MilkyWay@home is a volunteer computing project that allows people from every country in the world to volunteer their otherwise idle processors to Milky Way research. Currently, more than 25,000 people (150,000 since November 9, 2007) contribute about half a PetaFLOPS of computing power to our project. We currently run two types of applications: one application fits the spatial density profile of tidal streams using statistical photometric parallax, and the other application finds the N-body simulation parameters that produce tidal streams that best match the measured density profile of known tidal streams. The stream fitting application is well developed and is producing published results. The Sagittarius dwarf leading tidal tail has been fit, and the algorithm is currently running on the trailing tidal tail and bifurcated pieces. We will soon have a self-consistent model for the density of the smooth component of the stellar halo and the largest tidal streams. The N-body application has been implemented for fitting dwarf galaxy progenitor properties only, and is in the testing stages. We use an Earth-Mover Distance method to measure goodness-of-fit for density of stars along the tidal stream. We will add additional spatial dimensions as well as kinematic measures in a piecemeal fashion, with the eventual goal of fitting the orbit and parameters of the Milky Way potential (and thus the density distribution of dark matter) using multiple tidal streams.

The spectra of fullerenes C60 and C70, higher fullerenes C76, C78 and C84 and hydrogenated fullerenes (fulleranes) were studied in laboratory in the UV and in the visible spectral range and could be used for searching and recognizing these molecules in space. Furthermore, the radical cation spectra of all the mentioned fullerene series and also of a series of large and very large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were generated in the laboratory and studied in the near infrared spectral range.

Stellar yields are a key ingredient in chemical evolution models. Stars with masses as low as 0.9M⊙, which have an age less than that of our Galaxy at low metallicity, can contribute to the chemical evolution of elements. Stars less than about 8–10M⊙ experience recurrent mixing events that can significantly change the surface composition of the envelope. Evolved stars are observed with surface enrichment in carbon, nitrogen, fluorine, and heavy elements synthesized by the slow neutron capture process (the s-process). These stars release their nucleosynthesis products through stellar outflows or winds, in contrast to massive stars that explode as core-collapse supernovae. Here I review stellar yields for stars up to 10M⊙, including a brief discussion of their uncertainties and shortcomings. Finally, I discuss efforts by various groups to address these issues and to provide homogeneous yields for low and intermediate-mass stars covering a broad range of metallicities.

Chemical diversity among metal-poor stars in the old stellar components in the Milky Way (MW), namely the thick disk and stellar halo, provides clues to understanding the early chemodynamical evolution of our Galaxy. We present our results on a homogeneous chemical abundance analysis for nearby metal-poor stars likely belonging to the MW thick disk, inner and outer stellar halos. Abundances of alpha, sodium, iron-peak and neutron-capture elements in the sample stars have been estimated using high-resolution (R 50000) spectra obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph mounted on the Subaru Telescope. The derived abundances are used to examine differences and similarities in elemental abundance ratios among the kinematically defined thick disk, inner and outer halo subsamples in the metallicity range of −3.3 < [Fe/H] < −0.5. We show that, in the metallicity range of [Fe/H] < −2, the three subsamples are similar in most of the elemental abundances. On the other hand, in the higher metallicities, particularly in [Fe/H] > −1.5, the thick disk and the inner/outer halo subsamples show systematically different abundance ratios for some elements including alpha, sodium, zinc and europium. A modest difference in the sodium and zinc abundances between the inner- and outer halo subsamples is also identified. The observed distinct abundances of some elements among the three subsamples implies that their constituent stars originally formed in progenitor systems that have experienced different star formation and chemical enrichment histories.

The advent of large spectroscopic surveys of the Galaxy offers the possibility to compare Galactic models to actual measurements for the first time. I have developed a tool for the comprehensive comparison of any large data set to the predictions made by models of the Galaxy using sophisticated statistical methods, and to visualise the results for any given direction. This enables us to point out systematic differences between the model and the measurements, as well as to identify new (sub-)structures in the Galaxy. These results can then be used to improve the models, which in turn will allow us to find even more substructures like stellar streams, moving groups, or clusters. In this paper I show the potential of this tool by applying it to the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE, Steinmetz 2003) and the Besançon model of the Galaxy Robin et al. 2003.

