The GAGE survey. I. Deep multi-band stellar variability characterization and automated classification toward Baade's window
Abstract
Context. Long-term photometric surveys of the Galactic bulge are vital for characterizing its stellar populations and structure, providing a foundation for next-generation facilities. Aims. We present initial results of the GalActic bulGe with plEiadi (GAGE) project, focusing on variable star discovery in Baade's Window. Methods. Using archival DECam (ugriz) data on the Blanco 4-m Telescope spanning six years, we applied high-precision PSF photometry. We developed a pipeline combining Generalized Lomb-Scargle analysis and polynomial light-curve modelling to derive mean multi-band magnitudes and amplitudes. Results. Quality cuts yield 6,304 high-confidence variable sources. We expand multi-band coverage for 4,568 sources in common with OGLE IV and uncover 1,736 (~28%) new candidates absent from OGLE IV. Using a Random Forest classifier, we categorize these sources, finding that 1,391 were also missing from both Gaia DR3 and VVV. This population is concentrated at the fainter end (i >= 17.5 mag), enabled by our deeper detection limits. Conclusions. Our pipeline effectively probes deep, highly crowded fields, expanding the variable star inventory of the inner Galaxy as a benchmark for Rubin-LSST.
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BibTeX
@misc{gholami2026gage,
title = {{The GAGE survey. I. Deep multi-band stellar variability characterization and automated classification toward Baade's window}},
author = {M. Gholami and M. DallOra and A. Luna and J. Olivares Carvajal and S. Leccia and M. Marengo and G. Bono and V. Braga and A. Calamida and G. De Somma and G. Fiorentino and M. Marconi and D. Minniti and M. Monelli and I. Musella and V. Ripepi and P. B. Stetson and M. Brescia and R. Bonito and M. Di Criscienzo and M. Fabrizio and M. Jones and R. Molinaro and S. Nedhath and C. Salvo-Guajardo and M. Sanchez-Benavente and M. Tantalo},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.23326},
eprint = {2610.23326},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.23326},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The GAGE survey. I. Deep multi-band stellar variability characterization and automated classification toward Baade's window
AU - M. Gholami
AU - M. DallOra
AU - A. Luna
AU - J. Olivares Carvajal
AU - S. Leccia
AU - M. Marengo
AU - G. Bono
AU - V. Braga
AU - A. Calamida
AU - G. De Somma
AU - G. Fiorentino
AU - M. Marconi
AU - D. Minniti
AU - M. Monelli
AU - I. Musella
AU - V. Ripepi
AU - P. B. Stetson
AU - M. Brescia
AU - R. Bonito
AU - M. Di Criscienzo
AU - M. Fabrizio
AU - M. Jones
AU - R. Molinaro
AU - S. Nedhath
AU - C. Salvo-Guajardo
AU - M. Sanchez-Benavente
AU - M. Tantalo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.23326
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.23326
AB - Context. Long-term photometric surveys of the Galactic bulge are vital for characterizing its stellar populations and structure, providing a foundation for next-generation facilities. Aims. We present initial results of the GalActic bulGe with plEiadi (GAGE) project, focusing on variable star discovery in Baade's Window. Methods. Using archival DECam (ugriz) data on the Blanco 4-m Telescope spanning six years, we applied high-precision PSF photometry. We developed a pipeline combining Generalized Lomb-Scargle analysis and polynomial light-curve modelling to derive mean multi-band magnitudes and amplitudes. Results. Quality cuts yield 6,304 high-confidence variable sources. We expand multi-band coverage for 4,568 sources in common with OGLE IV and uncover 1,736 (~28%) new candidates absent from OGLE IV. Using a Random Forest classifier, we categorize these sources, finding that 1,391 were also missing from both Gaia DR3 and VVV. This population is concentrated at the fainter end (i >= 17.5 mag), enabled by our deeper detection limits. Conclusions. Our pipeline effectively probes deep, highly crowded fields, expanding the variable star inventory of the inner Galaxy as a benchmark for Rubin-LSST.
ER -