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WSRT observations have provided a first inventory of the incidence of HI 21 cm line absorption associated with AGN at redshifts up to z=1.0. There is a large range in line depths, from tau=0.44 to tau less than 0.001, and a substantial…
We show that Gordon's optical metric on a curved spacetime can be generalized to include absorption by allowing the metric to become complex. We demonstrate its use in the realm of geometrical optics by giving three simple examples. We use…
Supernova flux and polarization spectra bring vital information on the geometry, physical conditions, and composition structure of the ejected matter. For some supernovae the circumstellar matter is also probed by the observed spectra. Some…
The description of the narrowing effect at high pressures is demonstrated on the example of CO2-He absorption for Q-, P-, and R-branches and for the head of the R-branch. The problem is focused on the physical meaning of this phenomenon…
We present a new explanation for the very wide absorption features in quasar spectra. In our model, a very wide absorption feature will originate, when the line of sight crosses a bubble wall tangentially. We demonstrate this on the quasar…
The supernova impostor PSN J09132750+7627410 in NGC 2748 reached a maximum luminosity of approximately -14 mag. It was quickly realized that its was not a true supernova, but another example of a non-terminal giant eruption. PSN…
Recent submillimeter observations have revealed signs of pc-scale molecular inflow and atomic outflow in the nearest Seyfert 2 galaxy, the Circinus galaxy. To verify the gas kinematics suggested by these observations, we performed molecular…
Studies of strong gravitational lensing in current and upcoming wide and deep photometric surveys, and of stellar kinematics from (integral-field) spectroscopy at increasing redshifts, promise to provide valuable constraints on galaxy…
We use a Monte Carlo code to generate synthetic near-IR reflection nebulae that resemble those (normally associated with a bipolar outflow cavity) seen towards massive young stellar objects (YSOs). The 2D axi-symmetric calculations use an…
The gravitational redshift formula is usually derived in the geometric optics approximation. In this note we consider an exact formulation of the problem in the Schwarzschild space-time, with the intention to clarify under what conditions…
We present results of surveys for high redshift galaxies selected by their having produced detectable Mg~II and Lyman limit absorption in the spectra of background QSOs. We discuss the properties of the absorbing galaxies, the connection…
We describe a new code which can accurately calculate the relativistic effects which distort the emission from an accretion disc around a black hole. We compare our results for a disk which extends from the innermost stable orbit to…
A massive body with the Schwarzschild interior metric (perfect fluid of constant density) develops a pressure singularity at the origin when the radius of the body $R$ approaches $9r_s/8$, where $r_s$ is the Schwarzschild radius. We show…
Aberration and retardation of the radiation within a pulsar's magnetosphere enable a single corotating absorbing region in the outer magnetosphere to give rise to a 'double notch' in the pulsar's observed radio profile. This effect requires…
Radio waves propagating through the interstellar medium are influenced by variations in plasma density. For spatially localised plasma structures along the line of sight, time-delay Doppler analyses of pulsars often reveal scintillation…
We study the absorption of scalar fields by extreme/exotic compact objects (ECOs) -- horizonless alternatives to black holes -- via a simple model in which dissipative mechanisms are encapsulated in a single parameter. Trapped modes,…
We study the optical appearance of a thin accretion disk around a Schwarzschild black hole pierced by a cosmic string with a semi-analytic method of Luminet [11]. Direct and secondary images with different parameters observed by a distant…
Inhomogeneities can influence the polarisation emerging from a synchrotron source. However, it is shown that the frequency distribution of circular polarisation is only marginally affected, although its magnitude may change substantially.…
We present near-infrared spectra for a sample of galaxies with ambiguous optical emission line ratios. These galaxies fall between starbursts and Seyferts in the usual optical diagnostic diagrams. We find a similar result with the…
Galactic outflows play a major role in the evolution of galaxies, but the underlying physical processes are poorly understood. This is mainly because we have little information about the outflow structure, especially on large scales. In…