorge and Ram{\"i}rez, Solange and Haynes, D. and Cass, Paul and Hartley, Malcolm and Russell, Ken and Watson, Fred and Zickgraf, Franz-Josef and Behnke, Berit and Fechner, Cora and Fuhrmeister, Birgit and Barklem, Paul S. and Edvardsson, Bengt and Frebel, Anna and Wisotzki, Lutz and Reimers, Dieter},
  title     = {The stellar content of the Hamburg/ESO survey : V. the metallicity distribution function of the Galactic halo},
  issn      = {0004-6361},
  doi       = {10.1051/0004-6361/200810925},
  year      = {2009},
  abstract  = {We determine the metallicity distribution function (MDF) of the Galactic halo by means of a sample of 1638 metal-poor stars selected from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey (HES). The sample was corrected for minor biases introduced by the strategy for spectroscopic follow-up observations of the metal-poor candidates, namely "best and brightest stars first". Comparison of the metallicities [Fe/H] of the stars determined from moderate-resolution (i.e., R similar to 2000) follow-up spectra with results derived from abundance analyses based on high-resolution spectra (i.e., R > 20 000) shows that the [Fe/H] estimates used for the determination of the halo MDF are accurate to within 0.3 dex, once highly C-rich stars are eliminated. We determined the selection function of the HES, which must be taken into account for a proper comparison between the HES MDF with MDFs of other stellar populations or those predicted by models of Galactic chemical evolution. The latter show a reasonable agreement with the overall shape of the HES MDF for [Fe/H] > -3.6, but only a model of Salvadori et al. (2007) with a critical metallicity for low-mass star formation of Z(cr) = 10(-3.4) Z(circle dot) reproduces the sharp drop at [Fe/H] similar to -3.6 present in the HES MDF. Although currently about ten stars at [Fe/H] < -3.6 are known, the evidence for the existence of a tail of the halo MDF extending to [Fe/H] similar to -5.5 is weak from the sample considered in this paper, because it only includes two stars [Fe/H] < -3.6. Therefore, a comparison with theoretical models has to await larger statistically complete and unbiased samples. A comparison of the MDF of Galactic globular clusters and of dSph satellites to the Galaxy shows qualitative agreement with the halo MDF, derived from the HES, once the selection function of the latter is included. However, statistical tests show that the differences between these are still highly significant.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BonifacioRahmaniWhitmoreetal.2014,
  author    = {Bonifacio, P. and Rahmani, H. and Whitmore, J. B. and Wendt, Martin and Centurion, Martin and Molaro, P. and Srianand, R. and Murphy, M. T. and Petitjean, P. and Agafonova, I. I. and Evans, T. M. and Levshakov, S. A. and Lopez, S. and Martins, C. J. A. P. and Reimers, D. and Vladilo, G.},
  title     = {Fundamental constants and high-resolution spectroscopy},
  series = {Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes},
  volume    = {335},
  journal   = {Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Wiley-VCH},
  address   = {Weinheim},
  issn      = {0004-6337},
  doi       = {10.1002/asna.201312005},
  pages     = {83 -- 91},
  year      = {2014},
  language  = {en}
}