Atmospheric field experiments were made at the French-Italian station of Concordia at Dome C during several years. These experiments were limited to the summer season. In 2005 Concordia has become a permanent base, this allowed to carry out STABLEDC (STudy of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Environmental at Dome C plateau station) that is an atmospheric field experiment of the duration of one year. The aim of STABLEDC was to study the processes occurring in the long-lived stable and the weak convective atmospheric boundary layers, observed during winter and summer, respectively, and to collect the relevant parameters for the atmospheric models. Both in situ and ground based remote sensing instruments have been used to monitor the meteorological parameters. The first part of the paper gives a brief illustration of the objectives of the field experiment, and a description of site and instrumentation. The second part shows the behaviour of some micrometeorological parameters: temperature, wind speed, sensible heat flux. The surface radiation balance components are also shown. Finally some experimental activities are proposed.

We demonstrate the eclipsing binary detection performance of the Gaia variability analysis and processing pipeline using Hipparcos data. The automated pipeline classifies 1 067 (0.9%) of the 118 204 Hipparcos sources as eclipsing binary candidates. The detection rate amounts to 89% (732 sources) in a subset of 819 visually confirmed eclipsing binaries, with the period correctly identified for 80% of them, and double or half periods obtained in 6% of the cases.

The author discusses models of the Milky Way. An interpolation formula for the contribution of the exponential disc to the circular velocity is proposed.

Period analysis of eclipsing binaries can be performed effectively when using fine-tuned phenomenological models. The combination of regression analysis and genetic algorithms is a powerful tool for such astrophysical tasks as light curve analysis, mid-eclipse time determination and O − C diagram investigation – even apsidal motion and light time effect can be resolved.

In this presentation, we first introduced the definition and classification of rotating sunspots. Using multi-wavelength data, we investigated the evolution of some rotating sunspots and the response of upper atmosphere relevant to the rotating sunspots. Moreover, the distribution of rotating sunspots in solar cycle 23 and the statistics of flares relevant to rotating sunspots are also presented.

Energy, and more generally conserved charges, is a subtle issue in general relativity and it is subject to controversy. Indeed, there aremany different definitions in the literature and in some cases they do not all give the same charges. For example, as emphasized byGibbons, et al. (2005), not even in four dimensions do all authors obtain the same expression for the energy of Kerr-AdS black holes and some of these expressions are in disagreement with the first law of black hole thermodynamics. I adopted in [arXiv:0705.0484] the method formulated by Regge & Teitelboim (1974). Based on the Hamiltonian formulation of gravitation, it associates to each asymptotic Killing vector a conserved charge without having to make any arbitrary choice. The charge is then expressed as a surface integral over a 2-sphere at spatial infinity. I investigate here conserved charges and asymptotic symmetries in both asymptotically flat and AdS spaces in arbitrary spacetime dimensions. The study is presented in general coordinates, including the ellipsoidal coordinates that are well adapted to the Kerr solution.

High- and low-density tracer molecules have been observed in (Ultra-) Luminous Infrared Galaxies in order to initiatemulti-molecule multi-transition studies to evaluate the physical and chemical environment of the nuclear medium and the ongoing nuclear activity. The data, augmented with data available in the literature, are presented in Baan et al. (2007), which also presents a first order analysis. Here, we present the chemical analysis of the J = 1–0 transition lines of HCN, HNC, and HCO+.

We report the detection of the 158 μm [CII] line from the LIR ~ 1014 L๏ galaxy FSC 10026+4949 at z = 1.12. This is the first detection of [CII] from the z = 1-3 epoch of enhanced starformation. The L[CII]/LFIR ratio is 1.3 × 10-3, larger than the ratio typically seen in local ULIRGs, but similar to that measured in normal and starburst galaxies. This high ratio implies that the UV fields powering the far-infrared emission are of only modest intensity, and that FSC 10026+4949 may be undergoing a galaxy-wide starburst.

We report a study of the relation between dust and gas over a 100 deg2 area inthe Taurus molecular cloud. We compare the H2 column density derived from dustextinction with the CO column density derived from the 12CO and 13COJ = 1 → 0 lines. We derive the visual extinction from reddeningdetermined from 2MASS data. The comparison is done at an angular size of 200′′,corresponding to 0.14 pc at a distance of 140 pc. We find that the relation between visualextinction AV and N(CO) is linear betweenAV ≃ 3 and 10 mag in the region associated with theB213–L1495 filament. In other regions the linear relation flattens forAV ≳ 4 mag. Accounting for the observed relation between thecolumn density of CO and CO2 ices and AV, we find alinear relationship between the column of carbon monoxide and dust for observed visualextinctions up to the maximum value in our data  ≃23  mag.

We want to compare masses and radii of Red Giant (RG) stars derived from detached Eclipsing Binaries (dEBs) (KIC 8410637: Frandsen et al. 2013) with those derived from asteroseismology, and to classify the RG as a hydrogen- or helium-burning or as an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. The Kepler satellite has provided unique data, that allows asteroseismology to be carried out on RG stars. Among the many RGs are a small set of dEBs, where accurate masses and radii can be measured from an analysis of observations of the binary system.

