Unveiling photometric transients with the ILMT and their follow-up using DOT
astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.HE
Submitted: 2026-10-12
Updated: 2026-10-12
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: The two 4-m class telescopes at the Devasthal site in India are complementary: the 4-m International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) is dedicated to the discovery of new transient phenomena, which can
Abstract
The two 4-m class telescopes at the Devasthal site in India are complementary: the 4-m International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) is dedicated to the discovery of new transient phenomena, which can be followed up using the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) for their optical characterisation. The ILMT continuously surveys a 22.3 times 22.3 wide strip of the zenith sky. A dedicated transient detection and classification pipeline, PyLMT, based on optimised image subtraction and convolutional neural network (CNN) techniques, enables the discovery of numerous photometric transients with the ILMT. However, these transient discoveries still require spectroscopic confirmation to determine their types, for which spectra obtained with the DOT are essential. Here, we present a selection of photometric transients, specifically supernova candidates. We investigate their photometric and spectroscopic properties using ILMT light curves, supplemented with ZTF data and DOT spectroscopic observations.
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