In this review we discuss possible systematic errors inherent in classical 1D LTE abundance analyses of late-type stars for the light elements (here: H, He, Li, Be and B). The advent of realistic 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres and the availability of non-LTE line formation codes place the stellar analyses on a much firmer footing and indeed drastically modify the astrophysical interpretations in many cases, especially at low metallicities. For the Teff-sensitive hydrogen lines both stellar granulation and non-LTE are likely important but the combination of the two has not yet been fully explored. A fortuitous near-cancellation of significant but opposite 3D and non-LTE effects leaves the derived 7Li abundances largely unaffected but new atomic collisional data should be taken into account. We also discuss the impact on 3D non-LTE line formation on the estimated lithium isotopic abundances in halo stars in light of recent claims that convective line asymmetries can mimic the presence of 6Li. While Be only have relatively minor non-LTE abundance corrections, B is sensitive even if the latest calculations imply smaller non-LTE effects than previously thought.

We review the interaction in intermediate and high mass stars between their evolution and magnetic and chemical properties. We describe the theory of Ap-star ‘fossil’ fields, before touching on the expected secular diffusive processes which give rise to evolution of the field. We then present recent results from a spectropolarimetric survey of Herbig Ae/Be stars, showing that magnetic fields of the kind seen on the main-sequence already exist during the pre-main sequence phase, in agreement with fossil field theory, and that the origin of the slow rotation of Ap/Bp stars also lies early in the pre-main sequence evolution; we also present results confirming a lack of stars with fields below a few hundred gauss. We then seek which macroscopic motions compete with atomic diffusion in determining the surface abundances of AmFm stars. While turbulent transport and mass loss, in competition with atomic diffusion, are both able to explain observed surface abundances, the interior abundance distribution is different enough to potentially lead to a test using asterosismology. Finally we review progress on the turbulence-driving and mixing processes in stellar radiative zones.

We report on mid-infrared (8–13 μm) spectroscopic observations of eight FU Orionis type objects and discuss a qualitative initial mineralogical analysis.

Glycolaldehyde is the simplest of the monosaccharide sugars and is directly linked to the origins of life. We report on the detection of glycolaldehyde (CH2OHCHO) towards the hot molecular core G31.41+0.31 through observations with the IRAM PdBI (Plateau de Bure Interferomter) at 1.4, 2.1, and 2.9 mm.

We present the preliminary results of an analysis performed on two samples of thermally pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch stars from our Galaxy, the first made of carbon-rich sources and the second of S-type stars. We have estimated their absolute luminosities and updated rates of the stellar winds through methods based on their infrared spectrophotometry and on updated estimates of their variability and distance.

We then focus on those sources in our database showing Li in their spectra looking for correlations between the Li abundance and the other physical parameters, in the aim of establishing observational criteria for understanding the conditions for the occurrence of the deep mixing phenomena to which the production of Li is currently attributed.

High resolution maps of the 12CO J = 6 → 5 line and the [C I]3P2 →3P1 (370 μm) fine-structure transition in the Galactic nebula M17 SW are presented. The maps were obtained using the dual color multiple pixel receiver CHAMP+ on the APEX† telescope.

The “stellar” solution to the cosmological lithium problem proposes that surface depletion of lithium in low-mass, metal-poor stars can reconcile the lower abundances found for Galactic halo stars with the primordial prediction. Globular clusters are ideal environments for studies of the surface evolution of lithium, with large number statistics possible to obtain for main sequence stars as well as giants. We discuss the Li abundances measured for >450 stars in the globular cluster NGC 6397, focusing on the evidence for lithium depletion and especially highlighting how the inferred abundances and interpretations are affected by early cluster self-enrichment and systematic uncertainties in the effective temperature determination.

With the goal of understanding the three-dimensional structure of the solar corona and inner heliosphere during the “Whole Heliosphere Interval” (WHI), we have developed a global MHD solution for Carrington rotation (CR) 2068. Our model, which includes energy transport processes, such as coronal heating, conduction of heat parallel to the magnetic field, radiative losses, and the effects of Alfvén waves, is capable of producing significantly better estimates of the plasma temperature and density in the corona than have been possible in the past. With such a model, we can compute emission in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray wavelengths, as well as scattering in polarized white light. Additionally, from our heliospheric solutions, we can deduce magnetic field and plasma parameters along specific spacecraft trajectories. We have made detailed comparisons of both remote solar and in situ observations with the model results, allowing us to: (1) Connect these disparate sets of observations; (2) Infer the global structure of the inner heliosphere; and (3) Provide support for (or against) assumptions in the MHD model, such as the empirically-based coronal heating profiles.

Gaia will perform an unprecedented high quality survey of the Milky Way. Distances, 3D kinematics, ages and abundances will be obtained, giving access to the overall mass distribution and to the Galactic potential. Gaia data analysis will involve a high level of complexity requiring new and efficient multivariate data analysis methods, improved modelling of the stellar populations and dynamical approaches to the interpretation of the data in terms of the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Galaxy.

