Prolate rotation (i.e. rotation around the long axis) has been reported for two Local Group dwarf galaxies: Andromeda II, a dwarf spheroidal satellite of M31, and Phoenix, a transition type dwarf galaxy. The prolate rotation may be an exceptional indicator of a past major merger between dwarf galaxies. We showed that this type of rotation cannot be obtained in the tidal stirring scenario, in which the satellite is transformed from disky to spheroidal by tidal forces of the host galaxy. However, we successfully reproduced the observed Andromeda II kinematics in controlled, self-consistent simulations of mergers between equal-mass disky dwarf galaxies on a radial or close-to-radial orbit. In simulations including gas dynamics, star formation and ram pressure stripping, we are able to reproduce more of the observed properties of Andromeda II: the unusual rotation, the bimodal star formation history and the spatial distribution of the two stellar populations, as well as the lack of gas. We support this scenario by demonstrating the merger origin of prolate rotation in the cosmological context for sufficiently resolved galaxies in the Illustris large-scale cosmological hydrodynamical simulation.

Jets often display bends and knots at which the flows change character. Extreme distortions have implications for the nature of jet flows and their interactions. We present the results of three radio mapping campaigns. The distortion of 3CRR radio galaxy NGC 7385 is caused by a collision with a foreground magnetised gas cloud which causes Faraday rotation and free-free absorption, and is triggered into star formation. For NGC 6109 the distortion is more extreme, creating a ring-shaped structure, but no deflector can be identified in cold or hot gas. Similar distortions in NGC 7016 are apparently associated with an X-ray gas cavity, and the adjacent NGC 7018 shows filaments drawn out beyond 100 kpc. Encounters with substructures in low-density, magnetised, intergalactic gas are likely causes of many of these features.

We have modeled the luminosity-displacement correlation of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) with an evolutionary population synthesis (EPS) code. Detailed properties including offsets of simulated HMXBs are presented under both common envelope prescriptions usually adopted (i.e., the αCE formalism and the γ algorithm), and several theoretical models describing the natal kicks. We suggest that the distinct observational properties may be used as potential evidence to discriminate between models.

We are performing systematic observation studies on the Galactic interstellar isotopic ratios, including 18O/17O, 12C/13C, 14N/15N and 32S/34S. Our strategy focuses on combination of multi-transition observation data toward large samples with different Galactocentric distances. Our preliminary results show positive Galactic radial gradients of 18O/17O and 12C/13C. In both cases, the ratio increases with the Galactocentric distance, which agrees with the inside-out scenario of our Galaxy. Observations of other isotopes such as 14N/15N and 32S/34S are on-going.

The carbon-rich AGB star V Hya is believed to be in the very brief transition phase between the AGB and a planetary nebula (PN). Using HST/STIS, we previously found a high-velocity (> 200 kms−1) jet or blob of gas ejected only a few years ago from near (< 0.3 arcsec or 150 AU) the star (Sahai et al. 2003, Sahai et al. 2016). From multi-epoch high-resolution spectroscopy we found time-variable high-velocity absorption features in the CO 4.6 μm vibration-rotation lines of V Hya (Sahai et al. 2009). Modeling shows that these are produced in compact clumps of outflowing gas with significant radial temperature gradients consistent with strong shocks. Here, we present very high resolution (∼100 milliarcsecond) imaging of the central region of V Hya using the coronagraphic mode of the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) in the 1 μm band and spectral-spatial imaging of 4.6 μm CO 1-0 transitions using the Phoenix spectrometer. We report the detection of a compact central dust disk from GPI, and molecular emission from the Phoenix observations at relatively larger scales. We discuss models for the central structures in V Hya, in particular disks and outflows, using these and complementary images in the optical and radio.

The hosts of long Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are places of intense star-formation, which, at low redshift, are primarily low-mass dwarf starburst galaxies. Spatially resolved studies of these galaxies are still sparse, even more so at high spectral resolution where we can probe gas kinematics, in- and outflows and differences in abundance between different components. Here we present the first high resolution IFU sample of six low redshift GRB hosts, all dwarf starbursts. All galaxies in our sample show evidence for excess emission or broad emission components, with velocities of 100-200 km s−1. For GRB 030329, outflowing gas had also been observed in absorption in spectra of the GRB afterglow. The high velocity emission is usually blue shifted, connected to the brightest star-forming regions and more metal rich than the narrow component associated with the emission of the general host ISM. This gives strong indications that the excess emission/broad component is indeed associated to a starburst wind as observed in many field star-burst galaxies and a sign for the intense ongoing star-formation in those galaxies.

