The growth of spectroscopic observations of exoplanetary systems allows the possibility of testing theoretical models and studying the interaction that exoplanetary atmospheres have with the wind and the energetic photons from the star. In this work, we present a set of numerical 3D simulations of HD 209458b for which spectral lines observations of their evaporative atmosphere are available. The different simulations aim to reproduce different scenarios for the star-planet interaction. With our models, we reconstruct the Lyα line during transit and compare with observations. The results allows us to analyse the shape of the line profile under these different scenarios and the comparison with the observations suggest that HD209458b may have a magnetic field off less than 1 G. We also explore the behaviour of the magnesium lines for models with and without magnetic fields.

Measurement of magnetic field in this layer is challenging both from point of view of observations and interpretation of the data. We present in this work about spectropolarimetric observations of a pore, simultaneously in Ca ii (CaIR) at 854.2 nm (CaIR) and H α (656.28 nm). The observed region includes a small scale energetic event (SSEE) taking place in the region between the pore and the region which show opposite polarity to that of pore at the photosphere. The energetic event appears to be a progressive reconnection event as shown by the time evolution of the intensity profiles. Closer examination of the intensity profiles from the downflow regions suggest that the height of formation of CaIR is higher than that of Hi α, contrary to the current understanding about their height of formation. Preliminary results on the inversion of Stokes-I and V profiles of CaIR are also presented.

One of the major and widely known small scale problem with the Lambda CDM model of cosmology is the “core-cusp” problem. In this study we investigate whether this problem can be resolved using bar instabilities. We see that all the initial bars are thin (b/a < 0.3) in our simulations and the bar becomes thick ( b /a > 0.3) faster in the high resolution simulations. By increasing the resolution, we mean a larger number of disk particles. The thicker bars in the high resolution simulations transfer less angular momentum to the halo. Hence, we find that in the high resolution simulations it takes around 7 Gyr for the bar to remove inner dark matter cusp which is too long to be meaningful in galaxy evolution timescales. Physically, the reason is that as the resolution increases, the bar buckles faster and becomes thicker much earlier on.

The near-infrared spectrograph NIRSpec is one of four instruments aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It offers seven dispersers covering the wavelength range from 0.6 to 5.3 micron with resolutions from R ∼ 100 to R ∼ 2700. Using an array of micro-shutters for target selection, the multi-object spectroscopy mode of NIRSpec will be capable of obtaining spectra from a few tens to more than 200 objects simultaneously. It also features an integral field unit with a 3 by 3 arcseconds field of view, and various slits for high contrast spectroscopy of individual objects. We will provide an overview of the capabilities and performances of these three observing modes highlighting how NIRSpec will contribute to the quest to further understand the assembly and evolution of galaxies from the end of re-ionisation epoch to the present day.

The spatial distribution of the dust and stars contains crucial information about the evolutionary pathways of galaxies. We present results of our study combing high-resolution ALMA and HST observations of z ∼ 2 bright sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs). We have developed a two-dimensional extinction and age correction technique to obtain accurate stellar mass distributions from HST/CANDELS. For the first time, we can directly compare the spatial distribution of assembled stellar mass and ongoing star formation on kpc scales for distant SMGs, shedding light on their highly debated formation mechanisms. We find that the dust distribution is more compact than the stellar component, regardless if the SMG lies on the main sequence or at the starburst regime. Taking the dust emission as a proxy for dust-obscured star formation, our results imply that high-redshift SMGs are experiencing centrally enhanced star formation. These findings suggests that major galaxy interactions are not necessarily the main formation channel for SMGs with secular disk formation remaining a viable option as suggested by state-of-the-art cosmological simulations. The sizes and stellar densities of our z ∼ 2 SMGs agree well with the most compact early-type galaxies in the local Universe, strongly supporting the idea that the latter systems are indeed the descendants of massive SMGs at z ∼ 2.

The stellar magnetic field is the driver of activity in the star and can trigger energetic flares, CMEs and ionized wind. These phenomena, specially CMEs, may have an important impact on the magnetosphere and atmosphere of the orbiting planets. To predict whether a CME will impact a planet, the effects of the background on the CME's trajectory must be taken into account. We used the MHD code ForeCAT – a model for CME deflection due to magnetic forces – to perform numerical simulations of CMEs being launched from both the Sun and Kepler-63, which is a young, solar-like star with high activity. Comparing results from Kepler-63 and the Sun gives us a panorama of the distinct activity level and star-planet interactions of these systems due to the difference of stellar ages and star-planet distances.

