Astrophysical research

Stellar & Interstellar Physics (FEEI)

Stars give light to the universe, and their interiors are the furnaces where chemical elements are forged. Research in this field at the IAC seeks an understanding of the physics and the life cycle of  stars, from the most massive that end up in supernovae and drive the chemical evolution of galaxies, to those with masses smaller than the Sun's and longer lifetimes than the age of the universe.

The final remnants from stellar evolution, neutron stars and black holes created by supernova explosions, as well as white dwarfs left behind by stars with smaller masses, allow us to explore the physics of intense gravitational fields. Gaseous nebulae and circumstellar material provide as well valuable and complementary information on star formation and their relationship with the environment that surrounds them.

  • Discovery of a system of super-Earths orbiting the star HD 176986 with about 5.7 and 9.2 Earth masses.
    Very Low Mass Stars, Brown Dwarfs and Planets
    Our goal is to study the processes that lead to the formation of low mass stars, brown dwarfs and planets and to characterize the physical properties of these objects in various evolutionary stages. Low mass stars and brown dwarfs are likely the most numerous type of objects in our Galaxy but due to their low intrinsic luminosity they are not so
    Rafael
    Rebolo López
    In progress
  • Representación de la variable cataclísmica SS Cygni (Chris Moran)
    Binary Stars
    The study of binary stars is essential to stellar astrophysics. A large number of stars form and evolve within binary systems. Therefore, their study is fundamental to understand stellar and galactic evolution. Particularly relevant is that binary systems are still the best source of precise stellar mass and radius measurements. Research lines
    Pablo
    Rodríguez Gil
    In progress
  • Planetary Nebula "The Necklace"
    Bipolar Nebulae
    This project has three major objectives: 1) To determine the physico-chemical characteristics of bipolar planetary nebulae and symbiotic nebulae, to help understanding the origin of bipolarity and to test theoretical models, mainly models with binary central stars, aimed at explaining the observed morphology and kinematics. 2) To study the low
    Antonio
    Mampaso Recio
    Closed
  • Izquierda - Imagen RGB de la nebulosa de Orión y M43 obtenida filtros estrechos con la cámara WFC en el INT: H alfa (rojo), [S II] 6716+30 (verde), [O III] 5007 (azul). Derecha - Imagen en falso color de la nebulosa planetaria NGC 6778. En azul se ve la emisión en la línea de O II tomada con el filtro sintonizable azul del instrumento OSIRIS en el GTC; en verde imagen con el filtro estrecho de [O III] del Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT).
    Physics of Ionized Nebulae
    The research that is being carried out by the group can be condensed into two main lines: 1) Study of the structure, dynamics, physical conditions and chemical evolution of Galactic and extragalactic ionized nebulae through detailed analysis and modelization of their spectra. Investigation of chemical composition gradients along the disk of our
    Jorge
    García Rojas
    In progress
  • Project Image
    Nucleosynthesis and molecular processes in the late stages of Stellar Evolution
    Low- to intermediate-mass (M < 8 solar masses, Ms) stars represent the majority of stars in the Cosmos. They finish their lives on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) - just before they form planetary nebulae (PNe) - where they experience complex nucleosynthetic and molecular processes. AGB stars are important contributors to the enrichment of the
    Domingo Aníbal
    García Hernández
    In progress