Eta Carinae is the most massive active binary within 10,000 light-years. While famous for the largest non-terminal stellar explosion ever recorded, observations reveal a supermassive (∼120 M⊙) binary consisting of an LBV and either a WR or extreme O star in a very eccentric orbit (e=0.9) with a 5.54-year period. Dramatic changes across multiple wavelengths are routinely observed as the stars move about in their highly elliptical orbits, especially around periastron when the hot (∼40 kK) companion star delves deep into the denser and much cooler (∼15 kK) extended wind photosphere of the LBV primary. Many of these changes are due to a dynamic wind-wind collision region (WWCR) that forms between the stars, plus expanding radiation-illuminated fossil WWCRs formed one, two, and three 5.54-year orbital cycles ago. These fossil WWCRs have been spatially and spectrally resolved by the Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) at multiple epochs, resulting in data cubes that spatially map Eta Carinae’s innermost WWCRs and follow temporal changes in several forbidden emission lines (e.g. [Fe iii] 4659 Å, [Fe ii] 4815 Å) across the 5.54-year cycle. We present initial results of 3D time-dependent hydrodynamical and radiative-transfer simulations of the Eta Carinae binary and its WWCRs with the goal of producing synthetic data cubes of forbidden emission lines for comparison to the available HST/STIS observations. Comparison of the theoretical models to the observations reveals important details about the binary’s orbital motion, photoionization properties, and recent (5–15year) mass loss history. Such an analysis also provides a baseline for following future changes in Eta Carinae, essential for understanding the late-stage evolution of a nearby supernova progenitor. Our modeling methods can also be adapted to a number of other colliding wind binary systems (e.g. WR 140) that are scheduled to be studied with future observatories (e.g. the James Webb Space Telescope).

Global history of star or cluster formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has been the center of interest in several studies as it is thought to be influenced by tidal interaction with the Small Magellanic Cloud and even the Milky Way. This study focus on the formation history of the LMC in relation with the context of binary star clusters population, the apparent binary fraction (e.g., percentage of cluster pairs) in different epoch were calculated and analyzed. From the established distributions, it can be deduced that the binary clusters tend to be young (∽ 100 Myr) while their locations coincide with the locations of star forming complexes. There is an indication that the binary fraction increases as the rise of star formation rate in the last millions years. In the LMC, the increase of binary fraction at age ∽ 100 Myr can be associated to the last episode of close encounter with the Small Magellanic Cloud at ∽ 150 Myr ago. This observational evidence supports the theory of binary cluster formation through the fission of molecular cloud where the encounter between galaxies enhanced the clouds velocity dispersion which in turn increased the probability of cloud-cloud collisions that produce binary clusters.

Many high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) are runaways. Stellar wind and radiation of donor stars in HMXBs along with outflows and jets from accretors interact with the local interstellar medium and produce curious circumstellar structures. Several such structures are presented and discussed in this contribution.

Both science public outreach and citizen science projects have gained immense momentum in the western world in recent years. This work aims to outline some ongoing and possible future projects in the developing world on this front. Cooperation and collaboration with IAU-OAD is envisaged.

The discovery of the ubiquity of filaments in the interstellar medium in the last two decades has begged the question: “What role do filaments play in star formation?” Here we describe how our automated filament finding algorithms can combine with both magnetic field measurements and high-resolution observations of dense cores in these filaments, to provide a statistically large sample to investigate the effect of filaments on star formation. We find that filaments are likely actively accreting mass from the interstellar medium, explaining why some 60% of stars, and all massive stars, form “on-filament”.

In the cores of galaxy clusters there is a population of lows-mass stellar systems such as dwarf Early-type galaxies, ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) and ultra diffuse dwarf galaxies. We present here the photometric and morphological characterization of this population of objects using deep CFHT images of a sample of clusters belonging to the WINGS survey (0.04 < z < 0.06). We study only galaxies that are spectroscopically confirmed members of the cluster. The population of dwarfs ranges from ∽ 30% for the more rich clusters to ∽ 5-6% for the less rich ones.

The scenario of star cluster formation can be better understood based on the detailed study of the dynamical conditions of the associated gas, clustering properties and effects of ionizing sources, among others. Some of these characteristics are explored in our ongoing work based on observations with the SOAR and T80-S telescopes. With these data we have obtained a complete multi-band photometric catalogue of selected clusters that we characterize using color-color diagrams and flux ratios. In particular, this work is focused on SOAR/Spartan (near-infrared) observations of the Canis Major star-forming region.

Dense cores represent a critical stage in the star-formation process, but are not physically well-defined entities. We present a new technique to define core boundaries in observations of molecular clouds based on the physical properties of the cloud medium. Applying this technique to regions in the Pipe nebula, we find that our core boundaries differ from previous analyses, with potentially crucial implications for the statistical properties of the core sample.

The primary objectives of the ExoplANETS-A project are to: establish new knowledge on exoplanet atmospheres; establish new insight on influence of the host star on the planet atmosphere; disseminate knowledge, using online, web-based platforms. The project, funded under the EU’s Horizon-2020 programme, started in January 2018 and has a duration ∼3 years. We present an overview of the project, the activities concerning the host stars and some early results on the host stars.

The sculpting of the Egg Nebula continues to defy a coherent explanation. Bipolar outflows from the center of the nebula have created bipolar optical lobes that are illuminated by searchlight beams; multiple bipolar outflows orthogonal to the lobes create the appearance of a dark lane; and quasi-circular arcs are imprinted on an approximately spherically-symmetric wind from the progenitorAGB-star. Here, we use archival data from ALMA to study at high angular resolution dust and molecular gas at the center of the nebula. We find that: (i) dust is concentrated in multiple blobs that outline the base of the northern optical lobe; (ii) dense molecular gas forms the wall of a channel swept up and compressed by the outflows that created the bipolar optical lobes; (iii) the expansion and illumination center of the nebula lies at or close to center of the outflow channel. We present a simple working model for the Egg Nebula, and highlight the difficulties that any model face for explaining all the features seen in this nebula.