Present radio data provide indirect evidence that diffuse radio emission in the central cluster regions may originate from turbulent-acceleration of relativistic particles. I was invited to discuss models of particle acceleration by MHD turbulence in clusters and in these pages I briefly touch the main points of my talk.

T Tauri stars (TTSs) are young (~few Myr) late type stars that have only recently emerged from their natal molecular cloud material to become visible at optical wavelengths. It is now generally accepted that accretion of circumstellar disk material onto the surface of a TTS is controlled by a strong stellar magnetic field (e.g. see review by Bouvier et al. 2007). The stellar field appears critical for explaining the rotational properties of TTSs (Bouvier et al. 2007, Herbst et al. 2007) and may also play a critical role in driving the outflows seen from many of these sources (e.g. Shang et al. 2007, Mohanty & Shu 2008). As a result, there is a great deal of interest in measuring the magnetic field properties of TTSs (e.g. Johns–Krull 2007, Donati et al. 2008). In particular, disk locking theories predict that an equilibrium is established where the disk is trunctated at or close to corotation and the stellar rotation rate depends only on the (assumed) dipolar magnetic field strength, the stellar mass, radius, and the mass accretion rate in the disk (see Bouvier et al. 2007).

We discuss a new technique of studying magnetic fields in diffuse astrophysical media, e.g. interstellar and intergalactic gas/plasma. This technique is based on the angular momentum alignment of atoms and ions in their ground or metastable states. The alignment reveals itself in terms of the polarization of the absorbed and emitted light. The corresponding studies of magnetic fields can be performed with multiband spectropolarimetry, from UV, optical, to IR/radio. A unique feature of these studies is that they can reveal the 3D orientation of magnetic field. We mention several cases of interplanetary, circumstellar and interstellar magnetic fields for which the studies of magnetic fields using ground state atomic alignment effect are promising.

Despite quite distinct bulk properties, Europa, the third largest Jovian satellite (d=3138 km), and the Saturnian satellites Enceladus (d~500 km) and Titan (d=5151 km) share a remarkable common feature which is a strong indication of the presence of liquid water at some level below the surface. The possibilities for the development of life organisms on these bodies are reviewed.

Bicep was a telescope designed to probe the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) for the signature of gravitational waves produced during the epoch of inflation. The instrument was developed by a team of scientists from Caltech/JPL, UC Berkeley, and UC San Diego. It was installed at the South Pole in November 2005 and the CMB observations were conducted from February to November each year with one winter-over scientist responsible for operating and maintaining the instrument. Taking advantage of the excellent atmospheric conditions at the South Pole, we mapped 2% of the sky at 100 and 150 GHz. We completed 3 years of observations from 2006 to 2008, mapping the CMB polarization anisotropy at degree angular scales with unprecedented sensitivity. In 2010, a next generation instrument, Bicep2, will be installed on the existing telescope mount for an even deeper survey.

As the Nobeyama Radio Observatory Legacy Project: Survey of Giant Molecular Clouds in M33, we have been mapping M33 in CO(1-0) with the multi-beam receiver BEARS equipped on the 45-m telescope using the OTF mapping technique since 2007. The purpose of this project is to investigate the physical properties of GMCs and understand the evolutionary process from GMC formation to star formation in GMCs by comparing with various data such as CO(3-2), 1.1 mm continuum obtained with ASTE10m telescope at Atacama and the optical data obtained with SUBARU. We identified 87 GMCs using the first year data of CO(1-0) and observed 28 GMCs among them in CO(3-2) with ASTE (Onodera 2009, PhD thesis, University of Tokyo). From the comparison of these lines, it was shown that the CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) ratio increases with star forming activity in the GMCs. Furthermore, we found that more massive GMCs tend to have higher CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) ratio. Since the ratio is thought to be an indicator of the fraction of warm and dense molecular gas, our results imply that the fraction of warm and dense gas increases with GMC mass. Especially, since the ratio in the GMCs with low star forming activity is in the range where the ratio depends mainly on the density, we speculate that dense gas fraction increases with GMC mass.

I am pleased to recall that the first determination of the Li–abundance in the Sun was made at the Geneva Observatory in 1975 by Edith Müller, Eric Peytremann and Ramiro de la Reza on the basis of spectra taken at Kitt Peak. The first Be determination was also made in Geneva the same year by Y. Chmielewski, J. Brault (Kitt Peak National Observatory) and E. Müller. These two outstanding works opened the door for all further investigations on these light elements.

We present a consistent age ordering for young clusters and groups determined using the contraction of stars through their pre-main-sequence phase. We compare these with ages derived from the evolution of the upper main-sequence stars, and find the upper MS ages are older by a factor 1.5 to 2. We show that increasing the binary fraction and number of equal-mass binaries amongst the O-stars compared to the rest of the MS cannot remove this discrepancy.

