The Bulge Asymmetries and Dynamical Evolution (BAaDE) survey aims to explore the complex structure of the inner Galaxy and Galactic Bulge, by using the 43 GHz receivers at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and the 86 GHz receivers at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to observe SiO maser lines in red giant stars. The goal is to construct a sample of stellar point-mass probes that can be used to test models of the gravitational potential, and the final sample is expected to provide at least 20,000 line-of-sight velocities and positions. A possible bias between the VLA and the ALMA SiO maser lines is explored, and the 86 GHz SiO line-peak velocities agree using either of the four sampled lines. Additionally, the SiO maser velocities agree with the OH maser derived velocities.

Based on cosmological re-simulations we have shown that the impact of satellite galaxies has a minor effect on the thin disc heating. In contrast satellite galaxies can generate long-lived warps of the outer disc and they can advance or delay bar formation significantly.

We present an analysis of the globular cluster system (GCS) of the galaxy NGC 3613, an intrinsically bright elliptical galaxy (MV = −21.5) in a low density environment (it is the central galaxy of a group of a dozen galaxies). Based on Gemini/GMOS photometry of NGC 3613 we obtained the following properties for this GCS. A ‘blue tilt’ is detected in the colour-magnitude diagram. The colour distribution is bimodal, presenting the two classical globular cluster (GC) sub-populations. The spatial and azimuthal projected distributions show that red sub-population correlates with the stellar component of the host galaxy.

I present our observations and modeling of the 1.3 mm and 3.18 mm dust continuum emission in Class 0 protostars, from the IRAM-PdBI CALYPSO survey. We show that most protostars are better reproduced by models including a disk-like dust continuum component contributing to the flux at small scales, but less than 25% of these candidate protostellar disks are resolved at radii >60 au, which favors magnetized models of rotating protostellar collapse for disk formation (Maury et al. 2019). I also present new ALMA observations of the molecular line emission in the IRAM04191 protostar, suggesting a small counter-rotating disk is detected in this young low-luminosity solar-type protostar. Finally, I show our ALMA observations of the magnetic field topology in the B335 protostar, which when compared to the typical output from protostellar collapse models, suggest the magnetic field might be responsible for constraining the disk size to remain very small in this protostar (Maury et al. 2018).

We have carried out a wide and deep imaging survey for the Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxy Ursa Minor (UMi) using Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). The data cover out beyond the nominal tidal radius down to ~25 mag in i band, which is ~2 mag below the main sequence turn-off point. The structural parameters of UMi are derived using red giant branch (RGB) stars and sub-giant branch (SGB) stars, and the tidal radius is suggested to be larger than those estimated by the previous studies. It is also found that the distribution of bluer RGB/SGB stars is more extended than that of redder RGB/SGB stars. The fraction of binary systems is estimated to be ~0.4 from the morphology of the main sequences.

Planet formation takes place in the gaseous and dusty disks that surround young stars, known as protoplanetary disks. With the advent of sensitive observations and together with developments in theory, our field is making rapid progress in understanding how the evolution of protoplanetary disks takes place, from its inception to the end result of a fully-formed planetary system. In this review, I discuss how observations that trace both the dust and gas components of these systems inform us about their evolution, mass budget, and chemistry. Particularly, the process of disk evolution and planet formation will leave an imprint on the distribution of solid particles at different locations in a protoplanetary disk, and I focus on recent observational results at high angular resolution in the sub-millimeter regime, which have revealed a variety of substructures present in these objects.

In order to test massive star evolution above 25 M⊙, we perform spectral analysis on a sample of massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud that includes both O stars as well as more evolved Wolf-Rayet stars. We present a grid of non-LTE stellar atmospheres that has been calculated using the cmfgen code, in order to have a systematic and homogeneous approach. We obtain stellar and wind parameters for O stars, spectral types ranging from O2 to O6, and the complete sample of known Wolf-Rayet stars. We discuss the evolutionary status of both the O and WR stars and the links between them, as well as the most likely evolutionary path towards black hole formation in a low metallicity environment, including testing theoretical predictions for mass-loss rates at low metallicities.

This paper presented the discovery of an energetic nuclear transient from near-infrared monitoring of nearby starburst and luminous infrared galaxies. The transient radiated at least 1.5E+52 erg in the infrared but remained elusive at optical and X-ray wavelengths. We interpret its properties as arising from a stellar tidal disruption event (TDE) close to a supermassive black hole. Much of its emission must have been reprocessed by dense gas and re-radiated at infrared wavelengths by dust, suggesting a way for reducing the tension between theoretical luminosity predictions and observations of TDEs. Such events are not detectable by optical, UV or soft X-ray observations, and might represent just the tip of the iceberg of a missed TDE population in the local Universe. That population could be more numerous at higher redshifts where luminous infrared galaxies are more common.

The VISCACHA (VIsible Soar photometry of star Clusters in tApii and Coxi HuguA†) Survey is an ongoing project based on deep and spatially resolved photometric observations of Magellanic Cloud star clusters, collected using the SOuthern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope together with the SOAR Adaptive Module Imager. So far we have used >300h of telescope time to observe ∼150 star clusters, mostly with low mass (M < 104M⊙) on the outskirts of the LMC and SMC. With this high-quality data set, we homogeneously determine physical properties using deep colour-magnitude diagrams (ages, metallicities, reddening, distances, mass, luminosity and mass functions) and structural parameters (radial density profiles, sizes) for these clusters which are used as a proxy to investigate the interplay between the Magellanic Clouds and their evolution. We present the VISCACHA survey and its initial results, based on our first two papers. The project’s long term goals and expected legacy to the community are also addressed.

