SLACS for the masses is the extension of the successful Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) survey (Bolton et al. 2006, Treu et al. 2006, Koopmans et al. 2006, Gavazzi et al. 2007 and Bolton et al. 2008) but focuses on the lower-mass end of elliptical galaxies (EGs) to yield a more complete strong-lens sample. As to date, 118 out of the 137 proposed candidates have been observed and inspected individually.

Once understood as the paradigm of passively evolving objects, the discovery that massive galaxies experienced an enormous structural evolution in the last ten billion years has opened an active line of research. The most significant pending question in this field is the following: which mechanism has made galaxies to grow largely in size without altering their stellar populations properties dramatically? The most viable explanation is that massive galaxies have undergone a significant number of minor mergers which have deposited most of their material in the outer regions of the massive galaxies. This scenario, although appealing, is still far from be observationally proved since the number of satellite galaxies surrounding the massive objects appears insufficient at all redshifts. The presence also of a population of nearby massive compact galaxies with mixture stellar properties is another piece of the puzzle that still does not nicely fit within a comprehensive scheme. I will review these and other intriguing properties of the massive galaxies in this contribution.

We develop a new method to estimate galaxy physical parameters, such as stellar masses, or star formation histories. This method is based on principal component analysis (PCA), using the information in rest-frame 3700-5500Å spectral region. The derived physical parameters are then applied to study the evolution of the most massive galaxies from z ~ 0.6 to the local Universe, especially on how radio AGN influence the recent star formation histories of host galaxies.

In order to investigate how magnetic activity influences a stellar evolution, we undertake a detailed study of photospheric abundances in a sample of RS CVn stars. Using the Nordic Optical Telescope we investigate abundances of more than 20 chemical elements, including carbon isotopes, nitrogen and other mixing-sensitive species. In this presentation we report on current results of the analysis, among which there are first evidences that extra-mixing processes may start acting in low-mass chromospherically active stars below a bump of the luminosity function of red giants.

We have recently developed a set of equations of state based on the nuclear energy density functional theory providing a unified description of the different regions constituting the interior of neutron stars and magnetars. The nuclear functionals, which were constructed from generalized Skyrme effective nucleon-nucleon interactions, yield not only an excellent fit to essentially all experimental atomic mass data but were also constrained to reproduce the neutron-matter equation of state as obtained from realistic many-body calculations.

We developed a new particle simulation code which includes pair creation (magnetic pair creation and photon collision process), propagation of gamma-ray, inertia of particle, interaction of plasma and multi-pole stellar field for steady axisymmetric pulsar magnetosphere. The photon path is solved stochastically by an analytical solution of the mean free path of pair creation processes at the photon position. The superimposed quadrupole magnetic field forms asymmetric electrostatic clouds on tje poloidal plane and the accelerating region is different from the dipole case. Here, we demonstrate some results of a test run for our simulation. We will adopt the code for more complicated cases, such that all above-mentioned effects will be considered together in future work.

Near-IR observations are considered to give an extinction-free view of the old stellar population in galaxies, thus ideal for the analysis of gravitational torques associated with bar and spiral structures. In the past, H or Ks band data have often been employed (Buta et al. 2010, Salo et al. 2010). S4G (Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies, Sheth et al. 2010) provides new deep homogenious 3.6 and 4.5 micron data for over 2000 nearby galaxies, allowing to probe the bar and spiral properties over a wide range of morphological types and environments. Here we compare the Fourier-amplitude profiles derived from S4G data for about 50 early-type disk galaxies (SO and S0/a), with those from NIRSOS Ks data (Near-IR S0 Survey, Laurikainen et al. 2011). We also make detailed Ks-3.6 micron color maps. Interestingly, nuclear ring features stand up very clearly in these maps, indicating significantly different contributions of recent star formation in the Ks and 3.6 micron bands. However, the effect of these detailed differences on the overall force profiles is fairly small: this confirms that the S4G data can be confidently used for estimation of bar torques.

The joint observations of space debris are conducted by NAO and SHAO. The main task of observations is precise estimation of the hazard collisions of SD with operating satellites. Observations of the near earth asteroids (NEA) on the distance of less than 0.05 AU, according to the NEODyS program, are conducted in NAO. The main task is to obtain the large number of precise observations of the NEAs during their closest approach to the Earth.

