Related papers: B[e] Supergiants' circumstellar environment: disks…
Stellar mergers and common-envelope evolution are fast (dynamical-timescale) interactions in binary stars that drastically alter their evolution. They are key to understanding a plethora of astrophysical phenomena. Stellar mergers are…
The star formation process in molecular clouds usually leads to the formation of multiple stellar systems, mostly binaries. Remaining disks around those stars may be located around individual stars (circumstellar disks) or around the entire…
We discuss the nature of the circumstellar envelopes around the B[e] supergiants (B[e]SG) in the Magellanic Clouds (MC). Contrary to those in the Galaxy, the MC B[e]SG have a well defined luminosity and can be considered members of a well…
We consider some aspects of the evolution of massive stars which can only be elucidated by means of "indirect" observations, i.e. measurements of the effects of massive stars on their environments. We discuss in detail the early evolution…
The recent identification of one or two sub-parsec disks of young, massive stars orbiting the ~4e6 solar mass black hole Sgr A* has prompted an "in-situ" scenario for star formation in disks of gas formed from a cloud captured from the…
Star clusters are privileged laboratories for studying the evolution of massive stars (OB stars). One particularly interesting question concerns the phases, during which the classical Be stars occur, which unlike HAe/Be stars, are not…
Irregular satellites are the minor bodies found orbiting all four Solar System giant planets, with large semi-major axes, eccentricities, and inclinations. Previous studies have determined that the Solar System's irregular satellites are…
The young massive-star-forming region M17 contains optically visible massive pre-main-sequence stars that are surrounded by circumstellar disks. Such disks are expected to disappear when these stars reach the main sequence. The physical and…
Recent high angular resolution observations of protoplanetary disks at different wavelengths have revealed several kinds of structures, including multiple bright and dark rings. Embedded planets are the most used explanation for such…
The evolutionary state of the 198 day eclipsing binary BM Cas is examined using spectra that cover five orbital cycles. Radial velocities measured from SiII 6347 and SiII 6371 track the motion of the primary, and a mass function is found…
We present high-resolution zoom-in simulations of molecular clouds exposed to an interstellar radiation field and cosmic ray ionisation rate up to 1000 times stronger than that of the solar neighbourhood. We detail the evolution of the…
The solid content of circumstellar disks is inherited from the interstellar medium: dust particles of at most a micrometer in size. Protoplanetary disks are the environment where these dust grains need to grow at least 13 orders of…
A significant fraction of the mature FGK stars have cool dusty disks at least an orders of magnitudes brighter than the solar system's outer zodiacal light. Since such dusts must be continually replenished, they are generally assumed to be…
High-quality K-band spectra of point sources, deeply embedded in massive star-forming regions, have revealed a population of 20 young massive stars showing no photospheric absorption lines, but only emission lines. The K-band spectra…
Even today in our Galaxy, stars form from gas cores in a variety of environments, which may affect the properties of resulting star and planetary systems. Here we study the role of pressure, parameterized via ambient clump mass surface…
We investigate the accretion flow around a giant planet using two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations by studying the local region of accretion disk around the planet. The results show that, when the initial orbit of the planet embedded…
The imaging of disks around young stars presents extreme challenges in high dynamic range, angular resolution, and sensitivity. Recent instrumental advances have met these challenges admirably, leading to a marked increase in imaging…
B[e] stars are among the most peculiar objects in the sky. This spectral type, characterised by allowed and forbidden emission lines, and a large infrared excess, does not represent an homogenous class of objects, but instead, a mix of…
Over the past two decades the echelle spectrograph NES of the 6-m telescope was used to perform high resolution spectroscopy of far evolved stars spanning a wide range of initial masses. The studies cover a diversity of stars with high…
Circumstellar disks are the sites of planet formation, and the very high incidence of extrasolar planets implies that most of them actually form planetary systems. Studying the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks can thus place…