The giant digital camera housed in the newly inaugurated Vera Rubin Observatory, located in Chile, has unveiled the first results of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). This impressive observational program is expected to scan the entire sky of the Southern Hemisphere every three days, potentially doubling the number of asteroids and other distant objects known in less than a year. I'll describe our current knowledge on asteroids and the revolution that the LSST can made.

Stars in the Red Clump are core-helium burning giant stars that went through the helium flash. Astrophysically, they are of significant interest: they can be used as standard candles that trace the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, and are the progenitors of more evolved stages such as white dwarfs. Yet, the modeling of these stars remains challenging, due to many uncertainties associated with the physical processes occurring in and around their core, notably the nuclear reactions and the mixing of elements. An important feature of Red Clump stars is that they are solar-like oscillators, meaning that they exhibit oscillations that can be detected with high precision using data from space missions such as Kepler and TESS. Such oscillations offer a direct window into the internal structure of the stars, allowing us to use them as laboratories for stellar physics. In this talk, I will introduce the fundamental properties of Red Clump stars and of their oscillations, and I will present a work in which I apply Monte-Carlo techniques on the Kepler dataset in order to advance our understanding of the internal physics of these stars.

As lecturer of the ESA Ocean Training Course 2025, I am just back from a five-week adventure aboard a Norwegian Tallship, sailing from Reykjavik to Nice while helping satellite oceanography students. During the seminar I will explain the mission of the expedition, the daily life aboard, my own tasks and duties and the great adventures during the journey.

The magnetic interaction between an exoplanet and the stellar wind is expected to generate distinctive, potentially detectable auroral radio emission via the electron-cyclotron maser (ECM) mechanism—similar to the well-known interaction between Jupiter and some of its major moons, such as Io. This interaction can only occur if the planet is close enough to the star to lie within the Alfvén surface, where the magnetic energy density exceeds the kinetic energy of the stellar wind. The resulting radio emission is time-variable, highly polarized, and coherent. Detecting such radio signals would establish radio observations as a new, independent method for exoplanet detection. Unlike other existing techniques, this approach could also yield information about the magnetic field of the planet, shedding light on its interior structure and potential habitability. Sub-Alfvénic magnetic star–planet interactions (SPI) between close-in planets and M dwarfs could produce detectable radio signals at frequencies ranging from hundreds of MHz to a few GHz, well within the reach of current radio facilities. While most confirmed radio detections remain tentative, systems like Proxima Centauri, GJ 1151, and YZ Ceti have emerged as key candidates in this search. Here Peña presents the results of several radio campaigns with multiple radio interferometers aimed at finding radio emission arising from SPI in GJ 486 and Proxima Centauri. Peña will also introduce SIRIO, a code that he ahs developed [as part of my PhD Thesis]. SIRIO assesses whether SPI can take place, computing the resulting radio emission. Finally, Peña will also present results from MHD simulations aimed at studying the role of interaction between the magnetosphere of Proxima b and the stellar wind of Proxima, and how this impacts the planet's habitability and the potential detection of auroral radio emission from the planet.

Over the past two decades, our picture of galaxies at redshifts z > 3 has been shaped almost exclusively by rest-frame ultraviolet–selected samples, due to the lack of deep infrared data. This bias restricted us to so-called “normal” galaxies—Lyman break galaxies (LBGs)—which typically exhibit moderate star formation rates (SFRs) and stellar masses. In contrast, a much rarer population of obscured, massive systems—submillimeter galaxies (SMGs)—is known to exist even at z > 4, though at roughly two orders of magnitude lower space densities than LBGs. Consequently, the dust-obscured contribution to the cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) at z > 4 remained poorly constrained until JWST arrived.

The advent of JWST has revolutionised high-redshift studies. Its deep, multi-wavelength infrared coverage enables precise redshift determinations for infrared-bright galaxies, revealing a substantial population of massive, dusty systems at z > 3. These discoveries not only refine our understanding of their physical properties but also uncover massive galaxies missed by earlier HST surveys. In this talk, I will explore the significance of these dusty galaxies, quantify their contribution to the obscured SFRD, and assess how they challenge—or reinforce—current theoretical models of galaxy formation.

Moreover, JWST is delivering the first robust stellar-mass measurements at these epochs. I will summarise how these new mass constraints reshape the evolving galaxy stellar mass function in the early universe, highlighting the pivotal role of dusty galaxies at the high-mass end. I will also discuss their physical characteristics—such as morphology, dust content, and possible AGN activity—and introduce the so-called “little red dots” (LRDs), evaluating whether they are primarily star-forming systems or AGN hosts. Finally, I will place these massive, high-redshift galaxies in the wider context of galaxy evolution, considering their significance at lower redshifts and their potential as progenitors of later galaxy populations.

