Recent Talks

With long-term collaboration between Chinese and Spanish astronomical communities, the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) and Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) co-promoted a meaningful effort in 2016 to develop a high-resolution ultra-stable spectrograph for the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) and absorbs the Chinese astronomical community into the GTC partnership. The instrument will enhance the GTC observatory’s capability in exoplanetary research and create more chances for the Chinese astronomical community to explore the universe with the existing largest optical telescope.

In this instrument project, NAOC and Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technologies (NIAOT) are jointly responsible for developing a high-resolution spectrograph with competitive capabilities for searching and studying habitable exoplanets. The instrument will provide a hybrid observing function with a high resolution of R≥100000 in the 410–780 nm visible/optical band and R≥20000 in the 310–410 nm near-UV band. In the optical band, the spectrograph will run in an ultra-stable vacuum environment at the Coude room to measure stellar radial velocity. In the near-UV band, the spectrograph near the Nasmyth focus will assist the optical spectrograph to distinguish the signals of stellar radial velocity for high precision RV measurement, and also enable us to observe the celestial objects at the shortest wavelength of 310 nm to investigate the origins of some chemical elements. At present, the project team is working on the preliminary design and aims to complete the first-light observation in 2026.

This talk will introduce in detail the scientific motivation and progress in instrumental design. We look forward to attracting more interests among the audiences and receiving more comments on science and technology. I believe that it would be very helpful to develop a qualified instrument for the GTC. On behalf of the project team, I appreciate all the support from the IAC and the GRANTECAN S. A.

ZOOM

https://rediris.zoom.us/j/86470284286

ID de reunión: 864 7028 4286

YouTube

https://youtu.be/VZMar0vSGMc

Since the second half of last century, stellar evolution theory has allowed to
understand the Color Magnitude Diagram of galactic star clusters, so that now
we can explain the distribution of stars in the observed CMDs in terms of the nuclear
evolution of stellar structures and, thus, in terms of cluster age and chemical composition.
In the last decades, however, the impressive amount of data collected by photometric, astrometric,
spectroscopic and asteroseismic surveys is providing a detailed observational framework which
provides at the same time a stringent test and a challenge for the accuracy of the models.
In the same time, these stellar models are a crucial input for asteroseismology as well
as Galactic archeology studies. In this talk, we discuss (some of) the main uncertainties affecting stellar models and
how they critically impact on our capability to reliably unveil the chrono-chemo-dynamical
structure of the Galaxy.

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The seminar will take place in the Aula.

Zoom: https://rediris.zoom.us/j/84304399987?pwd=UmtQb0FhWSs4OXBpUWxUMmhBcFZyUT09

Meeting ID: 843 0439 9987
Passcode: 509451

YouTube: https://youtu.be/7fH2XEXdQlw

Unlike the giant planets in the solar system, "hot Jupiter" giant exoplanets are subject to intense stellar irradiation, which drives their atmospheres from ~100 K (in the solar system) to ~1000 to 3000 K.  In this talk I will review several aspects of their atmospheric physics and chemistry, with a particular emphasis on the cooler "warm Jupiters" below 1000 K where we expect to see some interesting transitions in atmospheric chemistry and clouds with JWST.  I will discuss new JWST spectra and modeling work on 1100 K exoplanet WASP-39b, which will be published in Nature in a few days time, as part of the JWST Early Release Science (ERS) program.  The spectra show some expected things but also some very interesting surprises!

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Zoom: https://rediris.zoom.us/j/82072236238?pwd=MWFRSXFnQ0lUN3ZMTzgzTGQxS0ZGUT09

Meeting ID: 820 7223 6238 
Passcode: 648570

YouTube: https://youtu.be/jbFP6L-7mxo

The Oort cloud and the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt are two main reservoirs
that supply new comets to the inner region of the Solar System. Some of
the cometary nuclei demonstrate significant activity at heliocentric
distances beyond 5 au. It is of great interest to determine the reasons
for this. Since 2011 we have provided a comprehensive program of
polarimetric, photometric, and spectral investigations of active distant
comets at the 6-m telescope BTA. We present the results of broadband
polarimetric measurements for seven distant comets C/2011 S1 (LINEAR),
C/2011 R1 (LINEAR), C/2014 A4 (SONEAR), C/2013 V4 (Catalina), C/2012 J1
(Catalina), C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch), and C/2014 B1 (Schwartz) which
have perihelion distances of more than 3 au. The comets show significant
activity beyond the Jovian orbit. Polarization maps of the comets
demonstrate spatial variations of linear polarization over the coma from
about –2% up to –7% at phase angles from 2 to 20 degrees that may be
related to changes in the physical properties of dust particles. Average
polarization values are significantly higher (in absolute values) than
the typical value of polarization (∼1.5%) observed for the whole coma of
most comets that approach closer to the Sun. Probably dust in distant
comets differs from the dust in short-period comets. We also compare the
polarimetric observational data with the results of numerical modeling
performed early for different types of dust aggregates.

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ZOOM: https://rediris.zoom.us/j/89675933678?pwd=QnptWjNYNzNZQ3V6MFl6SDdjOUFCQT09

Meeting ID: 896 7593 3678
Passcode: 334513 

YouTube: https://youtu.be/gjpr7YVmfJA

En esta charla haremos un repaso al modelo de desarrollo y puesta en producción del software de control del telescopio NRT, utilizando técnicas y procedimientos basados en la integración contínua de software, el uso de contenedores para ejecución de aplicaciones y la orquestación de servicios con kubernetes.