The low stellar and gas mass fractions, low galaxy-wide star formation rates (relative to galactic dynamical times) and observations of rapid outflows from galaxies, all suggest that stars and active galactic nuclei violently alter the state of the interstellar and even inter-halo gas in galaxies. I argue that the low galaxy wide star formation rates are not the result of turbulent suppression of star formation on small scale, but rather the result of a balance between dynamical pressure and the force (or rate of momentum deposition) provided by stellar feedback, either in the form of radiation pressure or by supernovae. Galaxy scale winds can also be driven by feedback, either from stars or active galactic nuclei, although the exact mechanisms involved are still not well determined.

We discuss the variability of winds in two low-mass X-ray binaries, GX 13+1 and 4U 1630-47. XMM-Newton observations of these sources show that strong, photoionised winds with column densities well above 1022 cm−2 can be present in both neutron star and black hole LMXBs. Such winds can fade significantly due to changes in the flux or spectral hardness of the continuum. In particular, a decrease of column density and/or an increase of ionisation are measured when the flux increases or the spectrum hardens. We show how variability studies can help us to understand what triggers changes in the wind and discuss the limitations of current instruments for such studies.

This work presents an overview of the microwave observations of the Chinese Solar Broadband Radio Spectrometer at Huairou (SBRS/Huairou) during 1997-2011. The relationships between the microwave bursts and solar flares and the calibration of spectrometers are also studied.

Recent studies from the Galaxy Evolution Explore (GALEX) ultraviolet (UV) data reveal that the recent star formation is more common in early-type galaxies (ETGs) that we used to believe (Jeong et al.2007). Here we used the unique GALEX UV data on existing SAURON IFU-studied galaxies and combined these two datasets (UV and IFU) to find where photometric anomalies occur. One of the highlights of our study is the work on the Fundamental Plane (FP). The tilt and scatter found in optical FPs have been an issue. From our sample of 34 ETGs, we found that most of the tilt and scatter are caused by the minority ETGs which have been forming stars recently at very low level (see figure 1). Using our UV FPs, we found a strong evidence for star formation history being the main source of the mystery (Jeong et al.2009).

Starting in 2013, Gaia will deliver highly accurate astrometric data, which eventually will supersede most other stellar catalogues in accuracy and completeness. It is, however, limited to observations from magnitude 6 to 20 and will therefore not include the brightest stars. Nano-JASMINE, an ultrasmall Japanese astrometry satellite, will observe these bright stars, but with much lower accuracy. Hence, the Hipparcos catalogue from 1997 will likely remain the main source of accurate distances to bright nearby stars. We are investigating how this might be improved by optimally combining data from all three missions through a joint astrometric solution. This would take advantage of the unique features of each mission: the historic bright-star measurements of Hipparcos, the updated bright-star observations of Nano-JASMINE, and the very accurate reference frame of Gaia. The long temporal baseline between the missions provides additional benefits for the determination of proper motions and binary detection, which indirectly improve the parallax determination further. We present a quantitative analysis of the expected gains based on simulated data for all three missions.

First identified in 2009 as the site with the lowest precipitable water vapour (PWV) and best terahertz transmission on Earth, “Ridge A” is located approximately 150 km south of Dome A, Antarctica. We use three years of data from the Microwave Humidity Sensor (MHS) on the NOAA-18 satellite and recent ground-based measurements from Ridge A to probe the PWV variations and stability over the high Antarctic plateau.

Red-clump (RC) giants are intermediate-age, core-helium-burning stars. The RC can be used as a standard candle. In particular, the small variance of the RC's K-band intrinsic luminosity and its weak dependence on chemical composition and age make it an extremely useful distance indicator. In this paper, we use 2mass data to search for RC stars in a sample of 60 Galactic open clusters with known reddening, ages, and distances, and obtain an average value for the RC's absolute Ks-band magnitude, MKs = −1.72 ± 0.17 mag.

