Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania

Machine Learning for Astrophysics - ML4Astro
2022-05-30 09:00 - 2022-06-01 18:00 UTC | Il Principe Hotel, Via Alessi, 24, Catania, 95124, Italia
Bring together researchers actively involved in the fields of machine learning applications to astrophysics use cases is the aim of the International Conference on Machine Learning for Astrophysics – ML4Astro.
In the view of the forthcoming Big Data era for the astronomy community, the conference focuses on challenges coming from the application of ML/DL methods to open problems in astrophysics: novel AI techniques will be presented and joint discussions on their use with observational data will be fostered. A special session on the Square Kilometre Array and its precursors/pathfinders is foreseen.
Participants are invited to submit an abstract for an Oral Presentation or a Poster Presentation on the topics of interest for the conference.
DATE: 30 May (09:00) – 1 Jun (18:00)
Organizers & Sponsors: The ML4ASTRO Conference is organized by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in collaboration with the University of Catania, the University of Milano Bicocca, the Consorzio COMETA and the University of Malta. The event is sponsored by the H2020 NEANIAS project, the INAF PRIN CIRASA project and the MOSAICO project.
Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC): Filomena Bufano (INAF), co-chair; Simone Riggi (INAF), co-chair; Eva Sciacca (INAF), co-chair; Ugo Becciani (INAF); Andrea De Marco (University of Malta); Giuseppe Vizzari (Universita’ Milano Bicocca)
Local Organizing Committee (LOC): Cristobal Bordiu (INAF); Giulia Miceli (INAF); Teresa Pulvirenti (INAF); Fabio Vitello (INAF)
TOPICS: Supervised/Unsupervised/Semi-supervised Learning – Deep learning – Active Learning – Image segmentation, object detection and classification – Anomaly discovery – Data preparation, generation and augmentation – Time series analysis, transients – Classification and regression – Data mining – Software tools and services for machine learning – Computing infrastructures and devices for Artificial Intelligence
SCIENTIFIC DOMAINS: Radioastronomy – Observational Astrophysics – Time Domain Astronomy – High-Energy Astrophysics – Astroparticle Physics – Galactic and Extragalactic Science – Cosmology and numerical simulations

Registration

Call for Abstracts

The Gaia DR3 2M catalogue of stellar chromospheric activity
2022-06-30 11:00
DATE: Thursday, June 30, 11 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) – Audience in-person max 20
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Prof. Alessandro Lanzafame (Università di Catania)
ABSTRACT:We present the method devised for inferring the Gaia stellar activity index from the analysis of the Ca II infrared triplet (IRT) at 850.03, 854.44, and 866.45 nm in the Gaia Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) spectrum, an overview of the content of the chromospheric activity catalogue published in DR3, and its scientific validation. A sample of well studied PMS stars is considered to identify the regime in which the Gaia stellar activity index may be affected by mass accretion. The correlation with the amplitude of the photometric rotational modulation is also discussed. Three regimes of the chromospheric stellar activity are identified, confirming suggestions made by previous authors on much smaller chromospheric activity indices datasets. The highest stellar activity regime is associated with PMS stars and RS CVn systems, in which activity is enhanced by tidal interaction. Some evidence of a bimodal distribution in MS stars with Teff > 5000 K is also found, which defines the two other regimes, without a clear gap in between. Stars with 3500 K < Teff < 5000 K are found to be either very active PMS stars or active MS stars with a unimodal distribution in chromospheric activity. A dramatic change in the activity distribution is found for Teff < 3500 K, with a dominance of low activity stars close to the transition between partially- and fully-convective stars and a rise in activity down into the fully-convective regime. Overall, the 2M catalogue of chromospheric activity in Gaia DR3 represents a gold mine for studies related to stellar magnetic activity and mass accretion in the solar vicinity.

A few rules:— access the virtual room with the microphone and camera switched off.— for questions leave a message in the chat and the answers at the end of the webinar.