Looking ahead, I will outline the future of massive dusty galaxy research, focusing on ongoing and forthcoming ALMA and JWST programs. I will emphasise how the complementary strengths of ALMA (tracing cold gas and dust) and JWST (probing stellar and ionised components) will deepen our understanding of these galaxies’ gas and dust content—and, by extension, their role in cosmic history.

The inflated radii observed in hundreds of Hot Jupiters (HJs) represents a long-standing open issue, with Ohmic dissipation being one of the most promising mechanisms for a quantitative explanation. In this study, inspired by results from evolutionary models in the last decade, we specifically delve into the inferrance of the amount of electrical currents induced by the atmospheric winds. Using the evolutionary code MESA, we simulate the evolution of irradiated giant planets, spanning the observed range of masses and equilibrium temperatures, a plausible range of core sizes and compositions. We incorporate an internal source of Ohmic dissipation that extends to deep layers of the envelope, accounting for electrical currents proportional to the electrical conductivity, given by thermal ionization of alkali metals and pressure-ionization of hydrogen at deeper layers. We explore how, varying the intensity of currents, we can broadly reproduce the range of observed radii. As a by-product, using classical scaling laws which relate the deep-seated and surface magnetic fields to mass, structure and internal luminosity, we predict that heavy planets are much more likely to have large surface fields of hundreds of G.

Machine learning, particularly deep learning, is revolutionizing astrophysics by enabling advanced analyses of complex datasets. However, applying these methods often faces the challenge of limited data availability, requiring careful model optimization, hyperparameter tuning, and a balance between overfitting and underfitting.

This seminar will present recent research addressing these challenges, including deep learning techniques for cosmological parameter reconstruction, the use of genetic algorithms to optimize neural networks and improve precision, and the combination of these methods to accelerate Bayesian inference. It will conclude with examples of deep learning applied to the detection of Earth-like exoplanets using stellar radial velocity measurements.

The seminar aims to provide practical insights into the importance of properly tuning deep learning models for astrophysical tasks where precision is crucial.

The inevitable galaxy mergers and the existence of massive black holes (>1e5 Msun) at the centre of most galaxies suggests that galaxies may harbour more than one MBH. After a galaxy merger, two MBHs can eventually get sufficiently close to interact gravitationally and form a massive black hole binary (MBHB). According to general relativity, MBHBs emit gravitational waves (GWs) at different frequencies depending on their masses, and separations. Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) experiments target the nHz regime, and recently reported strong evidence of an unexpected loud stochastic GW background produced most likely by a population of >1e8 Msun MBHBs. The future GW space telescope Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA, to be launched in 2034) targets a complementary window, detecting MBHBs of 1e4-1e7 Msun emitting GWs at mHz. The detection of MBHBs systems will be crucial, as their properties and demographics can provide, for the very first time, tight constraints on the formation and evolution of MBHs. Furthermore, the joint detection of these systems across the GW and electromagnetic spectrum will open a new era of multimessenger astronomy. In this talk, I will present the properties and hosts of the MBHBs detected by the PTA and LISA experiments, as well as the challenges associated with using them in multimessenger studies. To this end, I will introduce the L-Galaxies semi-analytical model, a code that encompasses all the relevant physical processes governing the assembly of galaxies, MBHs, and MBHBs, while coupling them with the dark matter merger trees derived from N-body cosmological simulations.

In recent years, the determination of accurate stellar atmospheric parameters (namely, Teff, logg, [Fe/H], and vsini/vmac) has been key to several fields of astrophysics and in particular to exoplanet science. In this seminar, I will present two automatic tools to derive atmospheric parameters available in the public domain: StePar and SteParSyn. These tools are modern python implementations of the EW and the spectral synthesis method, respectively. In short, they employ optimization and MCMC sampling methods to retrieve the stellar parameters and their uncertainties. Both StePar and SteParSyn are currently being used to characterize stars observed under the framework of ESPRESSO and the CARMENES consortia as well as other open time programs.

Basic introduction to modified gravity theories is given considering as an example F(R) gravity.
It is demonstrated how one can unify inflation with Dark Energy within modified gravity, with possibility to include also radiation/matter epochs.
Modified gravity looks currently better candidate for DE due to DESY 2025 bounds.
Inflation in Gauss-Bonnet modified gravity is considered including the constraint due to GWs speed to be equal to that of light. Some astrophysical applications like neutron stars or BH shadows in modified gravity are briefly mentioned.

