We have used deep V-band and JHKs-band observations to investigate variability and stellar populations near the Galactic plane in Centaurus, and compare the observations with the Galactic model of Besancon. By applying image subtraction technique to a series of over 580 V-band frames taken with the ESO VLT/VIMOS instrument during two contiguous nights in April 2005 we have detected 333 variables among 84,734 stars in the brightness range 12.7<V<26.0mag. Infrared data collected in March 2010 with the new ESO VISTA telescope allowed us to construct deep combined optical-IR colour-magnitude and colour-colour diagrams. All detected variables but four transit candidates are reported for the first time. The majority of the variables are eclipsing/ellipsoidal binaries and delta Scuti-type pulsators. The occurrence rate of eclipsing/ellipsoidal variables reached ~0.28% of all stars. This is very close to the highest fraction of binary systems detected using ground-based data so far (0.30%), but still about four times smaller than the average occurrence rate recently obtained from the Kepler space mission after 44 days of operation. Comparison of the observed Ks vs. V-Ks diagram with a diagram based on the Besancon model shows significant effects of both distance and reddening in the investigated direction of the sky. We demonstrate that the best model indicates presence of absorbing clouds at distances 11-13kpc from the Sun in the minor Carina-Sagittarius Arm.

Cone search capability for table J/A+A/537/A116/phot (Photometry of stars detected in fields 167 and 170)

Cone search capability for table J/A+A/537/A116/f170var (Data on detected variables)