In this work, we study the acceleration of hot plasma to relativistic speed through the Compton rocket effect which is viable in the two-flow paradigm.

Supernovae of all types exhibit time-dependent spectropolarimetric signatures produced primarily by electron scattering. These reveal the presence of aspherical and variable phenomena such as complex velocity structures, changing illumination, and asymmetric or clumpy morphologies within the ejecta or surrounding circumstellar material. In addition, the gradual thinning of the ejecta over time allows us to probe different scattering regions as the supernova evolves. Interpreting the time variations of these spectropolarimetric signatures yields unprecedentedly detailed information about supernova explosion mechanisms, the physical processes that shape the density and velocity distributions of the ejecta and circumstellar material, and the properties of the progenitor star.

I present an overview of supernova spectropolarimetry, highlighting recent observational and computational results. This versatile technique helps us to constrain explosion mechanisms, connect SNe with their massive progenitors (as well as other high-energy transient phenomena such as GRBs), and investigate the process of stellar evolution in other galaxies.

We are undertaking a detailed investigation, based on the available evidence, of the sequence of events that led to the historical discovery of the first quasar, 3C273.

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be a ground-based, optical, all-sky, rapid cadence survey project with tremendous potential for discovering and characterizing asteroids.

With LSST's large 6.5m diameter primary mirror, a wide 9.6 square degree field of view 3.2 Gigapixel camera, and rapid observational cadence, LSST will discover more than 5 million asteroids over its ten year survey lifetime. With a single visit limiting magnitude of 24.5 in r band, LSST will be able to detect asteroids in the Main Belt down to sub-kilometer sizes. The current strawman for the LSST survey strategy is to obtain two visits (each ‘visit’ being a pair of back-to-back 15s exposures) per field, separated by about 30 minutes, covering the entire visible sky every 3-4 days throughout the observing season, for ten years.

The catalogs generated by LSST will increase the known number of small bodies in the Solar System by a factor of 10-100 times, among all populations. The median number of observations for Main Belt asteroids will be on the order of 200-300, with Near Earth Objects receiving a median of 90 observations. These observations will be spread among ugrizy bandpasses, providing photometric colors and allow sparse lightcurve inversion to determine rotation periods, spin axes, and shape information.

These catalogs will be created using automated detection software, the LSST Moving Object Processing System (MOPS), that will take advantage of the carefully characterized LSST optical system, cosmetically clean camera, and recent improvements in difference imaging. Tests with the prototype MOPS software indicate that linking detections (and thus ‘discovery’) will be possible at LSST depths with our working model for the survey strategy, but evaluation of MOPS and improvements in the survey strategy will continue. All data products and software created by LSST will be publicly available.

Using time-series photometry from the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) exoplanet survey, we are looking for eclipses of stars by their protoplanetary disks, specifically in young stellar associations. To date, we have discovered two previously unknown, large dimming events around the young stars RW Aurigae and V409 Tau. We attribute the dimming of RW Aurigae to an occultation by its tidally disrupted disk, with the disruption perhaps resulting from a recent flyby of its binary companion. Even with the dynamical environment of RW Aurigae, the distorted disk material remains very compact and presumably capable of forming planets. This system also shows that strong binary interactions with disks can also influence planet and core composition by stirring up and mixing materials during planet formation. We interpret the dimming of V409 Tau to be due to a feature, possibly a warp or perturbation, lying at least 10 AU from the host star in its nearly edge-on circumstellar disk.

In this paper I present an overview of the main observational properties of a special class of exotic objects (the so-called Blue Straggler Stars, BSSs) in Galactic Globular Clusters (GCs). The BSS specific frequency and their radial distribution are discussed in the framework of using this stellar population as probe of GC internal dynamics. In particular, the shape of the BSS radial distribution has been found to be a powerful tracer of the dynamical evolution of stellar systems, thus allowing the definition of an empirical “clock”able to measure the dynamical age of stellar aggregates from pure observational properties.

The physical nature such as orbital distribution of asteroids is fundamental to understanding how our solar system has been evolved. The connection between Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and Earth impactors such as meteorites and fireballs are still under debate, since there is no meteorite orbit whose parent NEO was identified. The orbital distribution of NEOs has been investigated by comprehensive sky surveys including Pan-STARRS (The Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System). Here we focus on the Phaethon-Gemind complex detected by Pan-STARRS PS1 Prototype Telescope and our follow-up lightcurve observations.

Fabry-Perot data of compact group galaxies have been used to show that the Tully-Fisher relation in any photometric band, for galaxies with vmax > 100 km/s, is very similar to that for galaxies in other less dense environments. In the low-luminosity end, however, a few compact group galaxies fall above the relation apparently because they are too bright for their mass. Here we show that if the mass is properly computed from spectral energy distribution fitting or mass modelling, for the low-luminosity galaxies, their positions in the stellar-mass or baryonic Tully-Fisher relation are what is expected for a normal Tully-Fisher relation and the outlying positions observed in the B and K Tully-Fisher relation could be explained by brightening of the low-luminosity interacting galaxies due to strong star formation or AGN activity.