Annaëlle presents an overview of exoplanetary system formation, a field vital for understanding the potential for life beyond Earth. She delves into the physical processes that drive planet formation, focusing on the transformation of interstellar dust into planets around young stars. By comparing observations of young stellar objects with advanced protostar models, she addresses the long-standing angular momentum problem in star formation, a key challenge in understanding how stars and their planetary systems form.

Furthermore, Annaëlle emphasizes the need for new dust evolution models that incorporate recent discoveries about the early stages of planet formation. These models aim to explain how dust grains evolve into planetary seeds, considering factors like gravity, turbulence, and magnetic fields, all of which play crucial roles in planet formation. Her presentation underscores the importance of understanding these processes to unravel the mysteries of exoplanetary system formation and the potential for life on other worlds.

Supernovae are very energetic explosions as the final fate for some stars. Especifically, massive stars (> 8 M_sol) are expected to end their life as core-collapse supernovae.
The importance in understanding how massive stars form, evolve and explode as supernovae is translated because they produce heavy elements and halt the star formation in the interstellar medium, so they have a profound impact on galaxy evolution. In order to constrain the progenitor properties of supernovae, their interstellar medium environments are studied. However, the spatial resolution scale is essential for distinguishing progenitor environments directly from supernova locations. This presentation is aimed to show high-resolution observations at scales of giant molecular clouds at supernova environments.
To do so, ALMA and MUSE observations are used as proxies of cold molecular gas and warm ionised gas, respectively. The multiwavelength approach gives us a complete comprehension on the conditions from which supernovae explode and understand better their progenitor properties.

Technological advancements and the commercialisation of the space sector have led to a significant surge in the development of space exploration missions. Currently, these missions primarily rely on ground-based Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) systems, which involve human-in-the-loop processes. Although reliable, the ground-based navigation approach is hindered by prolonged communication delays, lacking real-time capabilities and autonomy. Reducing the dependence on ground operations by developing on-board autonomous navigation methods represents a promising solution for future space missions. 
This work proposes a novel concept of an autonomous navigation system that uses X-ray pulsar measurements to determine a spacecraft's position and velocity.

Sun-like stars gain most of their mass during the protostellar phase, particularly in the youngest Class 0 stage, where accretion is most intense. During this phase, a dense envelope surrounds the forming star, influencing properties like disk formation and multiplicity. Observations from ALMA, JWST, and Keck, combined with simulations, reveal the role of magnetic fields in regulating mass infall and disk evolution. ALMA detects magnetic field structures through polarized dust emission, while near-infrared data identify emission lines (Brγ, H₂, CO) that shed light on accretion mechanisms. JWST further refines our understanding of gas excitation and kinematics, helping to improve models of accretion, ejection, and disk formation in young protostars.

I will introduce and apply a methodology based on dynamic time warping (DTW) to compare light curves and study their similarity in quantitative terms. In particular, I will apply it to the whole set of gamma-ray light curves reported in the Third Fermi-Large Area Telescope Pulsar Catalogue. Our method allows us to quantitatively measure the degree of global similarity between two light curves beyond comparing indicators such as how many peaks there are, which is their separation, width, and height. Once the morphology of the light curve is showcased via background subtraction, min-max scaler normalization, and rotations are considered to take into account that phase 0 is arbitrary, the level of detail with which light curves of different pulsars appear is revealed. In many cases their similarity is striking and occurs disregarding any other timing, physical, or spectral property. In particular, some MSPs and young pulsars share detailed light curve morphology.

Magnetic fields remain one of the least understood aspects of exoplanetary systems. Next generation radio observatories will hopefully make first planetary magnetic field detections. We model the evolution of magnetic fields generated by dynamo action in cold giant gaseous planets, exploring how the topology and strength of magnetic fields change across different evolutionary stages. We solve the resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations in a spherical shell domain with the thermodynamical hydrostatic profiles taken from gas giant evolutionary models. We obtain saturated dynamo solutions, understood as different stages of a cold gaseous planet's evolution. We find the occurrence of a transition from multipolar to dipolar-dominated dynamo regime throughout the life of a Jovian planet. During the planetary evolution and the cooling down phase, we observe a decrease in the average magnetic field strength near the dynamo surface as $\sim t^{-0.2}-t^{-0.3}$, a trend compatible with previously proposed scaling laws. We also find that some dimensionless parameters evolve differently for the multipolar to dipolar branch, possibly reflecting a force balance change.