While the high-redshift component of the CANDELS survey was designed with the z ∼ 6–8 era in mind, these data do probe the far-UV of galaxies at even higher redshift. A few studies have ventured this far out, and have published conflicting results - some continue to find significant star-formation, while others conclude there is a steep decline in this quantity. Here I report on a new search for z = 9–10 galaxies, making significant use of the Spitzer/IRAC data in the CANDELS fields. We have discovered a larger number of galaxies in this epoch than previous works, implying the UV luminosity function, and thus the SFR density, may not evolve as steeply as previously thought. This implies that star-formation begins early in the universe. I will also report on a new study searching for the earliest quenched galaxies at 3 < z < 5, which are not predicted by models, yet may exist if galaxies form very early, and thus can approach their quenching phase quicker.

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.

Distant luminous Lyman-α emitters are excellent targets for detailed observations of galaxies in the epoch of reionisation. Spatially resolved observations of these galaxies allow us to simultaneously probe the emission from young stars, partially ionised gas in the interstellar medium and to constrain the properties of the surrounding hydrogen in the circumgalactic medium. We review recent results from (spectroscopic) follow-up studies of the rest-frame UV, Lyman-α and [CII] emission in luminous galaxies observed ∼500 Myr after the Big Bang with ALMA, HST/WFC3 and VLT/X-SHOOTER. These galaxies likely reside in early ionised bubbles and are complex systems, consisting of multiple well separated and resolved components where traces of metals are already present.

Solar simulations and observations showed that the detection of Earth twins around Sun-like stars is difficult in radial velocities with current methods techniques. The Sun has proved to be very useful to test processes, models, and analysis methods. The convective blueshift effect, dominating for the Sun, decreases towards lower mass stars, providing more suitable conditions to detect low mass planets. We describe the basic processes at work and how we extended a realistic solar model of radial velocity, photometry, astrometry and LogR′HK variability, using a coherent grid of stellar parameters covering a large range in mass and average activity levels. We present selected results concerning the impact of magnetic activity on Earth-mass planet detectability as a function of stellar type. We show how such realistic simulations can help characterizing the effect of stellar activity on RV and astrometric exoplanet detection.

The objective of this study is to investigate the solar-cycle variation of the areas of solar open magnetic flux regions at different latitudes. The data used in this study are the radial-field synoptic maps from Wilcox Solar Observatory from May 1970 to December 2014, which covers 3.5 solar cycles. Our results reveal a pole-to-pole trans-equatorial migration pattern for both inward and outward open magnetic fluxes. The pattern consists of the open flux regions migrating across the equator, the regions generated at low latitude and migrating poleward, and the regions locally generated at polar regions. The results also indicate the destruction of open flux regions during the migration from pole to equator, and at low latitude regions. The results have been published in Scientific Reports (Huang et al.2017)

The interaction between galaxies is believed to be the main origin of the peculiarities of galaxies. It can disturb not only the morphology but also the kinematics of galaxies. These disturbed and asymmetric features are the indicators of galaxy interaction. We study the velocity field of ionized gas in galaxy pairs based on MaNGA survey. Using the kinemetry package, we fit the velocity field and quantify the degree of kinematic asymmetry. We find that the fraction of high kinematic asymmetry is much higher for galaxy pairs with dp⩽30h−1kpc. Moreover, compared to a control sample of single galaxies, we find that the star formation rate is enhanced in paired galaxies with high kinematic asymmetry. For paired galaxies with low kinematic asymmetry, no significant SFR enhancement has been found. The galaxy pairs with high kinematic asymmetry are more likely to be real interacting galaxies rather than projected pairs.

In the efforts to map the Milky Way structure, the central regions have remained very difficult to probe. The VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea Survey (VVV) is a near-IR variability Survey that scans 560 sq.deg. across the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the southern mid-plane. The main goal of the VVV Survey is to build a 3D map of the structure of the inner Galaxy and characterize its stellar populations. This survey has discovered different kinds of objects, such as globular clusters, Microlensing events, RR Lyrae stars, Cepheids, WITs, among others. The extension of the Survey (VVVX) is observing until 2020, tripling the areal coverage, and complementing the variability studies done by the VVV Survey.

