Astrophysics
The body of work presented here revolves around the investigation of the existence and nature of extra-solar planetary systems. The fitting of stellar radial velocity time series data is attempted by constructing a model to quantify the…
We fit binary lens models to the data covering the initial part of real microlensing events in an attempt to predict the time of the second caustic crossing. We use approximations during the initial search through the parameter space for…
Empirical studies of the first generation of stars and quasars will likely become feasible within the next decade in several different wavelength bands. Microwave anisotropy experiments, such as MAP or Planck, will set constraints on the…
The pseudo-spectral method is proposed for following the evolution of density and velocity fluctuations at the weakly non-linear stage in the expanding universe with a good accuracy. In this method, the evolution of density and velocity…
While the recent discovery of the Cepheid variables in the Virgo cluster galaxies puts additional support for the Hubble constant $H_0 \sim 80$km/sec/Mpc, a relatively lower value $H_0 \sim 50$km/sec/Mpc is suggested by other distance…
We present the first large sample of absorption systems in paired QSOs consisting of 691 absorption systems in the spectra of 310 QSOs including 170 pairings. All these absorption systems have metal lines, usually C IV or Mg II. We see 17…
We have obtained near-infrared spectra of L dwarfs, L/T transition objects and T dwarfs using Subaru. Resulting spectra are examined in detail to see their dependence on the spectral types. We have obtained bolometric luminosities of the…
Interstellar magnetic fields are strong: up to 25 muG in spiral arms and 40 muG in nuclear regions. In the spiral galaxy NGC 6946 the average magnetic energy density exceeds that of the thermal gas. Magnetic fields control the evolution of…
Using the APM cluster distribution we find interesting alignment effects: (1) Cluster substructure is strongly correlated with the tendency of clusters to be aligned with their nearest neighbour and in general with the nearby clusters that…
In this paper we review the present status and implications of H-alpha surveys at various redshifts. With the advent of sensitive wide-format near-infrared detectors on large telescopes, deep and extensive H-alpha surveys are now feasible…
We attempt to put constraints on different cosmological and biasing models by combining the recent clustering results of X-ray sources in the local ($z\le 0.1$) and distant universe ($z\sim 1$).
We investigate the effects of negative pressure induced by dark energy (cosmological constant or quintessence) on the dynamics at various astrophysical scales. Negative pressure induces a repulsive term (antigravity) in Newton's law which…
The generation of a magnetic field in the Early Universe is considered, due to the gravitational production of the Z-boson field during inflation. Scaled to the epoch of galaxy formation this magnetic field suffices to trigger the galactic…
We present direct upper limits on gravitational wave emission from the Crab pulsar using data from the first nine months of the fifth science run of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). These limits are based on…
We present JHK-band near-infrared photometry of star clusters in the dwarf irregular galaxy IC 5152. After excluding possible foreground stars, a number of candidate star clusters are identified in the near-infrared images of IC 5152, which…
We present first and preliminary submillimeter continuum images of the Galactic Center region obtained with the new Caltech Submillimeter Observatory facility camera SHARC II. The instrument allows 350 micron observations with unprecedented…
We have searched for HI 21 cm line emission from shocked atomic gas associated with southern supernova remnants (SNRs) using data from the Southern Galactic Plane Survey. Among the 97 sources studied, we have detected 10 SNRs with…
This paper deals with the heating and the ionization of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the 500 central pc of the Milky Way (hereafter Galactic center, GC). We review the results of the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) observations of a…
The far-IR is a unique wavelength range for Astrophysical studies, however, it can only be fully sampled from space platforms. The fundamental rotational transitions of light molecules, the high-J transitions of polyatomic species, the…
Gisbert Winnewisser's astronomical career was practically coextensive with the whole development of molecular radio astronomy. Here I would like to pick out a few of his many contributions, which I, personally, find particularly interesting…