The evolution of astrophysical dust during the star formation process is crucial for understanding planet formation and the role of magnetic fields in regulating this process. IRAS 04166+2706 (K66) and IRAS 04169+2702 (K69) are protostars (Class 0 and Class 0/I, respectively) located within the B213 filament in the Taurus molecular cloud (d = 156.6 pc). These sources provide ideal laboratories for studying dust evolution and magnetic field structures in the early stages of star formation. As part of the “PEBBLES” project, we aim to characterize dust properties and magnetic fields in young protostellar systems. To achieve this, we utilized the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to perform full-polarization observations of K66 and K69 at spatial resolutions ranging from ~20 au to 900 au, covering both protoplanetary disk and envelope scales.

Astronomy gives us a different perspective on our planet allowing us to see beyond national and ethnic boundaries. Reflecting on our cosmic origins and our place in the universe inspires a feeling of global citizenship increasing our empathy towards others.It is also a topic that fascinates people of all ages and fosters critical thinking. In this respect, astronomy is a well-suited tool for bringing people together in post-conflict regions and supporting the construction of peace culture. In this talk I will discuss the motivations to use astronomy for peace purposes as well as experiences and lessons learnt from the participation on astronomy outreach projects such as Columba-Hypatia bringing together communities in the divided island of Cyprus and Amanar that aims to inspire the Sahrawi community in Western Sahara refugee camps through astronomy.

Exoplanet research has entered an era, where the stability, sensitivity, and accuracy of our instruments and spacecrafts would allow the detection of Earth’s twin. However, inhomogeneities on stellar surfaces cause temporal changes in the observed signals, which cannot only mimic, but completely hide any signal that is caused by a planet. Unfortunately, we only have indirect observations of those stellar inhomogeneities, expect for the Sun, where we can observe the surface in great detail. Understanding how the solar activity affects observables is the key to mitigating stellar activity contamination, and as a consequence in finding Earth’s twin. I will present current physics based modelling efforts in understanding solar and stellar variability, including novel 3D MHD simulations of solar and stellar activity manifestations.

Interferometric polarization observations have found that magnetic fields play an important role during the star formation process. However, their relative significance in their environment and their role in stellar multiplicity remains poorly understood. We thus used ALMA to observe 870 um dust polarization toward 57 fields in the Orion molecular cloud on scales of 400 to 2000 AU. At these scales, the observations uniformly probed the magnetic field structure around the protostars. Combined with ancillary data such as VANDAM project, we studied the origin of stellar multiplicity and better characterized the role of magnetic fields during the star-forming process.

Super-Massive Black Holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies are related by tight scaling laws. Is it SMBH mass that causes galaxy properties (such as velocity dispersion and bulge mass) or vice versa? We answer this question by applying for the first time causal discovery techniques to astronomical data. We find that elliptical galaxies and spirals have opposite directions of causation, with lenticulars being in-between.

Senior predoctoral researchers from the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC) showcase their work during 3 min presentations.

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are well-known distance indicators. Through the distance measured from SNe, it is possible to recover their host galaxy's peculiar velocities (PVs). The PV field measured by SNe Ia enables us to constrain the growth rate of cosmic structure and, in turn, test the standard cosmological model. Using a realistic simulation of SNe light curves, as expected from the LSST survey, we have analyzed the bias due to selection effects and contamination from core-collapse SNe. Utilizing the Maximum Likelihood method, we recovered the growth rate constraints from LSST SNe Ia PVs. We produced forecasts for LSST depending on the survey observing time.

The fate of stars and the type of the resulting supernova (SN) explosions are closely linked to their final years before core collapse. During the late stages of stellar evolution, stars can lose a significant amount of their initial mass through eruptive mass loss, leading to the formation of circumstellar material (CSM) around the SN, which is observable post-explosion. In this talk, I will focus on superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), a specific type of explosion that is exceptionally bright and cannot be explained by conventional power sources. In particular, I will present two SLSNe that display spectroscopic signatures indicative of line scattering from a rapidly expanding CSM that was ejected shortly before the explosion. First, I will provide a detailed analysis of the photometric properties and evolution of these two SLSNe, placing them in the context of other well-studied SLSNe. Next, I will focus on the modeling of the spectroscopic lines to infer the properties of the CSM and the timing of its ejection. Finally, I will discuss potential mass-loss mechanisms and sources that power these SLSNe. The discovery of these objects offers valuable insights into the late stages of stellar evolution and enhances our understanding of SLSN progenitors.