The Large and Small Magellanic Cloud (LMC and SMC) are the most luminous dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way. Thanks to their close proximity (50-60 kpc), they provide one of the best opportunities to study in detail the kinematics of resolved stellar populations in an interacting pair of galaxies. Large photometric surveys like the ongoing Gaia mission and the near-infrared VISTA survey of the Magellanic Cloud system (VMC) will have a significant impact on our insight into the Magellanic system. We have combined the individual strengths of VMC and Gaia DR2 data to improve our understanding of the internal kinematics of the galaxies. In this study, we present results from our ongoing project dedicated to measure and analyse the proper motions of large samples of stars across the Magellanic Clouds, efficiently removing Milk Way foreground stars utilising distances derived with the StarHorse code.

Galaxies and nuclei in dense environment at high redshift provide a good laboratory to investigate accelerated, most extreme evolution of galaxies. The SSA22 proto-cluster at z = 3.1 is known to have a three-dimensional 50 (comoving) Mpc-scale filamentary structure, traced by Lyα emitters, which makes the field a suitable target in this regard. To identify dust-obscured star-formation, a contiguous 20 arcmin2 region at the node of the cosmic structure was observed in ALMA band 6. In total 57 ALMA sources have been identified above 5σ, which makes the field one of the richest field in ALMA-identified (sub)millimeter galaxies. The follow-up spectroscopy confirmed about 20 sources as exact proto-cluster members so far. Together with high X-ray AGN fraction, our results suggest that the vigorous star formation activity and the growth of super massive black holes occurred simultaneously in the densest regions at z ∼ 3.

Magnetic fields vary in complexity for different stars. The stability of dipolar magnetic fields is known to depend on different quantities, e.g., the stellar rotation, the stratification, and the intensity of convective motions. Here, we study the dipolar stability in a system with an inner stable zone. We present preliminary results of dynamo simulations using the Rayleigh number as a control parameter. The stiffness of the stable zone is accordingly varied to keep a constant ratio of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency to the angular velocity. Similarly to the completely convective spherical shell, we find that a transition exists between a regime where the magnetic field is dipolar to a multipolar regime when the Rossby number is increased. The value of the Rossby number at the transition is very close to the one of the fully convective case.

The ALMA-ALPINE [CII] survey (A2C2S) aims at characterizing the properties of normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs) observed in the [CII]-158μm line in the period of rapid mass assembly at redshifts 4 < z < 6. Here we present the survey and the selection of 118 galaxies observed with ALMA, selected from large samples of galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts derived from UV-rest frame. The observed properties derived from the ALMA data are presented and discussed in terms of the overall detection rate in [CII] and far-IR continuum. The sample is representative of the SFG population at these redshifts. The overall detection rate is 61% down to a flux limit of 0.07 mJy. From a visual inspection of the [CII] data cubes together with the large wealth of ancillary data we find a surprisingly wide range of galaxy types, including 32.4% mergers, 25.7% extended and dispersion dominated, 13.5% rotating discs, and 16.2% compact, the remaining being too faint to be classified. ALPINE sets a reference sample for the gas distribution in normal star-forming galaxies at a key epoch in galaxy assembly, ideally suited for studies with future facilities like JWST and ELTs.

An interesting problem in plasma physics, when approached from the point of view of Statistical Mechanics is to obtain properties of collisionless plasmas, which are described by the Vlasov equation. Through what we call the Ehrenfest procedure, which uses statistical mechanical relations we obtain expectation value relations for arbitrary observables, which allows us to study the dynamics of the Earth's Outer Radiation Belt. Focusing on the velocity fluctuations, the width of the distribution function and the pitch angle, a computer simulation was performed to describe the system in order to compare and test the Ehrenfest approach. Our results show that the change in the average width of the distribution follows the analytical relation. However, for the velocity fluctuation results are not conclusive yet and require more exploration. It remains as future work to verify the relation for the pitch angle.

With the LAMOST DR4 and Gaia DR2 common red clump giant stars, we investigate the three-dimensional kinematics of Milky Way disk stars in mono-age populations between Galactocentric distances of R = 6 and 15 kpc. We confirm the 3D asymmetrical motions of recent works, and provide time tagging of the Galactic outer disk asymmetrical motions. Radial motions present a north-south asymmetry in the region corresponding to recent density and velocity substructures that were sensitive to the perturbations in the early 6 Gyr. What’s more, we discover a new velocity substructure in the north side corresponding to density dip found recently (“south-middle opposite”) in the radial and azimuthal velocity. Meanwhile, the vertical velocity with clear vertical bulk motions or bending mode motions has no clear asymmetry corresponding to the in-plane asymmetrical features.