Bulges are commonly believed to form in the dynamical violence of galaxy collisions and mergers. We model the stellar kinematics of the Bulge Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA) and find no sign that the Milky Way contains a classical bulge formed by scrambling pre-existing disks of stars in major mergers. Rather, the bulge appears to be a bar seen somewhat end-on, as hinted from its asymmetric boxy shape. We construct a simple but realistic N-body model of the Galaxy that self-consistently develops a bar. The bar immediately buckles and thickens in the vertical direction. As seen from the Sun, the result resembles the boxy bulge of our Galaxy. We use the new kinematic constraints to show that the classical bulge contribution cannot be very significant. The model fits the BRAVA stellar kinematic data covering the whole bulge strikingly well with no need for a merger-made classical bulge. Our model contains an intriguing vertical X-shaped structure that resembles the similar structure reported recently in the Galactic bulge. The existence of the vertical X-shaped structure also suggests that the formation of the Milky Way bulge is shaped mainly by internal disk dynamical instabilities.

Large photometric or spectroscopic surveys are used to sort stars into populations and define the main trends that characterise them, as diagnostics of their origin. Stars falling off the trends defined by the ‘normal’ stars are called ‘peculiar’ and typically eliminated in discussions of Galactic structure and evolution. In our programme on extremely metal-poor halo giants, we have recently focused on the small subgroup that is strongly enhanced in r-process elements, asking whether the chemical peculiarity is intrinsic to these stars or due to local surface pollution caused by mass transfer from a binary companion. Precise radial-velocity monitoring over several years turns out to disprove the binary hypothesis and has led to new insight in the processes of chemical enrichment in the early Galactic halo. An ongoing analogous programme on carbon-enhanced metal-poor giants is briefly described at the end.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules have been long considered promising candidates for the carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). The PAH-DIB hypothesis, however, raises two major issues. First, the number of interstellar PAH species is potentially orders of magnitude larger than the number of DIBs. Second, the absorption spectrum of a PAH is in general dominated by bands found at UV wavelengths while, conversely, DIBs are absent from the UV wavelength domain and arise at visible and near IR wavelengths. These issues do not necessarily weaken the PAH-DIB hypothesis and can actually allow us to refine it. In that context, we analyze the UV/vis absorption spectra of PAH molecules isolated in Ne matrices and propose that polyynyl-substituted PAHs, or similar species, are valid candidates for the carriers of the DIBs. Finally, a possible lifecycle for DIB-carrying PAHs is presented.

We present a qualitative characterization of activity levels of a large database of ~44,000 candidate RAVE stars (unbiased, magnitude limited medium resolution survey) that show chromospheric emission in the Ca II infrared triplet and this vastly enlarges previously known samples. Our main motivation to study these stars is the anti-correlation of chromospheric activity and stellar ages that could be calibrated using stellar clusters with known ages. Locally linear embedding used for a morphological classification of spectra revealed 53,347 cases with a suggested emission component in the calcium lines. We analyzed a subsample of ~44,000 stars with S/N>20 using a spectral subtraction technique where observed reference spectra of inactive stars were used as templates instead of synthetic ones. Both the equivalent width of the excess emission for each calcium line and their sum is derived for all candidate active stars with no respect to the origin of their emission flux. ~17,800 spectra show a detectable chromospheric flux with at least 2 σ confidence level. The overall distribution of activity levels shows a bimodal shape, with the first peak coinciding with inactive stars and the second with the pre-main-sequence cases.

Fullerenes and their derivatives are amongst the most stable carbonaceous species known and have therefore been proposed as ideal candidates to carry some of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). Evidence for these species in space first came from a few DIBs that have been tentatively identified with electronic transitions of C60+; in recent years, infrared observations have furthermore revealed fullerenes in a variety of circumstellar and interstellar environments. With the presence of the fullerene family in space established, we review what is known about cosmic fullerenes and their derivatives and what role they could play as potential DIB carriers.

We present preliminary results from a chemical evolution model that tracks the composition of heavy elements beyond iron in a globular cluster. The heavy elements can be used as tracers of the nucleosynthetic events that defined the formation and evolution of star clusters in the early Universe. In particular, the chemical evolution model focuses on the hypothesis that rapidly-rotating massive stars produced the heavy elements via the slow neutron-capture process and seeded the proto-cluster while the stars we see today were still forming.