Many phenomena first detected in Galactic H i, such as high velocity clouds and gaseous warps, have now been detected and studied in nearby galaxies. Given this valuable perspective I examine three aspects of Galactic extra-planar gas that appear somewhat puzzling from our vantage in the Milky Way disk. I. Spiral galaxies have a rotation curve that decreases with distance above their mid-plane; where is the lagging halo in the Milky Way? II. Other systems show clear evidence for accretion of neutral gas; where is this gas in the Milky Way? III. Warps of the H i layer are common in the outskirts of disk galaxies; are we confident that we’ve correctly parameterized our own warp? The answers appear to be that lagging halo gas could well be present in the Galaxy but would be difficult to detect; that there is now solid evidence for the accretion of high-velocity H i clouds by the disk, though the details are still mysterious, and that the warp continues to baffle us, as it exhibits a puzzling morphology and kinematics.

When the most primitive types of meteorite (chondrites) and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) formed in the solar protoplanetary disk (solar nebula), all of them incorporated at least two types of presolar material: interstellar organic matter and circumstellar grains. The organic matter probably formed in the protosolar molecular cloud. To date, 10 types of circumstellar grain have been found and their isotopic compositions show that they formed around RGB/AGB stars, supernovae and, possibly, novae and WR stars. It has been proposed that interstellar silicates are also present in IDPs, but the evidence for this is less compelling.
The range of isotopic compositions exhibited by the circumstellar grains require a minimum of 35–40 stellar sources, suggesting that they are a fairly representative sample of circumstellar dust production in the Galaxy. In general, the relative abundances of circumstellar grains from different sources are similar to what is expected from astronomical estimates provided that the contribution from supernovae is relatively small. The one exception is graphite grains from AGB stars that are highly depleted.
Collisional erosion, radiation damage and sputtering are all expected to affect grains in the ISM on relatively short timescales. Yet, for reasons that are unclear, examination of the circumstellar grains has found little evidence for any of these processes.
The circumstellar grains also provide information about grain nucleation and growth in stellar winds. For instance, only graphite grains from AGB stars seem to have formed by heterogeneous nucleation. Graphite and SiC grains from AGB stars as large as 10–20 µm have been found in meteorites, probably requiring regions of high gas density rather than the usual assumption of uniformly expanding outflows. However, few graphite and SiC grains have similar C isotopic compositions, suggesting that they tend to form at different stages of AGB evolution.

Binary stars are abundant. We describe their orbits and the effects oftides and introduce the concept of the Roche lobe and mass transfer.We illustrate binary star evolution with Algols, cataclysmic variablesand type Ia supernovae as examples.

We simulated the data outputs of the first Japanese astrometry satellite Nano-JASMINE,which is scheduled to be launched by the Cyclone-4 rocket in August 2011. The simulationswere carried out using existing stellar catalogues such as the Hipparcos catalogue, theTycho catalogue, and the Guide Star catalogue version 2.3. Several statics are shown suchas the number of stars those will be measured distances using annual aberrationobservations. The method for determining the initial direction of the satellite’s spinaxis has also been discussed. In this case, the frequency of bright stars observed by thesatellite is an important factor.

We use the combination of the very large Millennium and Millennium-II simulations to follow galaxy formation over a stellar mass range of more than five orders of magnitude throughout representative cosmological volumes. These are the first simulations to address the abundance and spatial distribution of galaxies ranging from cD’s down to dSph’s. We demonstrate that stronger feedback is needed than in previous models, epically at low mass, if the SDSS stellar mass function is to be matched in a LCDM universe. Models which satisfy this constraint also reproduce the observed abundance of faint dwarfs around the Milky Way and M 31. Only the very faintest objects are significantly affected by the treatment of reionisation. Our model can reproduce most galaxy properties in the local Universe. Problems remain with respect to the stellar age distributions and kinematics of dwarfs.

Angular momentum is playing a key role during the collapse of prestellar cores since it is leading to disk formation and to some extent to binary formation. On the other hand, it has long been recognized that the stars possess a tiny fraction of the initial momentum that their parent clouds retain, an issue known as the “angular momentum problem”. In these lectures, we attempt to present the most recent calculations performed to investigate the angular momentum transport and the influence angular momentum has, during the collapse of prestellar cores. After a brief introduction of the star formation context and a broad description of the important features within collapsing cores, we discuss the so-called catastrophic braking. Indeed when magnetic field and rotation axis are aligned, the magnetic braking is so efficient that the formation of early disks is completely prevented. We then present the various studies which have attempted to explore the robustness of this efficient transport including influence of non-ideal MHD, misalignment between magnetic field and rotation axis and turbulence. While the role of the first, is not entirely clear; the two other effects diminish the efficacity of the magnetic braking making the issue less severe than in the pure ideal MHD aligned configuration. Finally, we discuss the fragmentation of low and high mass cores with particular emphasis on the impact of the magnetic field. In particular, we discuss the drastic stabilization that magnetic field has on low mass cores and the possible solution to this apparent conundrum. In the context of high mass stars, its influence is much more limited reducing the number of fragments by a factor of the order of two. However when both radiative feedback and magentic field are included, the fragmentation is very significantly reduced.

A very brief introduction to the theory of line broadening is presented.

Recent developments in coronagraphy have increased the reachable dynamic range limit of telescopes and thus opened the possibility for the imaging of fainter and fainter companions. They rely on a series of modifications of the original concept involving amplitude and phase masks in either the pupil or the image plane. They are designed to operate optimally at one wavelength. In this paper we first study the chromatic leakage in Pupil Apodised Lyot Coronagraphs and then present a theoretical solution that create a polychromatic null while maximizing the photon flux from the companion. Finally we discuss a promising experimental implementation of this solution using interferometric apodisations.

I briefly review the role of atomic diffusion in various types of stars and describe some of the limits of current calculations. These suggest numerous directions for further work.