Globular clusters (GCs) are characterised by multiple stellar populations (MPs) exhibited as star-to-star variations in certain light-element abundances. We use the inertial-inflow model of massive star formation to describe the origin of GCs in turbulent molecular clouds. Based on the predicted inflow rates, extremely massive stars (EMSs, greater than 10^3 Msun) are expected in GCs. Because of strong wind mass-loss rates, these masses are not necessarily reached, but the inflow rates predict that ~10% of the total cluster mass is returned by EMSs. Because inflows, hot-hydrogen burning, wind mass loss and low-mass star formation occur simultaneously, the EMS ashes end up in low-mass stars that form towards the end of the GC formation process. This yield is sufficient to explain the abundances of GCs today. We present a toy model for the growth of the initial stellar mass function and the formation of low-mass stars that survive until today. This model forms MPs in a single starburst, requires gas densities of ~10^3 Msun/pc^2 and it can reproduce important observables, such as trends of MPs with GC mass and metallicity. We discuss several predictions of the model, including the resulting black hole population that can be tested with ongoing gravitational wave experiments.

Exoplanets with sizes of ~2 Earth radii are rare. The existence of this radius valley separating super-Earths from mini-Neptunes stands as one of the most important observational constraints to understand the origin and composition of small exoplanets. The best-known models to explain the radius valley predict that mini-Neptunes are dry, which contradicts predictions from formation theory. In this seminar, I will start by presenting the first combined formation and evolution simulations that predicted that mini-Neptunes are typically water-worlds, and I will explain the dependence of the results with stellar mass. Our results show an excellent agreement with the slope of the location of the valley as a function of stellar mass and orbital period inferred from observations. Also in line with observations, we find that due to the effects of orbital migration and water condensation, the radius valley fades towards M-dwarfs. I will close by discussing new observations hinting to a change in the radius valley location for binary stars, describing briefly an observational programme that we are pursuing with CHEOPS to characterise the radius valley for binary stars.

Since the term "jet" was first used to describe a feature observed in the galaxy M87 in 1954, technological advances have revealed the existence of jets in a number of astrophysical systems where material is accreted onto central objects. Nevertheless, a unified explanation for their formation and collimation remains elusive. In this regard, protostellar jets are particularly advantageous due to their proximity, allowing us to probe close to their launching platforms, deeply embedded in the parent cloud. Despite decades of research, fundamental aspects of their characterization, such as the collimation distance, the material velocity, and the magnetic fields, remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will focus on the characterization of protostellar jets at radio frequencies, addressing these topics from an observational perspective using cutting-edge interferometers such as the JVLA and eMERLIN.

Modern large-scale surveys gather huge amounts of data, but it's important to follow careful steps to make sure this data is accurate and useful. This involves testing and calibrating the instruments, estimating galaxy distances (redshifts), and handling any possible errors to ensure the final data meets scientific goals. In my talk, I'll focus on part of this process: creating "mock catalogs," which are simulations that help prepare for real observations. These mock catalogs are essential for testing how well the instruments work and for refining methods of estimating distances. This involves creating light cones, which represent the survey’s view of galaxies over time, assigning colors to the galaxies, and defining their spectral energy distributions (the amount of energy they emit at different wavelengths). Additionally, we are also interested in tracking how these galaxies evolve with time, capturing changes in their properties as the universe itself evolves. These steps are critical for deep surveys that aim to explore faint galaxies and understand the large-scale structure of the universe.

Intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) serve as a crucial link between stellar-mass black holes, resulting from the death of massive stars, and supermassive black holes residing at the center of galaxies. Yet, we do not fully understand the necessary conditions for IMBH production, raising questions about whether they could constitute a completely distinct category of black holes. Star clusters represent ideal laboratories to study the formation of IMBHs. In extremely dense clusters, stellar collisions can trigger the rapid assembly of a very massive star, ultimately collapsing to an IMBH. This initial 'seed' can then further grow via repeated mergers with stellar-mass black holes in the cluster. Understanding the conditions under which IMBH growth proceeds unhindered is fundamental to identifying how IMBHs are produced and, potentially, to investigating their connection to supermassive black hole formation. In her talk, she will discuss which structural parameters can help identify the optimal clusters for IMBH seeding. Then, she will compare these theoretical predictions with simulations performed with the new population synthesis code B-POP. Finally, she will present a peculiar set of clusters, obtained from our numerical models, nurturing the growth of IMBHs as massive as 10,000 to 100,000 solar masses.