Photon counting Intensity Interferometry with the ASTRI Mini-Array: Stellar astrophysics at unprecedented angular resolution
2022-09-26 11:30 - 12:30
DATE: Monday, September 26, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) – Audience in-person max 20
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Prof. Luca Zampieri (INAF-OAPD)
ABSTRACT:The ASTRI Mini-Array is an International collaboration, led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), that is constructing and operating an array of nine Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes to study gamma-ray sources at very high energy (TeV) and perform optical stellar intensity interferometry observations.
Angular resolutions below 100 microarcsec are achievable with stellar intensity interferometry (SII), using telescopes separated by hundreds to thousands of meters baselines. At this level of resolution it turns out to be possible to reveal details on the surface and of the environment surrounding bright stars on the sky. The ASTRI Mini-Array will provide a suitable infrastructure for performing these measurements thanks to the capabilities offered by its 9 telescopes, which provide 36 simultaneous baselines over distances between 100 m and 700 m.
After providing an overview of the scientific context and motivations for performing SII science with the ASTRI Mini-Array telescopes, we present the baseline design for the ASTRI Stellar Intensity Interferometry Instrument (SI3), a fast single photon counting instrument that will be mounted on the ASTRI telescopes and dedicated to performing SII observations of bright stars.

A few rules:— access the virtual room with the microphone and camera switched off.— for questions leave a message in the chat and the answers at the end of the webinar.

Notte Europea dei Ricercatori 2023
2022-09-28 16:00 - 2023-09-30 00:00
SHARPER è il nome di uno dei 6 progetti italiani sostenuti dalla Commissione Europea per la realizzazione della Notte Europea dei Ricercatori.
SHARPER significa SHAring Researchers’ Passion for Enhanced Roadmaps e ha l’obiettivo di coinvolgere tutti i cittadini nella scoperta del mestiere di ricercatore e del ruolo che i ricercatori svolgono nel costruire il futuro della società attraverso l’indagine del mondo basata sui fatti, le osservazioni e l’abilità nell’adattarsi e interpretare contesti sociali e culturali sempre più complessi e in continua evoluzione.
Per l’edizione 2023, SHARPER si svolgerà il 29 settembre in 14 città italiane, tra cui Catania, per raccontare la passione, le scoperte e le sfide dei ricercatori di tutta Europa attraverso mostre, spettacoli, concerti, giochi, conferenze e centinaia di altre iniziative rivolte al grande pubblico.
In occasione della Notte dei Ricercatori 2023, l’INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania ha organizzato le seguenti attività per il pubblico che si svolgeranno tra il 28 e il 30 settembre:

IL SOLE E IL CLIMA TERRESTRE – Gli effetti della variazione dell’irraggiamento solare sul clima terrestre
Webinar a cura di Paolo RomanoData e ora: 28-09-2023 dalle 16:00 alle 17:00

Per partecipare gli interessati dovranno mandare una email a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it, oppure potranno seguire l’evento in diretta sul nostro canale YouTube.

OCEAN WORLDS: ALLA RICERCA DELLA VITA – Gli oceani extraterresti come possibili sedi di vita
Webinar a cura di Daniela SiciliaData e ora: 28-09-2023 dalle 17:00 alle 18:00

Per partecipare gli interessati dovranno mandare una email a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it, oppure potranno seguire l’evento in diretta sul nostro canale YouTube.

TECNICHE DI RADIOASTRONOMIA PER LA MEDICINA – Le tecniche di imaging in radioastronomia trovano largo impiego nella medicina e si sono rivelate fondamentali per la rivelazione precoce di cellule tumorali
Webinar a cura di Francesco CavallaroData e ora: 28-09-2023 dalle 18:00 alle 19:00

Per partecipare gli interessati dovranno mandare una email a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it, oppure potranno seguire l’evento in diretta sul nostro canale YouTube.

