At very low frequencies, the new pan-European radio telescope, LOFAR, is opening the last unexplored window of the electromagnetic spectrum for astrophysical studies. Operating at frequencies from 15 to 240 MHz, its superb sensitivity, high angular resolution, large field of view and flexible spectroscopic capabilities represent a dramatic improvement over previous facilities at these wavelengths. LOFAR will carry out a broad range of fundamental astrophysical studies in a number of key science topics including the formation and evolution of clusters, galaxies and black holes. In this contribution we describe some of the capabilities of LOFAR and present some recent results from the ongoing imaging efforts. We also discuss the impact of LOFAR on our studies of radio-loud AGN. Our recent study of the evolution of radio-loud AGN as a function of host stellar mass shows a clear increase in the fraction of lower mass galaxies which host radio-loud AGN at 1 < z < 2 while the fraction for higher mass galaxies remains the same. This shows that the upturn in the radio luminosity function is driven by increasing AGN activity among low mass galaxies at higher redshifts. New LOFAR observations will allow us to build statistically large samples at high redshifts to constrain this evolution for the different accretion modes of AGN.

We present the first results obtained by analyzing the detailed kinematics of a subsample of 9 massive and compact galaxies found in the WINGS survey. The observed galaxies are very old (both luminosity and mass- weighted age are on average ≥ 10 Gyr), while they resemble more typical galaxies in the other characteristics. The total M/L ratio is determined using as free parameters the anisotropy β and the galaxy inclination i.

We present the Luminosity Function (LF) and Colour-Magnitude Relation (CMR) using ∼45000 galaxies drawn from the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS). Using different selection criteria, we define several samples of early-type galaxies and explore their impact on the evolution of the red-sequence (RS) and the effects of dust. Our results suggest a rapid build-up of the RS within a short time scale. We find a rise in the number density of early-type galaxies and a strong evolution in LF and CMR. Massive galaxies exist already 9 Gyr ago and experience an efficient quenching of their star formation at z = 1, followed by a passive evolution with only limited merging activity. In contrast, low-mass galaxies indicate a different mass assembly history and cause a slow build-up of the CMR over cosmic time.

Our proximity and external vantage point make M31 an ideal testbed for understanding the structure of spiral galaxies. The Andromeda Optical and Infrared Disk Survey (ANDROIDS) has mapped M31's bulge and disk out to R=40 kpc in ugriJKs bands with CFHT using a careful sky calibration. We use Bayesian modelling of the optical-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) to estimate profiles of M31's stellar populations and mass along the major axis. This analysis provides evidence for inside-out disk formation and a declining metallicity gradient. M31's i-band mass-to-light ratio (M/Li*) decreases from 0.5 dex in the bulge to ~ 0.2 dex at 40 kpc. The best-constrained stellar population models use the full ugriJKs SED but are also consistent with optical-only fits. Therefore, while NIR data can be successfully modelled with modern stellar population synthesis, NIR data do not provide additional constraints in this application. Fits to the gi-SED alone yield M/Li* that are systematically lower than the full SED fit by 0.1 dex. This is still smaller than the 0.3 dex scatter amongst different relations for M/Li via g – i colour found in the literature. We advocate a stellar mass of M*(30 kpc) = 10.3+2.3-1.7 × 1010 M⊙ for the M31 bulge and disk.

The entry of small celestial bodies such as cometary nuclei, asteroids and their large fragments, into a planetary atmosphere is accompanied by an “explosion”, i.e., sudden rise in brightness and the generation of a “blast” shock wave, like the 2013 Chelyabinsk event. Fully analytic approach to the phenomenon is developed taking into account aerodynamic crushing of the body and transversal expansion of the crushed mass, that leads to impulse generation of hot plasma and a “blast” shock wave in the thin “exploding” layer.

Spatially- and spectrally-resolved studies have proven very powerful in exploring the processes driving baryonic mass assembly and star formation at redshifts z ∼ 1–3, the heyday of massive galaxy formation. This contribution presents selected key results from near-infrared integral field spectroscopic studies of z ∼ 1–3 galaxies, including from the SINS/zC-SINF and KMOS3D surveys with SINFONI and KMOS at the ESO Very Large Telescope, highlights synergies with observations at other wavelengths, and discusses some of the implications for early galaxy evolution from mass assembly to feedback processes.