Understanding Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars is important as they play a vital role in the chemical life cycle of galaxies. AGB stars are in a phase of their life time where they have almost ran out of fuel and are losing vast amounts of material to their surroundings, via stellar winds. As this is an evolutionary phase of low mass stars, almost all stars go through this phase making them one of the main contributors to the chemical enrichment of galaxies. It is therefore important to understand what kind of material is being lost by these stars, and how much and how fast. This work summarises the steps we have taken towards developing a self-consistent AGB wind model. We improve on current models by firstly coupling chemical and hydrodynamical evolution, and secondly by upgrading the nucleation theory framework to investigate the creation of TiO2, SiO, MgO, and Al2O3 clusters.

Since past few decades, observations have improved so strongly that when modelling Milky Way (MW) dynamics it is required to include small perturbations to the modelling process. It is difficult task that we try to solve by selecting regions to model so small that the perturbation can be considered to give nearly constant effect. We use Solar Neighbourhood (SN) as our test sample and assume that the bar effects show more or less constant contribution to SN. By extrapolating and smoothing observed stars on their orbits, and requiring that smoothed and observed phase space are consistent we were able to deduce acceleration vector. We conclude from non-radial acceleration component that the bar must cause about one third of total acceleration near SN.

The growing evidence for energy-conserving outflows in powerful and luminous AGN supports the idea that high-velocity winds launched from the accretion disc evolve systematically after undergoing a shock with the ambient medium and that they are capable to expel enough mass and energy so as to produce feedback. This talk will give an overview of recent results on AGN ultra fast outflows, with focus on grating X-ray spectra of bright sources. I will review how UFO work, their observational properties and their relation with AGN outflows in other bands, what is their impact on the host galaxies and their role in feedback processes.

The wind-driving process of AGB stars is thought to be a two-step process: first matter is levitated by shock waves, and then accelerated outwards by radiation pressure on newly condensed dust grains. When modelling such a wind, spherical symmetry is usually assumed. This is in stark contrast with recent observations, which shows significant non-spherical structures. Giant convection cells cover the surface of the star, and matter is being ejected into the atmosphere where it condenses into lumpy dust clouds. We try to quantify the differences between what is simulated in the 3D star-in-a-box models (CO5BOLD code) and the 1D dynamical atmosphere and wind models (DARWIN code). The impact of having a non-spherical star on the wind properties is also investigated. We find that the inherent non-spherical behaviour of AGB stars might induce a dust-driven weak wind already early on the AGB, and including that the star is anisotropic when simulating the wind leads to large time variations in the density of the outflow. Such variations might be observable as small-scale structures in the circumstellar envelope.

In this study, the main belt asteroid (44) Nysa, which is also a known member of the Nysian asteroid family, was observed by IST60 telescope. The orbital elements were compared with MPO(Minor Planet Center) and NASA Horizons Web-Interface results.

We observed a bright H II complex, Hubble V in NGC 6822, using the high-resolution near-infrared spectrograph IGRINS (R = 45,000) attached on the 2.7 m telescope at the McDonald Observatory. We carried out a spectral mapping over a 15″ × 18″ region in the H and K bands using a slit-scanning technique. The emission lines Brγ and He i from ionized regions as well as molecular hydrogen lines from photo-dissociation regions (PDRs), were detected. We show three-dimensional maps of the emission lines and discuss the possibility of an expanding hot bubble structure within which many ionized components are around the central stellar cluster.

The gas dynamics of protoplanetary disks (PPDs) plays a crucial role in almost all stages of planet formation, yet it is far from being well understood largely due to the complex interplay among various microphysical processes. Primarily, PPD gas dynamics is likely governed by magnetic fields, and their coupling with the weakly ionized gas is described by non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects. Incorporating these effects, I will present the first fully global simulations of PPDs that include the most realistic disk microphysics. Accretion and disk evolution is primarily driven by magnetized disk winds with significant mass loss comparable to accretion rate. The overall disk gas dynamics strongly depends on the polarity of large-scale poloidal magnetic field threading the disk owing to the Hall effect. The flow structure in the disk is highly unconventional with major implications on planet formation.

We investigate the dynamics of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic cores by means of a semi-analytic model based on the Langevin equation, including dynamical friction and stochastic noise accounting for the gravitational interactions with stars. The model is validated against direct N-body simulations of intermediate-mass black holes in stellar clusters where a realistic number of particles is accessible. For the galactic case, we find that the SMBH experiences a Brownian-like motion with a typical displacement from the geometric center of the Galaxy of a few parsecs, for system parameters compatible with M87.

We present the results of two-dimensional, grid-type hydrodynamical simulations, with parsec-scale central resolution, for the evolution of the hot gas in isolated early-type galaxies (ETGs). The simulations include a physically self-consistent treatment of the mechanical (from winds) and radiative AGN feedback, and were run for a large set of realistic galaxy models. AGN feedback proves to be very important to maintain massive ETGs in a time-averaged quasi-steady state, keeping the star formation at a low level, and the central black hole mass on observed scaling relations. A comparison with recent determinations of the X-ray properties of ETGs in the local universe shows that, at later epochs, AGN feedback does not dramatically alter the gas content originating in stellar recycled material. Thus, the present-day X-ray luminosity is not a robust diagnostic of the impact of AGN activity, within a scenario where the hot gas mostly originates from the stellar population.

Small-JASMINE will provide astrometric data with high precisions in a near infrared band for stars in the Galactic nuclear bulge and other specific targets. The primary scientific objective is to carry out the Galactic Center Archeology by exploring the Galactic nuclear bulge that leads to the elucidation of the Galactic structures and the evolution of the supermassive black hole at the center. Small-JASMINE has been selected as the unique candidate for the competitive 3rd M-class science satellite mission by ISAS/JAXA. The launch date is mid-2020s.