Abstract TBA

Abstract: TBA

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) contains the richest molecular environment of our Galaxy. Spread over the central ~450x150 parsecs of the Galaxy is found ~50 million solar masses of molecular material. This environment is denser, warmer and more turbulent than that found in the giant molecular clouds of the Galaxy's spiral arms. Surprisingly, the CMZ is also a rich source of organic molecules, and these are found widely distributed across it, and not just confined to the densest cores as they are in GMCs. Until recently we have lacked the ability to examine closely this organic repository at the centre of our Galaxy. Now, with the 22m Mopra millimetre-wave telescope in Australia, we have undertaken a multiple molecular line survey of the CMZ, mapping simultaneously the distribution and dynamics of 18 molecular lines, emitting from 85-93 GHz, across a 2.5°x0.5° region of the CMZ. This work complements the continuum view from radio, infrared, x-ray and gamma- rays of this exotic and multi-facetted environment. We report on the view that is now emerging of the CMZ, our closest galactic nucleus and the only one we can resolve in detail.

I will present recent results using the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) signal in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR7 sample. I will discuss the first application of the idea of density-field reconstruction to the BAO signal. Given these measurements, I will then describe how we robustly derive distance constraints from the galaxy correlation function. Applying these methods to the DR7 data yields a 2% distance measurement to z=0.35, a factor of 1.8 improvement over the unreconstructed case. I will finally discuss the cosmological implications of these measurements and then conclude with the outlook for future surveys.

Abstract: One of the biggest puzzles in galaxy formation is not why galaxies form stars, but rather why some of them do not. I will review results from analysis of the spectra of low-redshift red galaxies (including data ultra-deep spectra in the Coma Cluster) which reveal where, when and how quickly these galaxies died. In particular, by comparing results with orbital data from N-body simulations, we disentangle internal from environmental effects.

Abstract: Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) are usually defined to be white dwarfs (WD) accreting matter from a Roche-lobe filling companion. Accretion disk instabilities in CVs lead to dwarf nova eruptions. The 25-year old hibernation scenario of cataclysmic binary evolution posits that all dwarf novae must eventually erupt as thermonuclear runaway classical novae; and that classical novae eventually revert to being dwarf novae and then "hibernating" CVs. Recent observations provide some spectacular confirmations of the theory. One of the leading candidates for SNIa progenitors has been a special type of CV: the recurrent nova. Just published HST images are an acid test for the model, and convincingly resolve the nature of SNIa progenitors.

Abstract: Circumstellar disks appear in the early phases of formation of stars and play a key role in the assembly of the final mass of the central star and in the possible formation of a planetary system around it. I will review our understanding of the properties and evolution of disks around young stellar objects, focusing on the solids (dust and pebbles) in disk. The evolution of the solids is directly related to the initial stages of planets formation as grains are expected to grow to large pebbles and form planetesimals and rocky cores of planets. I will discuss the current observational evidence for grain evolution in disks, the difficulties and
success of theoretical models to explain observations and the latest ideas on grain populations segregation in disks. I will discuss future observational tests, in particular with ALMA Early Science and beyond, that will allow us to impose tighter constraints on models of solids evolution in disks.
I will also present the status and future development of ALMA. In particular I will give an update on Science Verification, Early Science and the expectations for Cycle 1 and the timeline for full science operations and beyond.

This will be followed by a discussion on PanSTARRS