SPACE WEATHER, OCEANI ALIENI, RADIODIAGNOSTICHE – Stand sulle attività dell’INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania legate ai temi: Space weather, oceani di altri mondi e ricerca della vita, tecniche di radioastronomia per la lotta ai tumori
A cura di Giuseppe CutispotoData e ora: 29-09-2023 dalle 18:00 alle 24:00Luogo: Piazza Università, Catania

IL SOLE E LO SPACE WEATHER: VIVERE CON UNA STELLA – Conferenza sulle relazioni Sole-Terra e osservazioni del Sole al telescopio presso la sede “A. Riccò”
A cura di Salvatore Guglielmino e Fabiana FerrenteData e ora: 30-09-2023 dalle 10:00 alle 13:00Luogo: Osservatorio astrofisico “A. Riccò” – Via Santa Sofia 78 (CT)

Inoltre, invitiamo le scuole a partecipare alla finale del torneo nazionale Sharper di SUMO SCIENCE (evento a cura di Psiquadro) che si svolgerà venerdì 29 settembre, dalle ore 9 alle ore 13.30, presso l’Auditorium Santa Cecilia di Perugia, con la possibilità di partecipare online (prenotazione obbligatoria). Dettagli sotto:

SumoScience – Final Four – Sharper Edition (ONLINE) – La finale del torneo nazionale Sharper di SUMO SCIENCE. Tutte le classi partecipanti, sia in sala che da remoto, potranno porre domande agli sfidanti e partecipare alle votazioni

I quattro semifinalisti sono:

Francesca Garaventa (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) – SCIENZE MARINE
Francesca Ginatempo (Università di Sassari) – FISIOLOGIA
Roberto Pierdicca (Università Politecnica delle Marche) – GEOMATICA
Paolo Romano (INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania) – FISICA SOLARE

Per prenotare la partecipazione ONLINE, collegarsi al seguente link.

Notte Europea dei Ricercatori 2022
2022-09-29 17:00 - 2022-10-01 13:00
SHARPER è il nome di uno dei 6 progetti italiani sostenuti dalla Commissione Europea per la realizzazione della Notte Europea dei Ricercatori. Il progetto è finanziato dalla Comunità Europea, nel quadro delle Azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie del programma Horizon 2020.
L’obiettivo di SHARPER è di coinvolgere tutti i cittadini nella scoperta del mestiere di ricercatore e del ruolo che i ricercatori svolgono nel costruire il futuro della società attraverso l’indagine del mondo basata sui fatti, le osservazioni e l’abilità nell’adattarsi e interpretare contesti sociali e culturali sempre più complessi e in continua evoluzione.
Per l’edizione 2022, SHARPER si svolgerà il 30 settembre in 14 città italiane, tra cui Catania, per raccontare la passione, le scoperte e le sfide dei ricercatori di tutta Europa attraverso mostre, spettacoli, concerti, giochi, conferenze e centinaia di altre iniziative rivolte al grande pubblico.
In occasione della Notte dei Ricercatori 2022, l’INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania ha organizzato le seguenti attività per il pubblico che si svolgeranno tra il 29 settembre e l’1 ottobre:

IL SOLE E IL CLIMA TERRESTRE – Gli effetti della variazione dell’irraggiamento solare sul clima terrestre
Webinar a cura di Giuseppe CapuanoData e ora: 29-09-2022 dalle 17:00 alle 18:00

Per partecipare gli interessati dovranno mandare una email a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it, oppure potranno seguire l’evento in diretta sulla nostra pagina Facebook.

TECNICHE DI RADIOASTRONOMIA PER LA MEDICINA – Le tecniche di imaging in radioastronomia trovano largo impiego nella medicina e si sono rivelate fondamentali per la rivelazione precoce di cellule tumorali
Webinar a cura di Francesco CavallaroData e ora: 29-09-2022 dalle 18:00 alle 18:30

Per partecipare gli interessati dovranno mandare una email a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it, oppure potranno seguire l’evento in diretta sulla nostra pagina Facebook.

OCEAN WORLDS: ALLA RICERCA DELLA VITA – Gli oceani extraterresti come possibili sedi di vita
Webinar a cura di Daniela SiciliaData e ora: 29-09-2022 dalle 18:30 alle 19:30

Per partecipare gli interessati dovranno mandare una email a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it, oppure potranno seguire l’evento in diretta sulla nostra pagina Facebook.

