Recent observations have revealed several Jupiter-mass planets with highly eccentric and / or misaligned orbits, which clearly suggests that dynamical processes operated in these systems. These dynamical processes may result in close encounters between Jupiter-like planets and their host stars. Using three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, we find that planets with cores are more likely to be retained by their host stars in contrast with previous studies which suggested that coreless planets are often ejected. We propose that after a long term evolution some gas giant planets could be transformed into super-Earths or Neptune-like planets, which is supported by our adiabatic evolution models. Finally, we analyze the orbits and structure of known planets and Kepler candidates and find that our model is capable of producing some of the shortest-period objects.

The past year has seen major advances in the observational status of Stellar Tidal Disruption, with the discovery of two strong optical candidates in archived SDSS data and the real-time X-ray detection of Swift J1644+57, plus rapid radio and optical follow-up establishing it as a probable Tidal Disruption Flare (TDF) in “blazar mode”. These observations motivated a workshop devoted to discussion of such events and of the theory of their emission and flare rate. Observational contributions included a presentation of Swift J2058+05 (a possible second example of a TDF in blazar mode), reports on the late-time evolution and X-ray variability of the two Swift events, and a proposal that additional candidates may be evidenced by spectral signatures in SDSS. Theory presentations included models of radio emission, theory of light curves and the proposal that GRB101225A may be the Galactic tidal disruption of a neutron star, an interpretation of Swift J1644+57 as due to the disruption of a white dwarf instead of main-sequence star, calculation of the dependence of the TDF rate on the spin of the black hole, and analysis of the SDSS events, fitting their SEDs to profiles of thoretical emission from accretion disks and showing that their luminosity and rate are consistent with the proposal that TDEs can be responsible for UHECR acceleration.