The binary fraction, η, of a globular cluster (GC) is a key parameter in determining its dynamical evolution, as well as its content of rare stars, such as cataclysmic variables and blue stragglers. The precise value of η for a GC was historically difficult to constrain due to an inability to obtain reliable photometry for faint objects in dense stellar fields. However, today, the HST allows us to image the main sequence of the nearest GCs to their terminations. Using HST observations we constrain η for NGC 6397. While the necessary computing power is now available to realistically simulate entire GCs, large discrepancies in the assumed primordial binary fraction, ηp, of GCs still exist. Estimates range from 5% (Hurley et al. 2007) to 100% (Ivanova et al. 2005). The N-body models of Hurley et al. (2007) suggest that η beyond the half-mass radius remains close to ηp, while cluster evolution can increase the value in the core. We find η for NGC 6397 is 15.2±0.8% in a field centered on the core, and 1.1±0.3% in a field beyond the half mass radius. These findings suggests ηp ~ 1%.

We report on the discovery of a surprising observed correlation between the slope of the low-mass stellar global mass function (GMF) of globular clusters (GCs) and their central concentration parameter c = log(rt/rc), i.e. the logarithmic ratio of tidal and core radii. This result is based on the analysis of a sample of twenty Galactic GCs, with solid GMF measurements from deep HST or VLT data, representative of the entire population of Milky Way GCs. While all high-concentration clusters in the sample have a steep GMF, low-concentration clusters tend to have a flatter GMF implying that they have lost many stars via evaporation or tidal stripping. No GCs are found with a flat GMF and high central concentration. This finding appears counter-intuitive, since the same two-body relaxation mechanism that causes stars to evaporate and the cluster to eventually dissolve should also lead to higher central density and possibly core-collapse. Therefore, severely depleted GCs should be in a post core-collapse state, contrary to what is suggested by their low concentration. Several hypotheses can be put forth to explain the observed trend, none of which however seems completely satisfactory. It is likely that GCs with a flat GMF have a much denser and smaller core than suggested by their surface brightness profile and may well be undergoing collapse at present. It is, therefore, likely that the number of post core-collapse clusters in the Galaxy is much larger than thought so far.

Low-mass X-ray binaries, recycled pulsars, cataclysmic variables and magnetically active binaries are observed as X-ray sources in globular clusters. We discuss the classification of these systems, and find that some presumed active binaries are brighter than expected. We discuss a new statistical method to determine from observations how the formation of X-ray sources depends on the number of stellar encounters and/or on the cluster mass. We show that cluster mass is not a proxy for the encounter number, and that optical identifications are essential in proving the presence of primordial binaries among the low-luminosity X-ray sources.

The observations of sunspot chromosphere are presented. The authors suggest the existence of two modes of propagating waves at the chromospheric level. The connection between these modes and magnetic field topology can be inferred from the analysis of mode propagation velocity and spatial localization. Two hypotheses are tested to explain the phenomenon: “Visual pattern” and “Trans-sunspot wave”.

Alfvén waves can dissipate their energy by means of nonlinear mechanisms, and constitute good candidates to heat and maintain the solar corona to the observed few million degrees. Another appealing candidate is the nanoflare-reconnection heating, in which energy is released through many small magnetic reconnection events. Distinguishing the observational features of each mechanism is an extremely difficult task. On the other hand, observations have shown that energy release processes in the corona follow a power law distribution in frequency whose index may tell us whether small heating events contribute substantially to the heating or not. In this work we show a link between the power law index and the operating heating mechanism in a loop. We set up two coronal loop models: in the first model Alfvén waves created by footpoint shuffling nonlinearly convert to longitudinal modes which dissipate their energy through shocks; in the second model numerous heating events with nanoflare-like energies are input randomly along the loop, either distributed uniformly or concentrated at the footpoints. Both models are based on a 1.5-D MHD code. The obtained coronae differ in many aspects, for instance, in the simulated intensity profile that Hinode/XRT would observe. The intensity histograms display power law distributions whose indexes differ considerably. This number is found to be related to the distribution of the shocks along the loop. We thus test the observational signatures of the power law index as a diagnostic tool for the above heating mechanisms and the influence of the location of nanoflares.

Energetically eruptive events such as flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are known to generate global waves, propagating over large distances, sometimes comparable to the solar radius. In this contribution EIT waves are modelled as waves propagating at a spherical density interface in the presence of a radially expanding magnetic field. The generation and propagation of EIT waves is studied numerically for coronal parameters. Simple equilibria allow the explanation of the coronal dimming caused by EIT waves as a region of rarified plasma created by a siphon flow.

