Thanks to development of some new detectors small compare to wavelength of detected wave, as we foreseen in SWIFTS that these detectors can be placed in the vanishing field along propagation of light in order to detect the Lippmann interferogram, we propose here to present basic of SWIFTS and review some concepts where detectors has already set inside optical components and thinking about extensions of the concept of SWIFTS in new optical instrumentation by including directly detectors inside optical component.

The BaR-SPOrt experiment is designed to measure theE-mode power spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave BackgroundPolarization (CMBP) in the multipole range 50 < l < 1000. In the current configuration at 32 GHz it can explore up to l = 400.Recent low frequency observations of the target region show that the synchrotron emission should not contamine the CMBP already at 32 GHz. A 6-month observation of a 6° × 6° sky area during the polar night, in idealenvironmental conditions, will allow the Italian-French collaboration to both measure the E–mode power spectrum with appropriate sensitivityand perform important tests of the anomalous dust emission.The BaR-SPOrt 32 GHz instrument, now under test and readyfor operations by Spring 2005, is proposed for 1–2 years Winter operations at Dome C.

This paper deals with adaptive optics in the framework of very high-contrast astronomical imaging. Starting from a brief global overview of classical adaptive optics (AO) systems, the specificities and main characteristics of extreme AO (XAO) systems are exposed. Along the way from AO to XAO, some relevant points (relevant with respect to the goals claimed by high-contrast imaging techniques) are emphasized.

The study of the oldest stellar populations in the Galaxy providesimportant cosmological information (e.g. a lower limit to the age ofthe Universe) and helps constraining models of galaxy formation. Themost commonly used stellar age indicators are reviewed and discussed,and the impact of GAIA on these topics is estimated.

The Dome C high plateau is unique for coronagraphic observations: sky brightness is reduced, water vapour is low, seeing is excellent and continuity of observations on several weeks is possible. ESCAPE (the Extreme Solar Coronagraphy Antarctic Program Experiment) will perform 2-dimensional spectroscopy of the forbidden line of FeXIV at 530.285 nm: precise line profile analysis will allow the diagnostic of the nature of waves by simultaneous measurements of velocities and intensities in the corona. ESCAPE is proposed to Institut Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV) for a campaign in 2012–2013 at Dome C/Concordia since all subsystems are available in particular thanks to an ESA STARTIGER 2010 R&D “Toward a New Generation of Formation Flying Coronagraph”. Using state-of-the-art technologies developed for Space missions (a Three Mirrors Anastigmat telescope, the TMA, a 4 stages Liquid Crystal Tunable-filter Polarimeter, the LCTP) allows us to propose an automated Coronal Green Line full-field Polarimeter for unique observations (waves nature and intensity to address coronal heating) with the best possible performances on Earth and for preparing and testing the technologies for the next steps in Space. No other site would allow such coronagraphic performances (the sky brightness is a factor 2 to 4 better than in Hawaï) and with high spatial resolution (better than an arcsec is possible).

In this paper I give an overview of the numerous ways inwhich rotation and magnetic fields can interact under stellarinterior conditions.I first provide “tutorial”examples of how magnetic fields can (1) alter existing stellarinternal flows, (2) generate internal flows, and of how rotationcan (3) amplify or (4) destroy magnetic fields. The upshot of allthis is that treating rotation or magnetic fields in isolationof one another, as intermediate steps towards the “full picture”,may yield a situation that can only be applied meaningfully undervery limited and specific astrophysical circumstances, if any.

This article deals with the problem of minimization of a general cost function under non-negativity and flux conservation constraints. The proposed algorithm is founded on the Split Gradient Method (SGM) adapted here to solve the Non Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF). We show that SGM can be easily regularized, allowing to introduce some physical constraints. Finally, to validate the algorithm, we propose an example of application to hyperspectral data unmixing.