We resolve spatially the star formation history of 300 nearby galaxies from the CALIFA integral field survey to investigate: a) the radial structure and gradients of the present stellar populations properties as a function of the Hubble type; and b) the role that plays the galaxy stellar mass and stellar mass surface density in governing the star formation history and metallicity enrichment of spheroids and the disks of galaxies. We apply the fossil record method based on spectral synthesis techniques to recover spatially and temporally resolved maps of stellar population properties of spheroids and spirals with galaxy mass from 109 to 7×1011 M⊙. The individual radial profiles of the stellar mass surface density (μ⋆), stellar extinction (AV), luminosity weighted ages (〈logage〉L), and mass weighted metallicity (〈log Z/Z⊙〉M) are stacked in seven bins of galaxy morphology (E, S0, Sa, Sb, Sbc, Sc and Sd). All these properties show negative gradients as a sight of the inside-out growth of massive galaxies. However, the gradients depend on the Hubble type in different ways. For the same galaxy mass, E and S0 galaxies show the largest inner gradients in μ⋆; and Andromeda-like galaxies (Sb with log M⋆ (M⊙) ∼ 11) show the largest inner age and metallicity gradients. In average, spiral galaxies have a stellar metallicity gradient ∼ −0.1 dex per half-light radius, in agreement with the value estimated for the ionized gas oxygen abundance gradient by CALIFA. A global (M⋆-driven) and local (μ⋆-driven) stellar metallicity relation are derived. We find that in disks, the stellar mass surface density regulates the stellar metallicity; in spheroids, the galaxy stellar mass dominates the physics of star formation and chemical enrichment.

Observations and simulations indicate that bars are important agents to transfer material towards galaxy centers. However, observational studies devoted to investigate the effects of bars in galaxy centers are not yet conclusive. We have used a sample (Coelho & Gadotti 2011) of nearby face–on galaxies with available spectra (SDSS database) to investigate the footprints of bars in galaxy centers by analysing the central ionized gas properties of barred and unbarred galaxies separately. We find statistically significant differences in the Hβ Balmer extinction, star formation rate per unit area, in the [S ii]λ6717/[S ii]λ6731 line ratio, and notably in the N2 parameter (N2 = log([N ii]λ6583/Hα)). A deeper analysis reflects that these differences are only relevant for the less massive bulges (≲1010M⊙). These results have important consequences for studies on bulge formation and galaxy evolution.

Our understanding of galaxy evolution has traditionally been driven by pre-selection of galaxies based on their broad-band continuum emission. This approach is potentially biased, in particular against gas-rich systems at high-redshift which may be dust-obscured. To overcome this limitation, we have recently concluded a blind CO survey at 3mm in a region of the Hubble Deep Field North using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. Our study resulted in 1) the discovery of the redshift of the bright SMG HDF850.1 (z = 5.183); 2) the discovery of a bright line identified as CO(2-1) arising from a BzK galaxy at z = 1.785, and of other 6 CO lines associated with various galaxies in the field; 3) the detection of a few lines (presumably CO(3-2) at z ∼ 2) with no optical/NIR/MIR counterparts. These observational results allowed us to expand the parameter space of galaxy properties probed so far in high-z molecular gas studies. Most importantly, we could set first direct constraints on the cosmic evolution of the molecular gas content of the universe. The present study represents a first, fundamental step towards an unbiased census of molecular gas in ‘normal’ galaxies at high-z, a crucial goal of extragalactic astronomy in the ALMA era.

We found with ALMA 3D spectroscopy two bipolar molecular outflows in the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 3256. Each of the two merger nuclei has its own bipolar outflow.

One of the most characteristic features of galaxy clusters is the so-called “red sequence” (RS) of early-type galaxies. Since these galaxies are, in general, devoid of gas and dust, their red colors are mainly a consequence of their passive nature. However, the physical mechanisms responsible for quenching their star formation, thus originating the RS, are poorly understood. Environmental effects should play a significant role in the formation of the RS by transforming the observed galaxy properties from late to early-type ones. In this respect, we have initiated a KMOS program aimed at studying the kinematical structure of cluster galaxies at 0.8 < z < 1.7 in an effort to disentangle the physical mechanisms responsible for cluster galaxy evolution and the formation of the RS.

This work presents the first results from an ESO Large Programme carried out using the OSIRIS instrument on the 10m GTC telescope (La Palma). We have observed a large sample of galaxies in the region of the Abell 901/902 system (z∼0.165) which has been extensively studied as part of the STAGES project. We have obtained spectrally and spatially resolved H-alpha and [NII] emission maps for a very large sample of galaxies covering a broad range of environments. The new data are combined with extensive multi-wavelength observations which include HST, COMBO-17, Spitzer, Galex and XMM imaging to study star formation and AGN activity as a function of environment and galaxy properties such as luminosity, mass and morphology. The ultimate goal is to understand, in detail, the effect of the environment on star formation and AGN activity.

A method of analyses of dynamical system is applied to the planetary restricted three-body problem (RTBP). It is well known, that equations of motion of restricted 3-body problem in rotating rectangular frame may be reduced to the second order differential equation with periodic coefficients (Hills equation). Here Hills equation in cylindrical coordinate frame is derived. It gives the possibility to estimate width and position of the unstable zones. The dependence of the position of unstable zones on orbital eccentricity of the test particle is derived. Some followings of this simple linear model are noted.