A core helium flash after the departure from the red giant branch (i.e. "hot-flasher scenario") offers one of the most promising explanations for the origin of He-sdO stars. Recently, Miller Bertolami et al. (2008) have shown that many surface properties of H-deficient sdO stars (the He-sdO stars) could be explained through this scenario if chemical diffusion is taken into account. In this context the He-sdO stars formed during a hot-flasher event would transform into H-rich hot-sdB stars (33000-38000 K) as a consequence of diffusion of the remaining H towards the surface of the star. Thus, some hot sdBs might be the descendants of He-sdO stars that have previously burnt most of their H-content and, thus, a very thin H envelope should be expected (10−9 to 10−10 M⊙, see Miller Bertolami et al. 2008 for details). Interestingly enough, the location of these sdB stars in the logg - Teff diagram should overlap with the domain of the rapidly pulsating (p-mode) EC 14026 stars. This fact opens the interesting possibility of employing asteroseismology to investigate the existence of hot-sdB stars characterized by such very thin H envelopes. In this preliminary investigation, we explore the sensitivity of the acoustic pulsation spectrum of EC 14026 stars to the thickness of the H envelope.

The pulsation analysis presented in this work was performed with the help of the adiabatic radial and nonradial pulsation code employed by our group in numerous asteroseismological studies of white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs (see Córsico et al. 2008 and references therein). The stellar models adopted in the present study where extracted from the 0.48150 M⊙ (Z= 0.001) sequence of Miller Bertolami et al. (2008). Given the exploratory nature of this work, in order to analyze the effects of different thicknesses of the H-rich envelope on the pulsation spectrum of sdB stars we have artificially added a H-rich envelope in the outermost layers of our initial model. We have considered four different thicknesses of the H envelope (log Menv/M⊙ ~ −4, −6, −8, −10) in addition to the self-consistent model (which lacks a H envelope). Next, we have pursued the evolution of the five sequences during the evolution on the HB. For each stellar model, we have computed the radial and nonradial p-modes with periods longer than 20 seconds, thus comfortably covering the observed period range of EC 14026 stars (80 - 400 sec).

Our results show that the cycle of trapping is markedly smaller for the case of thick H-envelope models (Menv > 10−7 M⊙) than for the thin H-envelope models (Menv < 10−7 M⊙). We find that sdB stars with very thin H envelopes (Menv < 10−7 M⊙) would not display almost any kind of trapping features in their frequency distribution at the observed range in EC 14026 stars (ν < 13 mHz). Consequently their frequency spectra should be significantly different from that of normal sdB stars. We plan to explore in future works to which extent the shape of the chemical transitions (here adopted as simple gaussian profiles) affects the mode-trapping features.

The pre-main sequence star V1647 Ori started a new outburst in August 2008. From October 2008 to February 2009 we monitored V1647 Ori, obtaining quasi-simultaneous VLT-CRIRES near-IR spectroscopy, VLT-VISIR mid-IR spectroscopy and VLT-FORS2 optical spectroscopy. We studied the evolution of H2 and CO emission from hot and warm gas and Hα and forbidden line-emission during the initial outburst phase of V1647 Ori. Hα is observed in emission displaying P-Cygni profiles with blue-shifted absorption up to –700 km/s, suggesting the presence of a high velocity wind (Fig. 1a). [OI] emission at 6300 Å is observed displaying a blue-shifted emission shoulder, indicating the presence of material moving away from the star (Fig. 1b). We detect H2 1-0 S(1) and CO (P4 to P14 and P30-P38) ro-vibrational lines centered at the velocity of the star at all epochs (Fig. 1c & d). This strongly suggests that the H2 and CO emission originates from a disk and not from a warm outflow. The H2 1–0 S(0) and 2-1 S(1) ro-vibrational lines at 2.22 and 2.24 μm and the pure-rotational H2 0–0 S(1) and 0–0 S(2) lines at 17 and 12 μm were not detected in our spectra. Changes in the Hα and [OI] profiles and the H2 and CO emission observed do not correlate. We modeled the H2 and CO line profiles assuming emission from a flat disk in keplerian rotation with line intensity decreasing with radius (I ~ I0(R/Rmin)−α). We found that the disk of V1647 Ori is observed nearly face-on and that the line emission is produced within a fraction of an AU of the star (Fig. 1d).

Laser Comb Wavelength calibration shows ThAr one locally unreliable with deviations up to 100 m s−1 (or Δα/α ≈ 7 · 10−6 for a Fe ii-Mg ii pair) while delivering an overall 1 m s−1 accuracy. Comparison of line shifts of the 5 Fe ii lines with identical sensitivity to Δα/α offers a clean way to test local wavelength calibration errors of whatever origin.