SPACE WEATHER, OCEANI ALIENI, RADIODIAGNOSTICHE – Stand sulle attività dell’INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania legate ai temi: Space weather, oceani di altri mondi e ricerca della vita, tecniche di radioastronomia per la lotta ai tumori
A cura di Giuseppe CutispotoData e ora: 30-09-2022 dalle 18:00 alle 24:00Luogo: Piazza Università, Catania

VERSO L’INFINITO E OLTRE: RICERCA E TECNOLOGIE PER ESPLORARE L’UNIVERSO – Tavola rotonda-dibattito con quattro ospiti di eccezione per discutere sul legame tra ricerca e tecnologia per esplorare e comprendere l’Universo.
L’evento sarà aperto dai saluti del Magnifico Rettore e dell’Assessore alla Cultura del Comune di Catania.Interverranno: Adriano Fontana (Dirigente di Ricerca INAF), Isabella Pagano (Direttrice INAF OACT), Marco Pallavicini (Vice-Presidente INFN), Enrico Suetta (Chief Technical Officer Leonardo SPA). Moderano: Giuseppe Ardica (TGR SICILIA) e Alessia Tricomi (Università di Catania, INFN Catania e CSFNSM).La serata sarà allietata dalla musica dell’ Evolution Brass Quintetto
Data e ora: 30-09-2022 dalle 20:30 alle 23:00Luogo: Piazza Dante, Catania
Durante la serata sarà possibile partecipare anche alle OSSERVAZIONI DI GIOVE E SATURNO (evento a cura di INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania e Gruppo Astrofili catanese), secondo le seguenti fasce orarie: dalle 19:45 alle 20:45 e dalle 22.30 alle 24:00.

SPACE WEATHER: IL SOLE E IL CLIMA TERRESTRE – Conferenza sulle relazioni Sole-Terra e osservazioni del Sole presso la sede “A. Riccò”
A cura di Paolo Romano e Mariachiara FalcoData e ora: 01-10-2022 dalle 10:00 alle 13:00Luogo: Osservatorio astrofisico “A. Riccò” – Via Santa Sofia 78 (CT)
Si comunica che per questo evento non ci sono più posti disponibili.

Gravitational collapse to regular black holes
2022-10-10 11:30 - 12:30
DATE: Monday, October 10, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) – Audience in-person max 20
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dott. Daniele Malafarina (Nazarbayev University)
ABSTRACT:The Oppenheimer-Snyder-Datt model for homogeneous dust collapse describes how a black hole forms. Considering semi-classical corrections at large curvature obtained from general relativity coupled to non-linear electrodynamics may lead to the resolution of the central singularity and the formation of a regular black hole.

A few rules:— access the virtual room with the microphone and camera switched off.— for questions leave a message in the chat and the answers at the end of the webinar.

Catania osserva l'eclissi parziale di Sole
2022-10-25 10:00 - 12:30
Il 25 ottobre è stato possibile assistere da Catania a un’eclissi parziale di Sole, con inizio alle ore 11:36, massimo di visibilità alle 12:31 e fine alle 13:27.
L’INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania ha organizzato un evento online per le scuole e per il pubblico generico.

PROGRAMMA10:10 – Saluti di benvenuto10:15- “Il Sole e i suoi effetti sull’ambiente circumterrestre” – relatore Paolo Romano10:45 – “Eclissi solare: gioco di luci e ombre” – relatrice Mariachiara Falco11:15 – Osservazioni in diretta dell’eclisse con il Telescopio Solare dell’Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania

SCUOLE PARTECIPANTI
PRIMARIE E SECONDARIE DI PRIMO GRADO: I.C.Statale “Dusmet-Doria” – Catania; I.C. Statale “S. Domenico Savio” – S. Gregorio (CT); I.C. Statale “XX Settembre” – Catania; Istituto Paritario “S. Giuseppe” – Catania; Istituto Paritario “S. Luigi” – Acireale (CT); I.C. Statale “N. Sauro – Giovanni XXIII” – Catania; I.C. Statale “A. De Gasperi” – Aci Sant’Antonio (CT); I.C. Statale “A. De Amicis” – Randazzo (CT); I.C. Statale “G. Parini” – CataniA; I.C. Statale “F. Crispi” – Ragusa; I.C. Statale 1 “U. Foscolo” – Taormina (ME); I.O. Statale “E. Majorana – Don Bosco” – Troina (EN).