Weak gravitational lensing has become an important tool to study the properties of dark matter halos around galaxies, thanksto the advent of large panoramic cameras on 4 m class telescopes. Thisarea of research has been developing rapidly in the past few years,and in these proceedings we present some results based on theRed-Sequence Cluster Survey, thus highlighting what can be achieved withcurrent data sets. We present results on the measurement of virial masses as afunction of luminosity and the extent of dark matter halos. Muchlarger surveys are underway or planned, which will result in animpressive improvement in the accuracy of the measurements. However,the interpretation of future results will rely more and more oncomparison with numerical simulations, thus providing direct tests ofgalaxy formation models.

PARTNeR is the acronym for Academic Project with the NASA Radio Telescopeat Robledo. The 34-m antenna in Robledo de Chavela is used by highschools, universities and amateur astronomers to learn aboutradioastronomy, physics and to get interested in science. The mainproject we develop is the observations of radio-bursts in X-ray binaries.
The high-school teachers joining our program take a trainingcourse to learn the basis of radioastronomy. Some practical lessons toteach the children the physical fundamentals of radioastronomy arealso given to them.
The operational phase of the project started in 2004, and 25 highschools, 5 universities and 4 societies of amateur astronomers havebeen involved in the project.

This paper provides a summary of binary star research conducted at the CHARA Array. The high angular resolution provided by the longest baselines of the interferometer can resolve binaries down to sub-milli-arcsecond separations. Combining the visual orbit of a binary with spectroscopic radial velocity variations of the components provides a measurement of the stellar masses and distance to the system. This paper provides an overview of interferometric methods used to resolve binaries and a table of orbits that have been resolved spatially using the CHARA Array. In addition to mapping the orbits of binary stars, the six telescopes in the array provide excellent coverage on the sky for studying the circumstellar environments within binary systems and investigating tidal effects within interacting binaries.

We present time-dependent, self-consistent diffusion calculations for Cr, Mn and Fe in a Teff = 12 000 K and logg = 4.0 stellar atmosphere. The temporal evolution of the chemical stratifications is followed for the zero field case and for magnetic fields of varying strength and direction relative to the stellar surface. Preliminary conclusions are preceded by a comparison of the present results to equilibrium solutions.

In this article we review some of the most recent advances in the modelling and interpretation of molecular line emissions from Galactic and extragalctic environments, in particular from massive star forming regions. Hence We show that observations of extragalactic molecules can potentially be used to infer and disentangle the physical conditions in the gas, as it is already routinely done in our own Galaxy.

We present here a study of the Infrared properties ofAsymptoticGiant Branch stars (hereafter AGB) based on existing databases,mainly from space-borne experiments. Preliminary results about Cand S stars are discussed, focusing on the topics for which futureInfrared surveys from Antarctica will be crucial. This kind ofsurveys will help in making more quantitative our knowledge of thelast evolutionary stages of low mass stars, especially for whatconcerns luminosities and mass loss.