We compare our model with heavy element abundances in M4 and M5, and M22. Our results are strongly dependent on the highly uncertain rate of the 17O(α,γ)21Ne reaction, which determines the strength of 16O as a neutron poison. We find that the [Pb/Ba] ratio is too low to match the empirical value, which might suggest that a contribution from AGB stars is required.

The ExoMol project aims at providing comprehensive line lists of molecular transitions which are likely to be important in the atmospheres of extra-solar planets and cool stars, including brown dwarfs. The physics of the molecules involved varies and can be categories according to the number atoms in the species. Thus the molecules can be grouped as diatomics, both closed and open and shell, triatomics, tetratomics, methane and larger species. Progress in providing complete sets of line list for the molecules in each of these categorizes is considered. The latest line lists and related data for each of the species can be found on the project website www.exomol.com.

Sample contains 15 019 narrow emission-line galaxies, i.e. Seyferts, LINERs, composites and star-forming galaxies, from SDSS DR7 for systematically studying differences between different classes. We report two clear sequences of electron temperature (Te) and density (ne): Te-LINER ≳ Te-composite > Te-Seyfert > Te-star-forming and ne-Seyfert ≳ ne-LINER > ne-composite > ne-star-forming. General transitions of ne and Te from central regions to disks are quantitatively confirmed.

The dipole-bound excited state of the methylene nitrile anion (CH2CN−) has been suggested as a candidate carrier for a diffuse interstellar band (DIB) at 803.8 nm. Its corresponding radical has been detected in the interstellar medium (ISM), making the existence for the anion possible. This work applies state-of-the-art ab initio methods such as coupled cluster theory to reproduce accurately the electronic excitations for CH2CN− and the similar methylene enolate anion, CH2CHO−. This same approach has been employed to indicate that 19 other anions may possess electronically excited states, five of which are valence in nature. Concurrently, in order to assist in the detection of these anions in the ISM, work has also been directed towards predicting vibrational frequencies and spectroscopic constants for these anions through the use of quartic force fields (QFFs). Theoretical rovibrational work on anions has thus far included studies of CH2CN−, C3H−, and is currently ongoing for similar systems.

PAHs are among the most commonly proposed and popular candidates for DIB carriers. We present a critical assessment of the PAH-DIB model in view of the progress and the advances that have recently been achieved through a series of complementary studies involving astronomical observations of DIBs, laboratory simulation of interstellar analogs for PAHs (neutrals and ions), space exposure experiments of PAHs, theoretical calculations of PAH spectra and the modeling of diffuse and translucent interstellar clouds. What have we learned from these complementary studies? What are the constraints that can now be derived for the PAHs as DIB carriers? What are the strengths and the weaknesses of the PAH model to account for the DIBs?

We have applied the chemical tagging technique to study three old Open Clusters (NGC2632/Praesepe, NGC752 and NGC1817) by using our own spectral analysis code.

In general, a tidal stream is misaligned with the orbit of its progenitor. Here we present the formation of tidal streams in angle-action space to discuss the effect of this misalignment on orbit-fitting algorithms for constraining the Galactic potential. We close by presenting and testing an alternative algorithm which more fully accounts for the dynamics of streams by using the angle-action formalism.

The tricarbon C3 molecule has been detected in a number of translucent interstellar clouds via its $A^1\Pi_{u}-X^1\Sigma_{g}^{+}$ (000-000) electronic ‘comet’ band around 4051 Å. So far, it is the largest molecule unambiguously identified in the diffuse interstellar medium. In this work, rotationally resolved laboratory spectra are presented for the corresponding transition of the 13C3 isotopologue. The spectra are recorded in direct absorption using cavity ring-down spectroscopy in combination with a supersonic plasma jet. A rotational analysis yields accurate spectroscopic parameters. In contrast to 12C3, no significant perturbations are found for (e− or f-parity) levels up to J' = 18 in the A1Π upper electronic state.

In and around the Milky Way halo there are a number of low mass low luminosity dwarf galaxies. Several of these systems have been studied in great detail. I describe recent photometric and spectroscopic studies of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy made as part of the DART survey of nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies.