We use photoionization modeling to assess the binary nature of the central stars of NGC 2392 and NGC 6026. If they are close binaries, they are potential Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) progenitors if the total mass exceeds the Chandrasekhar limit. We show that the nucleus of NGC 2392 likely has a hot, massive (≃1 M⊙) white dwarf companion, and a total mass of ~1.6 M⊙, making it an especially interesting system. The binary mass in NGC 6026 is less, ~1.1 M⊙. Even though its orbital period is short, it is not considered to be an SNe~Ia progenitor.

In close eclipsing binary systems, measurements of the eclipse timing variations (ETV), obtained by means of accurate light curves, may be used to find circumbinary additional objects. The presence of these objects causes the motion of the eclipsing binary with respect to the centre of mass of the entire system and it results in advances or delays in the times of eclipses due to the light time effect. The most important issue of this project is to inspect the potential of detecting low mass substellar companions to close eclipsing binaries through the timing method. For this purpose, we use the public data from Kepler and CoRoT spacecrafts, collecting the light curves for a selected sample and analyzing the observed minus calculated (O-C) times of the eclipses in the search for ETVs and characterizing them. A large amplitude of the O-C ETVs can be explained in some cases by the presence of a third body in the system.

The RV analysis tool integrates widely used methods of radial velocity determination (CCF, TODCOR, BF) in an easy to use graphical environment. No advanced knowledge of these methods is required to use it. The obtained velocities may be immediately analyzed with the same tool as it comprises flexible fitting of orbital parameters, which includes the third body influence and pulsational velocities of the components. These features together help to establish the most accurate combination of templates, spectrum range, and method. Scripting functionality is to be implemented in the future.

The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) have being simulated for 1120 systems that contain brown dwarfs with different physical parameters and protoplanetary disks that are inclined at different angles. The SED's shape dependence on disk inclination toward the observer is discussed.

We present a photometric study of the newly discovered low-mass eclipsing binary NSVS 01031772 Cam based on observations obtained at Ondřejov observatory from 2007 – 2011.

The model of a young star with a low-mass secondary component (q = M2/M1 ≤ 0.1) accreting matter from a circumbinary (CB) disc is considered. It is assumed that the orbit and the CB disc can be coplanar and non-coplanar. The model parameters were varied within the following ranges: the component mass ratioq ranged from 0.1 to 0.003, the eccentricity e varied from 0 to 0.7, the inclination of the orbit plane to the CB disc ranged from 0 to 10 degrees, and the parameter that defines the viscosity of the system was also varied. A number of hydrodynamics models of such a system have been calculated by the SPH method and then the variations of the circumstellar extinction and phase brightness curves were determined. The calculated brightness curves differ in shape and amplitude and it depends on the model parameters and the orientation of the system relative to the observer. The results were used to analyze the cyclic activity of UX Ori type stars.

By any measure, IAU Symposium 280 has been an outstanding success: more than 400 participants represented at least 30 countries with 74 presentations and more than 300 posters. Beyond these numbers, it is evident that the cross-disciplinary field of astrochemistry is flourishing with excellent prospects for growth in the future. We have enjoyed the excitement of new, unexpected results from the Herschel Space Observatory and eagerly await new opportunities and facilities that will arise in the coming months and years.

A decade of exoplanet search has led to surprising discoveries, from giant planets close to their star, to planets orbiting two stars, all the way to the first extremely hot, rocky worlds with potentially permanent lava on their surfaces due to the star's proximity. Observation techniques have reached the sensitivity to explore the chemical composition of the atmospheres as well as physical structure of some detected planets. Recent advances in detection techniques find planets of less than 10 MEarth (so called Super-Earths), among them some that may potentially be habitable. Two confirmed non-transiting planets and several transiting Kepler planetary candidates orbit in the Habitable Zone of their host star. The detection and characterization of rocky and potentially Earth-like planets is approaching rapidly with future ground- and space-missions, that can explore the planetary environments by analyzing their atmosphere remotely. The results of a first generation space mission will most likely be an amazing scope of diverse planets that will set planet formation, evolution as well as our planet in an overall context.

The observation of evolved stars in selected evolutionary stages allow us to track the evolution of the physical properties and chemical composition of the matter that is being returned to the interstellar medium during these last stages of the life of stars. While the dust component can be characterized through the observation of the spectral energy distribution in the infrared part of the spectrum, spectral line surveys carried out in a wide spectral band provide the best probe of the physical properties and chemical composition of the gas phase. In this lecture we review the different line surveys carried out toward these objects and their impact in our understanding of the chemical complexity evolution in the circumstellar envelopes around evolved stars.

We investigate the molecular evolution in star forming cores from dense cloud cores (nH ~ 104 cm−3, T ~ 10 K) to protostellar cores. A detailed gas-grain reaction network is solved in infalling fluid parcels in 1-D radiation hydrodynamic model. Large organic molecules are mainly formed via grain-surface reaction at T ~ several 10 K and sublimated to the gas-phase at ~ 100 K, while carbon-chain species are formed at a few 10 K after the sublimation of CH4 ice. The former accounts for the high abundance of large organic molecules in hot corinos such as IRAS16293, and the latter accounts for the carbon chain species observed toward L1527. The relative abundance of carbon chain species and large organic species would depend on the collapse time scale and/or temperature in the dense core stage. The large organic molecules and carbon chains in the protostellar cores are heavily deuterated; although they are formed in the warm temperatures, their ingredients have high D/H ratios, which are set in the cold core phase and isothermal collapse phase. HCOOH is formed by the gas-phase reaction of OH with the sublimated H2CO, and is further enriched in Deuterium due to the exothermic exchange reaction of OH + D → OD + H.

In the fluid parcels of the 1-D collapse model, warm temperature T. ~ several 10 K lasts for only ~ 104 yr, and the fluid parcels fall to the central star in ~ 100 yr after the temperature of the parcel rises to T ≥ 100 K. These timescales are determined by the size of the warm region and infall (~ free-fall) velocity: rwarm/tff. In reality, circum stellar disk is formed, in which fluid parcels stay for a longer timescale than the infall timescale. We investigate the molecular evolution in the disk by simply assuming that a fluid parcel stays at a constant temperature and density (i.e. a fixed disk radius) for 104 − 105 yrs. We found that some organic species which are underestimated in our 1-D collapse model, such as CH3OCH3 and HCOOCH3, become abundant in the disk. We also found that these disk species have very high D/H ratio as well, since their ingredients are highly deuterated.

Finally we investigate molecular evolution in a 3D hydrodynamic simulation of star forming core. We found CH3OH are abundant in the vicinity of the first core. The abundances of large organic species are determined mainly by the local temperature (sublimation), because of the short lifetime of the first core and the efficient mass accretion via angular momentum transfer.

An accurate knowledge of the long-range interaction potential for the ground and first few excited electronic states is needed for quantitative prediction of the rate coefficients for astrochemical reactions at low temperatures. Some reactions important for astrochemical modeling include an open-shell atom as one of the fragments. Due to the interplay between the spin-orbit and quadrupole interactions such reactions require a special treatment. In this paper we derive the general expressions for the energy levels for such systems, apply them to the C2H(2Σ+)+O(3P) reaction, and compare the results with ab initio calculations.

Comets are made of ices, organics and minerals that record the chemistry of the outer regions of the primitive solar nebula where they agglomerated 4.6 Gyr ago. Compositional analyses of comets can provide important clues on the chemical and physical processes that occurred in the early phases of Solar System formation, and possibly in the natal molecular cloud that predated the formation of the solar nebula. This paper presents a short review of our present knowledge of the composition of comets. Implications for the origin of cometary materials are discussed.

The infrared spectra of many galactic and extragalactic objects are dominated by emission features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6 and 11.2 μm. The carriers of these features remained a mystery for almost a decade, hence the bands were dubbed the unidentified infrared (UIR) bands. Since the mid-80's, the UIR bands are generally attributed to the IR fluorescence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon molecules (PAHs) upon absorption of UV photons – the PAH hypothesis. Here we review the progress made over the past 25 years in understanding the UIR bands and their carriers.

Gisbert Winnewisser, emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Köln, passed away in March 2011 after a long illness. His dedication to molecular spectroscopy in the laboratory and in the interstellar medium, coupled with his very influential voice for molecular science will be extremely difficult to replace.

An overview of the important thermal and chemical processes in “photon-dominated regions” or “photo-dissociation regions” (PDRs) and “X-ray dominated regions” (XDRs) is presented. Applications of the models are shown to observations of the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Mrk 231, and the starburst galaxy M 82.

Recent models of hot cores have incorporated previously-uninvestigated chemical pathways that lead to the formation of complex organic molecules (COMs; i.e. species containing six or more atoms). In addition to the gas-phase ion-molecule reactions long thought to dominate the organic chemistry in these regions, these models now include photodissociation-driven grain surface reaction pathways that can also lead to COMs. Here, simple grain surface ice species photodissociate to form small radicals such as OH, CH3, CH2OH, CH3O, HCO, and NH2. These species become mobile at temperatures above 30 K during the warm-up phase of star formation. Radical-radical addition reactions on grain surfaces can then form an array of COMs that are ejected into the gas phase at higher temperatures. Photodissociation experiments on pure and mixed ices also show that these complex molecules can indeed form from simple species. The molecules predicted to form from this type of chemistry reasonably match the organic inventory observed in high mass hot cores such as Sgr B2(N) and Orion-KL. However, the relative abundances of the observed molecules differ from the predicted values, and also differ between sources. Given this disparity, it remains unclear whether grain surface chemistry governed by photodissociation is the dominant mechanism for the formation of COMs, or whether other unexplored gas-phase reaction pathways could also contribute significantly to their formation. The influence that the physical conditions of the source have on the chemical inventory also remains unclear. Here we overview the chemical pathways for COM formation in hot cores. We also present new modeling results that begin to narrow down the possible routes for production of COMs based on the observed relative abundances of methyl formate (HCOOCH3) and its C2H4O2 structural isomers.

Solid state spectroscopy continues to be an important source of information on the mineralogical composition and physical properties of dust grains both in space and on planetary surfaces. With only a few exceptions, artificially produced or natural terrestrial analog materials, rather than ‘real’ cosmic dust grains, are the subject of solid state astrophysics. The Jena laboratory has provided a large number of data sets characterizing the UV, optical and infrared properties of such cosmic dust analogs. The present paper highlights recent developments and results achieved in this context, focussing on ‘non-standard conditions’ such as very low temperatures, very high temperatures and very long wavelengths.

I present an overview of the molecular gas observations in high redshift galaxies. This field has seen tremendous progress in the past few years, with an increased number of detections of other molecules than CO. The molecular line observations are done towards different classes of massive starbursts, including submillimeter galaxies, quasars, and massive gas-rich disks. I will highlight results of detections of HCN, HCO+, and other small molecules, as well as the Spitzer detections of PAHs. Additionally, I will discuss about the excitation of CO and other species in the high-z galaxies and put this in the context of new telescopes such as ALMA.

Spectral surveys in the past were a hobby of a few, usually restricted to strong, line-rich and close-by sources which were considered templates for source classes, e.g. Orion KL for hot cores, IRC+10216 for AGB stars, and CRL618 for protoplanetary nebulae. Not any more, since with the large bandwidths and high sensitivities of modern instruments, notably ALMA, all but a few sources will show many lines from many molecules at every observations. So (involuntary) line surveys will be the norm rather than the exception. A common strategy is to ignore all lines but the few one is interested in. Since all data will be available through the archive, this does not mean that the data are lost, since eventually the information will be extracted. Another strategy is to take the bull by the horns, and try to analyze all or at least a large portion of the spectrum. This includes the steps of line identification, source modeling and linking to physical and chemical models. With the data volumes at hand doing it the traditional, pedestrian, way is somewhere between impractical and impossible, semi-automatic methods need to be employed.