The kinematical parameters of the local field RR Lyrae populationand the zero-point of the log $P-\langle M_K\rangle$ relation for thesevariables are inferred by applying the statistical parallax(maximum-likeli-hood) technique to a sample of 182 RR Lyraes withknown periods, radial-velocities, metallicities, K-bandphotometry, and absolute proper motions on the ICRS system.Hipparcos, Tycho-2, SPM, UCAC, NPM1, and the Four-Million StarCatalog (Volchkov et al. 1992) were used asthe sources of proper motions; the proper motions of the last twocatalogs are reduced to the Hipparcos (ICRS) system (Dambis &Rastorguev 2001). The K-band magnitudes were adopted fromthe list of Fernley et al. (1998) andsupplemented by the data of the 2MASS Second Incremental DataRelease. The parameters of the velocity distribution are found tobe: ($U_0 = -10 \pm 10$, $V_0 = -51 \pm 8$, $W_0 = -14 \pm5)$ km s-1; ($\sigma_U = 62 \pm 10$, $\sigma_V = 45 \pm 8$,$\sigma_W = 28 \pm 6$) km s-1: and ($U_0 = -23 \pm 13$, $V_0 = -213 \pm 12$, $W_0 = -5 \pm 8$) km s-1; ($\sigma_U = 157 \pm 12$, $\sigma_V = 98 \pm 8$, $\sigma_W = 91 \pm 7$) km s-1 for the thick-disk (41 stars) andhalo (141 stars) objects, respectively. The zero-point of theinfrared PL relation of Jones et al. (1992)(based on the results obtained using the Baade-Wesselink method)is confirmed: we find $\langle M_K\rangle= -2.33 \cdot \log P_{\rm F}-0.82 \pm0.12$ compared to $\langle M_K\rangle= -2.33 \cdot \log P_{\rm F}-0.88$ asinferred by Jones et al. (1992). A conversion ofthe resulting log $P-\langle M_K\rangle $ relation to V-band luminositiesyields the metallicity-luminosity relation $\langle M_V\rangle= +1.04 + 0.14\cdot [$Fe/H$] \pm 0.11$. Our results imply a solar Galactocentric distance of $R_0 = 7.6 \pm 0.4$ kpc and an LMC distance modulus of $DM_{\rm LMC} = 18.18 \pm 0.12$ (cluster RR Lyraes) or $DM_{\rm LMC} = 18.11 \pm 0.12$ (field RR Lyraes), thereby favoringthe so-called short distance scale.

A recent observation of the Orion Nebula Cluster withthe Chandra X-ray Observatory detected 1075 sources, providing auniquely large and well-defined sample to study the dependence ofmagnetic activity on bulk properties for pre-main sequence (PMS) starsdescending the Hayashi tracks. The principal result is that X-rayemission does not show the activity-rotation relation which is thedominant correlate of magnetic activity indicators in main sequencestars. Instead, other effects are seen in PMS stars: X-rayluminosities are correlated with stellar bolometric luminosity, massand size for M <2-3 M⊙, but the emission drops precipitouslyin some or all PMS stars with M >2-3 M⊙. The absence of an X-ray/rotation correlation in PMS stars, andparticularly the high X-ray values seen in some very slowly rotatingstars, is a clear indication that the mechanisms of magnetic fieldgeneration differ from those operating in main sequence stars. Themost promising possibility is a turbulent dynamo distributed throughoutthe convective zone, but other models such as a "supersaturated"α - Ω dynamo or relic core fields are not immediatelyexcluded. The evidence does not support X-ray production inlarge-scale star-disk magnetic fields. This work is described indetail by Feigelson et al. (2003).

Among the various recombination schemes devised for nulling interferometry, one is to use the Achromatic Interfero Coronograph (AIC) which basically is a modified Michelson-Fourier interferometer made compact by cementing together optical components. The principle of this AIC is based on the focus-crossing property, from which a wave of light experiences an achromatic π phase shift when crossing a focus. Operated up to now only on a single telescope, this device is able to accomodate several beams for nulling. We describe the use of AIC as an interferometric nuller for a two-aperture interferometer.

A large number of galactic and extragalactic sources exhibit a mid-IR spectrum that isdominated by PAH emission. Looking at these spectra in more details reveals a strongvariability in the shape/position of the observed features, depending on the observedsource, or even the region within a source. In this article, we present the results of ananalysis that has allowed us to decompose these spectra into components having a physicalmeaning. Most, if not all PAH dominated mid-IR spectra of HII regions, PDRs,protoplanetary disks, galaxies etc. can be fitted efficiently using a combination of thesecomponents. The results of these fits provide further insight in the composition of theemitting material and the local physical conditions. In the frame of the future IR spacemissions (JWST, SPICA), this approach can be very useful to probe the physical conditionsin distant galaxies.

We review the properties of stellar populations and the interstellarmedium (ISM) of various kinds of massive star forming regions(ranging from stellar clusters, Hii regions, super star clusters,etc. to distant starburst galaxies). The nature of their multi-wavelength spectra as well as the techniques used for their interpretation is are discussed.These objects play an important role in our understandingof star formation, interactions between stars and the ISM, and galaxyevolution among others.