A new generation of radio telescopes with unprecedented capabilities for astronomy and fundamental physics will be in operation over the next few years. With high sensitivities and large fields of view, they are ideal for cosmological applications. We discuss their uses for cosmology focusing on the observational technique of HI intensity mapping, in particular at low redshifts (z < 4). This novel observational window promises to bring new insights for cosmology, in particular on ultra-large scales and at a redshift range that can go beyond the dark energy domination epoch. In terms of standard constraints on the dark energy equation of state, telescopes such as Phase I of the SKA should be able to obtain constrains about as well as a future galaxy redshift surveys. Statistical techniques to deal with foregrounds and calibration issues, as well as possible systematics are also discussed.

Understanding the evolution of galaxies from the starforming blue cloud to the quiescent red sequence has been revolutionized by observations taken with Herschel Space Observatory, and the onset of the era of sensitive millimeter interferometers, allowing astronomers to probe both cold dust as well as the cool interstellar medium in a large set of galaxies with unprecedented sensitivity. Recent Herschel observations of of H2-bright Hickson Compact Groups of galaxies (HCGs) has shown that [C ii] may be boosted in diffuse shocked gas. CARMA CO(1–0) observations of these [C ii]-bright HCGs has shown that these turbulent systems also can show suppression of SF. Here we present preliminary results from observations of HCGs with Herschel and CARMA, and their [C ii] and CO(1–0) properties to discuss how shocks influence galaxy transitions and star formation.

The study of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) is a young and promising field of research. If IMBHs exist, they could explain the rapid growth of supermassive black holes by acting as seeds in the early stage of galaxy formation. Formed by runaway collisions of massive stars in young and dense stellar clusters, intermediate-mass black holes could still be present in the centers of globular clusters, today. Our group investigated the presence of intermediate-mass black holes for a sample of 10 Galactic globular clusters. We measured the inner kinematic profiles with integral-field spectroscopy and determined masses or upper limits of central black holes in each cluster. In combination with literature data we further studied the positions of our results on known black-hole scaling relations (such as M• − σ) and found a similar but flatter correlation for IMBHs. Applying cluster evolution codes, the change in the slope could be explained with the stellar mass loss occurring in clusters in a tidal field over its life time. Furthermore, we present results from several numerical simulations on the topic of IMBHs and integral field units (IFUs). We ran N-body simulations of globular clusters containing IMBHs in a tidal field and studied their effects on mass-loss rates and remnant fractions and showed that an IMBH in the center prevents core collapse and ejects massive objects more rapidly. These simulations were further used to simulate IFU data cubes. For the specific case of NGC 6388 we simulated two different IFU techniques and found that velocity dispersion measurements from individual velocities are strongly biased towards lower values due to blends of neighboring stars and background light. In addition, we use the Astrophysical Multipurpose Software Environment (AMUSE) to combine gravitational physics, stellar evolution and hydrodynamics to simulate the accretion of stellar winds onto a black hole.

The two Pan-STARRS telescopes, located on Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii, are 1.8-meter diameter telescopes equipped with 1.4 Gigapixel cameras that deliver 7 square degree fields-of-view. The first of these telescopes, Pan-STARRS1, is conducting a search for Near Earth Objects, and is currently the leading discoverer of Near Earth Objects. The second telescope, Pan-STARRS2, is nearing the end of its commissioning, and is becoming more productive.

Pan-STARRS has become the leading survey for Near Earth Objects, responsible for approximately half of the NEO discoveries to date in 2015. Pan-STARRS is also the leading discoverer of new comets.

Although the extragalactic nature of 3C 48 and other quasi stellar radio sources was discussed as early as 1960 by John Bolton and others, it was rejected largely because of preconceived ideas about what appeared to be unrealistically high radio and optical luminosities. Not until the 1962 occultations of the strong radio source 3C 273 at Parkes, which led Maarten Schmidt to identify 3C 273 with an apparent stellar object at a redshift of 0.16, was the true nature understood. Successive radio and optical measurements quickly led to the identification of other quasars with increasingly large redshifts and the general, although for some decades not universal, acceptance of quasars as the very luminous nuclei of galaxies.

Curiously, 3C 273, which is one of the strongest extragalactic sources in the sky, was first cataloged in 1959 and the magnitude 13 optical counterpart was observed at least as early as 1887. Since 1960, much fainter optical counterparts were being routinely identified using accurate radio interferometer positions which were measured primarily at the Caltech Owens Valley Radio Observatory. However, 3C 273 eluded identification until the series of lunar occultation observations led by Cyril Hazard. Although an accurate radio position had been obtained earlier with the OVRO interferometer, inexplicably 3C 273 was initially misidentified with a faint galaxy located about an arc minute away from the true quasar position.

