Related papers: Cluster analysis of presolar silicon carbide grain…
In the z=1.94 CIV absorption line system in the spectrum of quasar Q1222+228 (z_em=2.04), we find two clouds which have contrasting physical conditions, although they are only at a 17 km/s velocity separation. In the first cloud SiII, SiIV,…
The dominant mechanism forming multiple stellar systems in the high-mass regime (M$_\ast \gtrsim $ 8 $M_{\odot}$) remained unknown because direct imaging of multiple protostellar systems at early phases of high-mass star formation is very…
We present the results of a study aimed at determining the 12C/13C ratio in two samples of planetary nebulae (PNe) by means of millimeter wave observations of 12CO and 13CO. The first group includes six PNe which have been observed in the…
Isotopic fractionation is an important tool to investigate the chemical history of our Solar System (SS). In particular, the isotopic fraction of nitrogen (14N/15N) is lower in comets and other pristine SS bodies with respect to the value…
Although globular clusters are generally chemically homogeneous, substantial abundance variations are sometimes seen even among unevolved main sequence stars, especially for the CNO group of elements. Multi-object intermediate-dispersion…
The mysterious 21mu emission feature seen in 12 proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe) remains unidentified since its first detection in 1989. Over a dozen of candidate materials have been proposed within the past decade, but none of them has…
We study the stellar cluster population in two adjacent fields in the nearby, face-on spiral galaxy, M83, using WFC3/HST imaging. The clusters are selected through visual inspection to be centrally concentrated, symmetric, and resolved on…
Globular clusters exhibit star-to-star chemical variations, traceable through both photometric and spectroscopic data. In this study, we investigate chemical variations in the globular cluster NGC104 (47Tucanae), aiming to trace multiple…
We report the search for intracluster light in four Abell Type II/III (non-cD) galaxy clusters: Abell 801, 1234, 1553, & 1914. We find on average that these clusters contain $\sim$ 10% of their detected stellar luminosity in a diffuse…
The hot Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM) in clusters of galaxies is a very large repository of metals produced by supernovae. We aim to accurately measure the abundances in the ICM of many clusters and compare these data with metal yields…
In the first paper in this series, we proposed a new framework in which to model the chemical evolution of globular clusters. This model, is predicated upon the assumption that clusters form within an interstellar medium enriched locally by…
Determination of cluster masses is a fundamental tool for cosmology. Comparing mass estimates obtained by different probes allows to understand possible systematic uncertainties. The cluster Abell 315 is an interesting test case, since it…
We discuss theoretical AGB predictions for hydrogen-deficient PG 1159 stars and Sakurai's object, which show peculiar enhancements in He, C and O, and how these enhancements may be understood in the framework of a very late thermal pulse…
Post-AGB stars are the final stage of evolution of low-intermediate mass stars (M<8 Solar Masses). Those in binary systems have stable circumbinary discs. Using data from Herschel (PACS/SPIRE), we extend the SEDs of 50 galactic post-AGB…
Parametric strong lensing studies of galaxy clusters often display misleading features: group/cluster scale dark matter components without any stellar counterpart, offsets between both components larger than what might be allowed by neither…
Isotopic measurements of presolar silicon carbide grains from dying stars have revealed a puzzling overabundance of $^{94}$Mo that stellar nucleosynthesis models have failed to reproduce for two decades. This discrepancy challenged our…
Abundance anomalies observed in globular cluster stars indicate pollution with material processed by hydrogen burning. Two main sources have been suggested: asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and massive stars rotating near the break-up…
A popular self--enrichment scenario for the formation of globular clusters assumes that the abundance anomalies shown by the stars in many clusters are due to a second stage of star formation occurring from the matter lost by the winds of…
We present HST/ACS $g$ and $z$ photometry and half-light radii $R_{\rm h}$ measurements of 360 globular cluster (GC) candidates around the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 3115. We also include Subaru/Suprime-Cam $g$, $r$, and $i$ photometry of 421…
This review provides an introduction to presolar grains - preserved stardust from the interstellar molecular cloud from which our solar system formed - found in primitive meteorites. We describe the search for the presolar components, the…