We present results on the oscillatory properties (periods, damping rates, and spatial distribution of perturbations) for resonantly damped oscillations in a system of two inhomogeneous coronal slabs and compare them to the properties found in single slab loop models. A system of two identical coronal loops is modelled, in Cartesian geometry, as being composed by two density enhancements. The linear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave equations for oblique propagation of waves are solved and the damping due to resonant absorption is computed. Due to the interaction between the loops, the normal modes of oscillation present in a single slab split into symmetric and antisymmetric oscillations when a system of two identical slabs is considered. The frequencies of these solutions may differ from the single slab results when the distance between the loops is of the order of a few slab widths. Oblique propagation of waves weakens this interaction, since solutions become more confined to the edges of the slabs. The damping is strong for surface-like oscillations, while sausage body-like solutions are unaffected.

This investigation is a continuation of earlier work on the dynamics of the magnetic network. In a previous calculation (Hasan et al. 2005), we examined the response of a single flux tube to transverse motions of its footpoints. We now extend this analysis to a more realistic model of the network consisting of multiple flux tubes. We apply a transverse velocity perturbation uniformly along the lower boundary located at the base of the photosphere. Our 2-D MHD simulations enable us to study the complex wave pattern due to waves generated in the individual tubes as well as their interaction with those emanating from adjacent tubes. Our results show that the dominant heating of the chromosphere occurs due to slow magnetoacoustic waves in a region that is close to the central region of the flux tube.

We present results from a new wide-field study of the NGC 5128 globular cluster system. We have obtained new high resolution images with the Magellan 6.4m + IMACS camera. Our images cover an area of 1.2x1.2 sq. degrees and have a seeing of 0.45″. This allows us to not only resolve most of the globular clusters (GCs) but also derive their structural parameters. These are combined with existing Washington photometry in order to select by metallicity. We present here results for a subsample of 359 GCs which includes all currently confirmed GC members of the system. Our derived sizes are in very good agreement with those derived from ACS data. We find, as expected, that the metal-rich GCs in the inner regions (r < 10′) are 26% smaller than their metal-poor components, but in the outer region this normal trend is reversed. We compare our GCs to previous results for GCs, UCDs, etc. in the luminosity - size plane and find substantial overlap between different types of objects, indicating more of a continuum in these properties.

External destruction of protoplanetary discs acts mainly due to two mechanisms: gravitational drag by stellar encounters and evaporation by stellar winds and radiation. It is an important question whether any of these mechanisms is important in the stellar evolution process. We focus on the effect of stellar encounters and investigate if there are any observables that could trace this mechanism in young stellar clusters. An analysis of observational data of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) and accompanying n-body simulations both provide evidence for encounters of star-disc systems in the ONC, eventually leading to substantial disk disruption.

High-cadence optical observations of an H-α blue-wing bright point near solar AR NOAA 10794 are presented. The data were obtained with the Dunn Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak using a newly developed camera system, the rapid dual imager. Wavelet analysis is undertaken to search for intensity-related oscillatory signatures, and periodicities ranging from 15 to 370 s are found with significance levels exceeding 95%. During two separate microflaring events, oscillation sites surrounding the bright point are observed to twist. We relate the twisting of the oscillation sites to the twisting of physical flux tubes, thus giving rise to reconnection phenomena. We derive an average twist velocity of 8.1 km/s and detect a peak in the emitted flux between twist angles of 180° and 230°.

We seek to clarify the nature of running penumbral (RP) waves: are they chromospheric trans-sunspot waves or a visual pattern of upward-propagating waves? Full Stokes spectropolarimetric time series of the photospheric Sii10827 Å line and the chromospheric Hei10830 Å multiplet were inverted using a Milne-Eddington code. Spatial pixels were paired between the outer umbral/inner penumbral photosphere and the penumbral chromosphere using inclinations retrieved by the inversion and the dual-height pairings of line-of-sight velocity time series were studied for signatures of wave propagation using a Fourier phase difference analysis. The dispersion relation for radiatively cooling acoustic waves, modified to incorporate an inclined propagation direction, fits well the observed phase differences between the pairs of photospheric and chromospheric pixels. We have thus demonstrated that RP waves are in effect low-β slow-mode waves propagating along the magnetic field.