We model the complex light curve of 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6, a ~16 Myr old star in the Sco-Cen OB association, with a giant ring system that fills a significant fraction of the Hill sphere of an unseen secondary companion, J1407b. The best ring model has 37 rings and extends out to a radius of 0.6 AU (90 million km), and the rings have an estimated total mass on the order of 1 M⊕. The ring system has one clearly defined gap at 0.4 AU (61 million km), which we hypothesize is being cleared out by a < 0.8 M⊕ exosatellite orbiting around the secondary companion.

Since 2013, coordinated campaigns with the THEMIS spectropolarimeter in Tenerife and other instruments (space based: Hinode/SOT, IRIS or ground based: Sac Peak, Meudon) are organized to observe prominences. THEMIS records spectropolarimetry at the He I D3 and we use the PCA inversion technique to derive their field strength, inclination and azimuth.

All of the observed prominences are quiescent, as they were stable as filaments for at least three days and not eruptive. They present similar characteristics, they are highly dynamic and present horizontal magnetic fields. Statistically, the inclination from the local vertical is around 90 degrees, with some points around 60 and 120 degrees. The field strength is between 5 and 15 Gauss. We tested the effects of adding a turbulent field component to the horizontal field. For those pixels showing inclinations around 60 and 120 degrees, we find that such a model is compatible with the polarimetric observations. In some of these prominences, identified as “tornadoes” the field strength may reach 50 Gauss, and in the top of the tornadoes some points exhibit an inclination which cannot correspond to any model in our grid of models. We investigate different solutions.

Main belt comets (MBCs) are a class of newly discovered objects that exhibit comet-like appearances and yet are dynamically indistinguishable from ordinary main belt asteroids. The measured size and albedo of MBCs are similar to those of classical comets. At present, six MBCs have been discovered, namely 133P/Elst-Pizarro, 176P/LINEAR, 238P/Read, P/2008 R1, P/La Sagra and P/2006 VW139. The total number of active MBCs is estimated to be at the level of a few hundreds (Hsieh & Jewitt, 2006). Several explanations for the activity of MBCs have been suggested. These include impact ejection, sublimation and rotational instability. However, since renewed activity has been observed in 133P and 238P at successive perihelion passages, the most likely explanation may be a thermally-driven process - e.g sublimation of exposed surface ice. Although the proximity of MBCs to the Sun (r ~ 3 AU) makes the survival of surface ice improbable, thermal models have shown that water ice is thermally stable under a regolith layer a few meters thick. The study of MBCs has recently been complicated by the discoveries of two asteroid collisional events (P/2010 A2 (LINEAR) and (596) Scheila) in 2010, where comet-like dust coma/tail have been attributed to recent impacts. If MBCs are indeed icy, they represent the closest and the third established reservoir of comets (after the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt). As such, they may have been an important source of water for the Earth's oceans. I will review the current state of MBC studies, present the latest observational results and discuss possible mechanisms that could produce the observed activity. I will also talk about current and future space missions that are dedicated or closely related to MBC studies.

We describe an analysis of 3-GHz confusion-limited data from the Karl J. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). We show that with minimal model assumptions, P(D), Bayesian and Markov-Chain Mone-Carlo (MCMC) methods can define the source count to levels some 10 times fainter than the conventional confusion limit. Our verification process includes a full realistic simulation that considers known information on source angular extent and clustering. It appears that careful analysis of the statistical properties of an image is more effective than counting individual objects.

We discuss some aspects of extragalactic jets originating from super massive black holes in the centres of active galaxies (and quasars). We start with a short review of sizes and flavors and then argue that the emission we detect across the electromagnetic spectrum does not come from the essence of the jet, but is rather a product of the jet. We go on to discuss some topics concerning synchrotron emission from jets, mainly aspects of knots. Finally we discuss the emission processes for the X-rays and describe a current experiment with LOFAR designed to test a requirement of inverse Compton models.

The physical processes responsible of sweeping up the surrounding gas in the host galaxy of an AGN, and able in some circumstances to expel it from the galaxy, are not yet well known. The various mechanisms are briefly reviewed: quasar or radio modes, either momentum-conserving outflows, energy-conserving outflows, or intermediate. They are confronted to observations, to know whether they can explain the M-sigma relation, quench the star formation or whether they can also provide some positive feedback and how the black hole accretion history is related to that of star formation.

We analyze the flux of new and evolved long-period comets (LPCs) reaching the Earth's neighborhood (perihelion distances q < 1.3 AU), their physical lifetimes, and their implications as regards to the amount of meteoritic matter that is being deposited in the near-Earth region. The flux of LPCs with q < 1.3 au is found to be of about 340 ± 40, brighter than absolute total magnitude 8.6 (radius R ~ 0.6 km) (Fernández and Sosa 2012). Bearing in mind that most of these comets disintegrate into meteoritic matter, this represents a large contribution to the interplanetary dust complex which requires an amount of matter of about 10 tons s−1 to keep it in steady state. These aspects, as well as the impact rate with Earth of meteoroids of LPC origin, will be discussed in this presentation.