We constrain the basic cosmological parameters using the first observations by the Very Small Array (VSA) in its extended configuration, together with existing cosmic microwave background data and other cosmological observations. We estimate cosmological parameters for four different models of increasing complexity. In each case, careful

In this paper, we present a study of the abundances of Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni in a large set of stars known to harbor giant planets, as well as in a comparison sample of stars not known to have any planetary-mass companions. We have checked for possible chemical differences between planet hosts and field stars without known planets

We have obtained a new, deep, wide-field optical imaging survey of the young Alpha Persei cluster which reveals a well-populated lower main sequence extending into the substellar mass regime. Subsequent infrared photometry confirms that most of the candidate brown dwarfs are indeed likely to be cluster members, with a predicted minimum mass of

We present clear evidence for the motion of the companion star in the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) X1822-371. We detect N III λ4640 emission moving in antiphase with the radial velocity curve of the neutron star and produced on the X-ray-heated hemisphere of the donor star. From the motion of this feature we derive a lower limit to the radial

If the connection between the fundamental theory and neutrino mass matrices M_ u is sufficiently complicated all traces of underlying symmetries might be erased and an 'anarchical' M_ u, with random entries, can arise. It has been claimed that such random matrices generically prefer large mixing making unnecessary to invoke flavour symmetries to

This paper presents the results of a high-resolution imaging survey, using both ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope images, of a complete sample of nearby barred S0-Sa galaxies in the field, with a particular emphasis on identifying and measuring central structures within the bars: secondary bars, inner disks, nuclear rings and spirals, and off