Program: GS-2008A-Q-56

The aim of this long term project is to perform the first spectroscopic study of the faint galaxy content of the Antlia cluster and, in this proposal, we are focusing on the Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) candidates. This galaxy cluster is the nearest one (d=35 Mpc) after Virgo and Fornax, and its galaxy density is even higher than in these two well investigated clusters. However, the Antlia cluster has not been studied with detail in the optical. We are now undertaking the first deep CCD photometric survey of dwarf galaxies, which is the basis of the present follow-up spectroscopic study. Three GMOS fields in the central region of Antlia are now requested, which contain one BCD galaxy each, plus other dwarf candidates (down to R_T= 20.5 mag), as well as UCD and globular cluster candidates. First scientific objectives deal with membership and kinematics (none of the targets has previous radial velocities) and, for a brighter dwarf subsample that includes the BCDs, with population properties. As BCDs are the most metal-deficient star-forming galaxies known in the Universe, they represent nearby laboratories for studying star formation and other physical processes in nearly primordial conditions. Remark: This proposal (unmodified) already got Argentinian time (8.1 h, band 1), but has been deleted from the queue. We apply again on Chilean time.