Alain KLOTZ
Teacher and researcher in astronomy & astrophysics. Speciality: Experimental astronomy.
Professor at the Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse).
I worked in astrochemsitry from 1992 to 2009. I studied astrochemistry of organometallic molecules in the interstellar matter and
initiated the CASSIS project. Since 1998, I work on the early optical follow-up of
gamma-ray bursts using the TAROT telescopes.
Since 2010, I have extended the early optical follow-up to
neutrino, gravitational wave and fast radio burst alerts.
I am involved in the SVOM mission.
I am also using small robotized telescopes in my backyard at home to perform scientific observations.
Teaching
Having the status of professor of university I must teach at less 192 hours/year:
1996-2008: Licences & Masters mainly in physics and physical chemistry.
2009-today: Institut Universitaire de Technologie, department Mesures Physiques.
Research
Main professional address:
Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)
IRAP Site Belin
14 Avenue Edouard Belin
31400 TOULOUSE
FRANCE
All publications in astrophysics data system
Refered publications in astrophysics data system
Astrochemistry
My PhD (1996) was entitled "Contribution to Astrochemistry of organometallic
molecules in the interstellar and circumstellar media. Theoretical and experimental
approaches".
I also worked on these subjects:
- The correlation of the interstellar depletion of metals and the bonding
energies betwenn metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
- The infuence of the carbon dioxyde - methanol interactions on the
infrared features of interstellar ices.
- The interstellar H2 formation from PAHs.
- Gaseous water abundances in interstellar clouds observed with Odin satellite.
- CASSIS software.
More informations...
Gamma-Ray Bursts
Using the TAROT telescopes we recorded early optical images of more than 200 gamma-ray bursts since 2000.
Since 2005 I am involved in the SVOM project which will be a new GRB trigger provider.
- Optical detection of GRB050904 at redshift = 6.29
- Continuous optical photometry during the prompt phase of GRB 060111B
- Optical observations during the high energy emissions
More informations...
Brown-dwarfs
Photometric analysis of young star clusters to find young brown dwarfs.
- Discovery of a young brown dwarf in the Serpens cluster.
- A new method to create extinction maps.
More informations...
Galactic variable stars
Using the TAROT telescopes we recorded thousands of light curves of variable stars.
- Continuous follow-up of the RRLyr star since 2007
- Discovery of 1200 new variable stars
- Blazhko effect of RRLyr stars reported in the GEOS public database
- Characterization of some binary systems
More informations...
Extra-galactic variable stars
Using the TAROT telescopes we recorded images to detect supernovae
and to record light curves of quasars.
- Discovery of 2 supernovae (2002dp, 2002gd) at home
- Discovery of supernovae with TAROT. Especialy 2012fr.
- SNDiscovery a web app to find new supernovae
- Optical light curves for the GAIA quasar calibration
More informations...
Minor planets
Before 2000, I used my backyard telescope to discover asteroids.
Since 2004, using the TAROT telescopes we recorded systematically stars with a potential occulation
by an asteroid.
We used also many telescopes to participate to light curve follow-up or stellar occultations.
More informations...
Solar eclipses
More informations...
Techniques in astronomy and astrophysics
I Participated of the AUDE association to create the AUDINE camera
and the AudeLA software. I also participate to the creation of a new
telescope as the Rapido project with Pierre Thierry.
Techniques of programming
More informations...
Some favorite links
Observations
My private web site : http://alain.klotz.free.fr
Aladin to dispaly field charts http://aladin.u-strasbg.fr/aladin.gml
GRB coordinate network : http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov
Minor Planet & Comet Ephemeris Service : https://minorplanetcenter.net//iau/MPEph/MPEph.html
European Asteroidal Occultations : http://www.euraster.net/
CdR/CdL: Courbe de rotation et luminosité : http://obswww.unige.ch/~behrend/page_cou.html
Minor Planet Checker : https://minorplanetcenter.net/cgi-bin/checkmp.cgi
The STScI Digitized Sky Survey : http://stdatu.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form
Supernovae : http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/snimages/
Many catalogs at IMCCE : IMCCE catalogs to download
SDSS catalog : SDSS DR14
Bibliography
arXiv.org Search : Astro-ph
Optical photometry
CCD photometry accuracy : http://www.sc.eso.org/~ohainaut/ccd/sn.html
Converting from STMAG to Johnson UBVRI and Cousins RI : http://www.stsci.edu/instruments/wfpc2/Wfpc2_phot/wfpc2_cookbook.html
OGLE Photometry Database : http://ogledb.astrouw.edu.pl/~ogle/
Optical spectroscopy
Christian Buil ,Spectroscopy, CCD and Astronomy : http://astrosurf.com/buil/
Benjamin Mauclaire : http://bmauclaire.free.fr/astronomie/spectro/index.html
Lhires3 - Spectroscopie Haute Résolution : http://astrosurf.com/thizy/lhires3/
Camera links
Atik driver Linux
QHYCCD driver Linux
Telescope links
ETX Weasner tech. informations
Domeyko estacion, Chile