If Einstein-Newton gravity holds on galactic and larger scales, then current observations demonstrate that the stars and interstellar gas of a typical bright galaxy account for only a few percent of its total nonlinear mass. Dark matter makes up the rest and cannot be faint stars or any other baryonic form because it was already present and decoupled from the radiation plasma at z = 1000, long before any nonlinear object formed. The weak gravito-sonic waves so precisely measured by CMB observations are detected again at z = 4 as order unity fluctuations in intergalactic matter. These subsequently collapse to form today's galaxy/halo systems, whose mean mass profiles can be accurately determined through gravitational lensing. High-resolution simulations link the observed dark matter structures seen at all these epochs, demonstrating that they are consistent and providing detailed predictions for all aspects of halo structure and growth. Requiring consistency with the abundance and clustering of real galaxies strongly constrains the galaxy-halo relation, both today and at high redshift. This results in detailed predictions for galaxy assembly histories and for the gravitational arena in which galaxies live. Dark halos are not expected to be passive or symmetric but to have a rich and continually evolving structure which will drive evolution in the central galaxy over its full life, exciting warps, spiral patterns and tidal arms, thickening disks, producing rings, bars and bulges. Their growth is closely related to the provision of new gas for galaxy building.

The possibility of a polarization sounding of the pulsar magnetosphere is examined, using intrinsic pulsar emission as a probe signal, for modern radio telescopes operating in the meter and decameter wavelength range. Different models of the pulsar magnetosphere at altitudes higher than a radius of critical polarization are used. The propagation medium besides magnetosphere is described by the stratified model, in which each layer has its own density of free electrons and vector of magnetic induction, as well as the spatial and temporal fluctuation scales of these parameters.

The frequency dependence of the polarization parameters of the pulsar radio emission, obtained in the broad band for a selected pulse phase, will enable a sounding deep into the pulsar magnetosphere.

We studied the stellar populations, distribution of dark matter, and dynamical structure of a sample of 25 early-type galaxies in the Coma and Abell~262 clusters. We derived dynamical mass-to-light ratios and dark matter densities from orbit-based dynamical models, complemented by the ages, metallicities, and α-element abundances of the galaxies from single stellar population models. Most of the galaxies have a significant detection of dark matter and their halos are about 10 times denser than in spirals of the same stellar mass. Calibrating dark matter densities to cosmological simulations we find assembly redshifts zDM ≈ 1–3. The dynamical mass that follows the light is larger than expected for a Kroupa stellar initial mass function, especially in galaxies with high velocity dispersion σeff inside the effective radius reff. We now have 5 of 25 galaxies where mass follows light to 1–3 reff, the dynamical mass-to-light ratio of all the mass that follows the light is large (≈ 8–10 in the Kron-Cousins R band), the dark matter fraction is negligible to 1–3 reff. This could indicate a ‘massive’ initial mass function in massive early-type galaxies. Alternatively, some of the dark matter in massive galaxies could follow the light very closely suggesting a significant degeneracy between luminous and dark matter.

High-mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) are keys to study stellar remnants that are otherwise extremely faint and difficult to observe when isolated. Vela X-1 is a well-known eclipsing HMXB composed of a very massive neutron star orbiting a B0.5I supergiant with a period of 9 days. The supergiant wind is the main feeding material for the accreting neutron star, and its properties are of prime interest to understand the physics at stakes in the accretion process.

In order to characterize the geometry and physical properties of the dense wind at a scale of a few stellar radii, we obtained infrared interferometric observations of Vela X-1 in 2010 using the VLTI/AMBER instrument in the K band (2.2 μm), and in 2012 using the VLTI/PIONIER instrument in the H band (1.6 μm).

Although the apparent disk of the supergiant and the orbital separation of the two objects are beyond the present resolution limit of the VLTI, the K-band observations partially resolve the wind envelope on the two longest baselines. We were able to measure the radius of 265±82 R⊙ for the circumstellar wind at a temperature of 1300 K, assuming a distance of 1.9 kpc. The H-band observations do not resolve the system, and we were able to set an upper limit of 112 R⊙ for the envelope radius at a temperature of 1800 K.

Submillimeter-wave observations of complex organic molecules toward southern massive star forming regions were carried out with ASTE 10m telescope. Methyl formate (HCOOCH3) and dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3) were detected in some molecular cloud cores with young protostars. Differences in chemical composition among neighboring cores were also found.