We present a new stellar evolution code and a set of results, showing its capability to calculate full evolutionary tracks for a wide range of masses and metalicities. The code is meant to be used also in the context of modeling the evolution of dense stellar systems, for performing live evolutionary calculations both for ‘normal’ ZAMS/PRE-MS models, but mainly for ‘non-canonical’ (i.e. merger-products) stellar configurations. For such tasks, it has to be robust and efficient, capable to run through all phases of stellar evolution without interruption or intervention. Here we show a few examples of evolutionary calculations for stellar populations I and II, and for masses in the range 0.25–64 M⊙.

Here we investigate longitudinal waves in non-isothermal hot (T ≥ 5.0 MK) coronal loops. Motivated by SOHO SUMER and Yohkoh SXT observations and taking into account gravitational stratification, thermal conduction, compressive viscosity, radiative cooling, and heating, the governing equations of 1D hydrodynamics is solved numerically for standing wave oscillations along a magnetic field line. A semicircular shape is chosen to represent a coronal loop. It was found that the decay time of standing waves decreases with the increase of the initial temperature and the periods of oscillations are affected by the different initial velocities and loop lengths studied by the numerical experiments. The predicted decay times are within the range of values inferred from Doppler-shift oscillations observed by SUMER in hot coronal loops.

We present current results from the ongoing WIYN Open Cluster Study radial-velocity survey for 1410 stars in the young (150 Myr) open cluster M35 (NGC 2168) and establish a benchmark for initial conditions in young open clusters. We find for periods ≲ 1000 days a minimum binary frequency of 0.36 – 0.51. We also analyze the spatial, period and eccentricity distributions of the binary systems and find that the period and eccentricity distributions are well approximated by scaled field distributions from Duquennoy & Mayor (1991). With our large sample size and long baseline, we have a unique understanding of the binary population in this young cluster, making it ideal for defining initial conditions for dynamical simulations.

The study of sub-structures in the stellar halo of the Milky Way has made a lot of progress in recent years, especially since surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey became available. In this paper we focus on the newly discovered tidal tails of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 5466. By means of numerical simulations we reproduce the tidal tails, which are the longest tails associated with a globular cluster known (>45°) and hereby finding a possible progenitor of NGC 5466 and analyse its stability. We show that perigalactic passages are the dominant process in the slow dissolution of NGC 5466. Furthermore we use the position of the tails to verify the accuracy of the observationally determined proper motion. The proper motion has to be refined only slightly (within their stated error-margin) to match the location of the tidal tails.

Globular clusters (GCs) are rich of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) and might also host single or binary intermediate–mass black holes (IMBHs). We simulate 3- and 4-body encounters in order to test the possibility that an IMBH captures a MSP. The newly formed system could be revealed from the timing signal of the MSP, providing an unambiguous measure of the BH mass. In current surveys, the number of expected [IMBH,MSP] binaries in the Milky Way is ~0.1. If next-generation radio telescopes (e.g. SKA) will detect ~10 times more MSPs in GCs, we expect to observe at least one [IMBH,MSP] binary.

Massive “field” stars are those that appear in apparent isolation, in contrast to those in clusters. Whereas cluster stars are formed together in large aggregates, simultaneously, field stars have multiple origins. Some massive field stars may be the “tip of the iceberg” on small groups of physically associated stars, while others appear to be “runaway” stars that are dynamically ejected from clusters. What is the intrinsic relation between clusters and field stars, and what is the faction of runaway stars? Since massive stars are the most luminous stellar population, their demographics are accessible in the nearest external galaxies. We present our current efforts to understand these issues for the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Encounters between binary stars and single stars and between binary stars and other binary stars play a key role in the dynamics of dense stellar systems. In the simple model, in which stars are approximated by point masses, a number of theoretical and numerical results are known. In particular there exist relationships to help to describe the destruction process of binary stars (ionisation) through three-body encounters between binary and single stars. Here we extend these results to the four-body case involving encounters between pairs of binary stars that lead to a disruption of the binaries into single stars.

Using the most advanced anisotropic (2D) Fokker-Planck (FP) models, we calculate the evolution of the mass functions of the Galactic globular cluster system (GCMF). Our models include two-body relaxation, binary heating, tidal shocks, dynamical friction, stellar evolution, and realistic cluster orbits. We perform 2D-FP simulations for a large number of virtual globular clusters and synthesize these results to study the relation between the initial and present GCMFs. We found two probable IGCMFs that eventually evolve into the Milky Way GCMF : truncated power-law, and log-normal model with higher initial low mass limit and peak mass than the earlier studies.