We study the stellar content of three galactic bulges with the high resolution gratings (R=7000) of the WiFeS integral field unit in order to better understand their formation and evolution. In all cases we find that at least 50% of the stellar mass already existed 12 Gyrs ago, more than currently predicted by simulations. A younger component (age between ∼1 to ∼8 Gyrs) is also prominent and its present day distribution seems to be much more affected by morphological structures, especially bars, than the older one. This in-depth analysis supports the notion of increasing complexity in bulges which cannot be achieved by mergers alone, but requires a non-negligible contribution from secular evolution.

I describe a new integral field spectroscopic survey called MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory). One of three core programs in the 6-year SDSS-IV project† that began on July 1st, 2014, MaNGA will deploy 17 fiber-bundle IFUs across the Sloan 2.5m Telescope's 3 degree field-of-view, targeting a mass-selected sample with a median redshift of 0.03, typical spatial resolution of 1-2 kpc, and a per-fiber signal-to-noise ratio of 4-8 in the outskirts of target galaxies. For each galaxy in the sample, MaNGA will provide maps and measured gradients of the composition and dynamics of both stars and gas. I discuss early results that highlight MaNGA's potential to shed light on the ionization and chemical enrichment of gas in galaxies, spatial patterns in their star formation histories, and the internal makeup of stellar populations. MaNGA's unprecedented data set will not only provide powerful new insight on galaxy formation and evolution but will serve as a valuable benchmark for future high-z observations from large telescopes and space-based facilities.

Possibility of large bodies formation in massive discs of young stellar objects (YSO) class O-I was investigated. On the stage of YSO O-I the whole of factors: chemical composition of gas and solids, chemical catalytic reactions, the disc self-gravitation, the increased ratio of solids to gas surface density, adiabatic gas cooling provides favorable conditions for gravitational instabilities development. We simulated 3D dynamics of gas and dust under self-consistent gravitational field and reproduced the formation and evolution of the disc around the protostar. We found that for stars of Solar mass there are regimes when the disc of variable mass is unstable for the development of fast gravitational instabilities.

Type I migration refers to the radial drift of a sub-Jupiter mass planet resulting from tidal interactions with a protoplanetary disk. It results in the rapid inward migration of small planets and planet cores through the disk. Type I migration is so rapid compared to disk dissipation time scales that explaining distant planets, such as the HR 8799 planets and Jupiter itself, is problematic because their growing cores should have been lost. Here, we present a scenario for solving the Type I migration problem. As a planet grows in mass, its Type I migration rate should increase, assuming that disk properties are not significantly altered by the forming planet. But a growing planet clears some, but not all, material from its orbital path, creating a partial gap in the disk. The trough of a partially cleared gap such as this is shadowed from stellar illumination while the far side of the gap is illuminated. Since stellar irradiation is the primary heat source of passively accreting protoplanetary disks, gap self-shadowing can significantly change the local temperature profile. This change to the local temperature gradient can significantly slow, or even reverse Type I migration.

The general four-body problem can be simplified by considering the special case where the system contains two pairs of identical masses and is symmetrical. The simple models that occur may aid our understanding of the general problem. Systems that arise from Schubart-like interplay orbits are an important feature of the dynamics.

Exoplanetary transit observations were carried out for the first time with all the three telescopes at the San Pedro Mártir National Astronomical Observatory in Baja California, Mexico.

We present preliminary results on WASP-39 and WASP-43, two Hot Jupiters known for the presence of a highly-inflated radius. Using the defocused photometry technique, we observed these systems, achieving photometric precision of ± 3–5mmag peak-to-valley. The preliminary fit of their lightcurves shows physical and orbital parameters consistent with published results.

DART-Ray is a 3D ray-tracing dust radiative transfer (RT) code that can be used to derive stellar and dust emission maps of galaxy models and simulations with arbitrary geometries. In addition to the previously published RT algorithm, we have now included in DART-Ray the possibility of calculating the stocastically heated dust emission from each volume element within a galaxy. To show the capabilities of the code, we performed a high-resolution (26 pc) RT calculation for a galaxy N-body+SPH simulation. The simulated galaxy we considered is characterized by a nuclear disc and a flocculent spiral structure. We analysed the derived galaxy maps for the global and local effects of dust on the galaxy attenuation as well as the contribution of scattered radiation to the predicted observed emission. In addition, by performing an additional RT calculation including only the stellar volume emissivity due to young stellar populations (SPs), we derived the contribution to the total dust emission powered by young and old SPs. Full details of this work will be presented in a forthcoming publication.