Youtube

https://youtu.be/8FboV9c5yz4

To understand the early phases of galaxy formation, metal-poor stars in the local universe play a special rôle, allowing to trace both how galactic assembly proceeds, and the conditions in which early star formation proceed. Metal-poor stars in our Galaxy and its satellites are fossils of these past processes and have therefore been the subject of intense dedicated searches and surveys since decades. Here I shall review some of the recent results that the « Pristine » narrow-band photometric survey at CFHT, has enabled, aided by the transformational information brought by the Gaia space mission. These results range from enravelling a very primordial disc in the Milky-Way, characterizing very pristine streams of stars in the galactic halo, and characterizing the co-existing halo and bulge populations in the inner parts of the Milky-Way. Finally, I will outline the plans to characterise further these extreme and very metal-poor stars with the new WEAVE multi-object facility that should start its science surveys early 2023.

To understand the early phases of galaxy formation, metal-poor stars in the local universe play a special rôle, allowing to trace both how galactic assembly proceeds, and the conditions in which early star formation proceed. Metal-poor stars in our Galaxy and its satellites are fossils of these past processes and have therefore been the subject of intense dedicated searches and surveys since decades. Here I shall review some of the recent results that the « Pristine » narrow-band photometric survey at CFHT, has enabled, aided by the transformational information brought by the Gaia space mission. These results range from enravelling a very primordial disc in the Milky-Way, characterizing very pristine streams of stars in the galactic halo, and characterizing the co-existing halo and bulge populations in the inner parts of the Milky-Way. 
Finally, I will outline the plans to characterise further these extreme and very metal-poor stars with the new WEAVE multi-object facility that should start its science surveys early 2023.

En esta sesión daremos un repaso a las funcionalidades básicas de la nueva herramienta de gestión de documentación del Área de Instrumentación, el Gestor Documental. Se trata de una aplicación basada en Alfresco, y desarrollada en EST, de la cual se ha hecho prácticamente un duplicado, adaptado con algunos requisitos nuevos. La idea es que dicha herramienta se pueda extender en su uso a cualquier otra área, o grupo del IAC, creando sus propias bibliotecas para archivo de documentación propia. Originalmente saldrá en operación con una biblioteca para el Archivo de Instrumentación, y varias otras para IACTEC.

Se empezará repasando la manera en la que hemos estado utilizando la herramienta del Archivo de Instrumentación actual, vigente desde hace muchos años, y pasaré a continuación a mostrar, directamente en la nueva herramienta, la nueva manera de archivar y consultar la documentación. Será una sesión plenamente práctica

https://youtu.be/P6enZloXg3Q

Tras presentar algunas peculiaridades de los entrelazamientos cuánticos, que acaban de recibir el premio Nobel de este año 2022,  describiremos su utilización para garantizar el secreto de las comunicaciones y recorreremos las actividades que el IAC tiene en marcha en este campo.

ID de reunión: 889 8513 7664

https://rediris.zoom.us/j/88985137664

https://youtu.be/O7pD9xbwtjI

After placing the Gaia mission in the context of current astrophysical research, the astrometric, photometric, and spectroscopic data provided by the satellite, as presented in its third data archive, DR3, will be reviewed. Gaia third archive contains, in addition to the measurements from the satellite's instruments, an extensive set of astrophysical parameters derived by the DPAC data processing consortium, for stars, unresolved galaxies, and solar system objects. These parameters correspond to about 1.8 billion sources repeatedly observed by the satellite during the first 34 months of operation. In the case of the Milky Way stars, DR3 contains information for about 1% of its stars, which has made it possible, for the first time, to study the dynamics of the disk and the halo, and to reconstruct the tumultuous evolutionary history of our galaxy, which is etched in its halo. Studying the integrals of the motion and the orbital actions, some 15 episodes of accretion of other galaxies by our galaxy have been identified, which shows that our Galaxy is the result of billions of years of "galactic canibalism". Accretion phenomena and tidal current trails are frequently observed in other galaxies and show that our Universe evolves through a hierarchical formation of galaxies.

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Meeting will be held online

Youtube: https://youtu.be/ns78Go3FM7I

Zoom: https://rediris.zoom.us/j/87455295473?pwd=dnd2SkppQ1F2UlN2K0FLbmlLZEFmZz09

Meeting ID: 874 5529 5473

Passcode: 941406

Como saben, el Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias dispone del 50% de tiempo del Supercomputador de La Palma, usado principalmente por el Área de Investigación. Sin embargo, por diversos motivos, los equipos de ingeniería no se han prodigado en el uso de estos servicios.
Ahora bien, debido a algunas limitaciones de los recursos informáticos individuales, algunos compañeros de ingeniería (Instrumentación e IACTEC/EST) se están iniciando en el uso de estos recursos.
En esta charla daremos una visión general de los recursos de supercomputación del IAC, así como las herramientas que nos permitirían hacer uso de estos recursos.
Además, mostraremos algunos de los trabajos que "YA" se han realizado en supercomputación en ingeniería (Instrumentación e IACTEC/EST). Espero que esta charla anime a otros colegas de ingeniería a hacer uso de los recursos de supercomputación del IAC.

Enlace de Youtube

https://youtu.be/ONn7BmpIHKM