SECONDARIE DI SECONDO GRADO: Liceo Scientifico Statale “E. Boggio Lera” – Catania; Liceo Statale “Megara” – Augusta (SR); Liceo Scientifico Statale “E. Vittorini” – Gela (CL); I.I.S. Statale “G. Ferraris” – Acireale (CT); I.I.S. Statale “L. Sturzo” – Gela (CL); Liceo Scienze Umane Statale “M. Rapisardi” – S. Maria di Licodia (CT); I.I.S. Statale “Pugliatti” – Taormina (ME); Liceo Classico Statale “Gulli e Pennisi” – Acireale (CT); I.I.S. Statale “Ven. I. Capizzi” – Bronte (CT).

MODALITA’ DI PARTECIPAZIONE
L’evento si è svolto utilizzando la piattaforma Gmeet ed è stato trasmesso in diretta sul canale YouTube dell’Osservatorio.
Hanno assistito alle conferenze un totale di 330 partecipanti, tra studenti e utenti.
Hanno assistito alle osservazioni dell’eclissi un totale di almeno 1800 partecipanti, tra studenti e utenti.

Le immagini ottenute con il telescopio solare sono disponibili alla pagina http://ssa.oact.inaf.it/oact/Solar_eclipse_2022_it.php.

E’ inoltre possibile assistere alla registrazione dell’evento sul canale YouTube dell’Osservatorio.

Collegamenti con altri osservatori sono stati proposti sul sito di EduInaf dove sono disponibili materiali didattici e divulgativi.

Video

TG Sicilia 25 ottobre 2022 – Ore 20:00

OraTg REITV 25 ottobre 2022 – 2a Ed.

Studying the rotation of solar-type stars, from the surface to the core
2022-11-07 11:00 - 12:00
DATE: Monday, November 7, 11:00 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) – Audience in-person max 20
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dott. Sylvain Breton (INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania)
ABSTRACT:Being able to constrain the rotation profile, both radial and latitudinal, of main-sequence solar-type stars, from the surface to the core, is a fundamental problem if we want to improve our understanding of stellar evolution (especially in order to get better constraints on stellar ages) and of the interactions of stars with their environment. As of today, the core rotation profile of the Sun and other main-sequence solar-type stars remains a mystery. This is due to the absence of clear detection of gravity modes (g modes), which are evanescent in convective regions, and therefore have very low-amplitude at the surface of the convective envelope of main-sequence solar-type stars. However, large-scale photometric surveys of these past years have been able to provide us valuable insights on the rotational dynamics of the surface and the upper regions of the stars, thanks to acoustic mode (p modes) asteroseismology and/or the characterisation of photospheric active regions.
In this seminar, I will first present the machine learning methodology ROOSTER that I developed in order to analyse surface rotation in the light curves collected by the Kepler mission. This tool was used to build what is the largest photometric catalogue of surface stellar rotation available today, opening many new perspectives for statistical study of the dynamics of the convective zone of solar-type stars, through the characterisation of photospheric activity index and the estimation of the Rossby number, a key parameter to constrain dynamics of rotating fluid. ROOSTER is currently being implemented in the MSAP4 module of the PLATO mission analysis pipeline. In order to assess the possibility to probe deeper into main-sequence solar-type stars, I will then discuss the perspective of detecting stochastic g modes (excited by convective motions) in late F-type stars, which are solar-type pulsators with a convective envelope shallower than the one of the Sun. For this purpose, I used the ASH code to perform several deep-shell 3D hydrodynamic simulations of a 1.3 Msun late F-type star. These simulations are the first 3D simulations of F-type stars including the radiative interior in the simulation domain. I will highlight the influence of rotation on the increased excitation of the internal gravity waves giving rise to the modes. I will show that, even of low amplitudes, g-mode signatures are detectable at the top of the convective envelope in the simulations. To connect modelling with observation, I will finally present an attempt to detect such signatures in late F-type stars observed by Kepler. A thorough analysis of the power spectra of stars in the selected working sample allows selecting several candidates. In the framework of this task, I will also explain how the characterisation of the photometric signature of several non-transiting companions led me to consider the possible role that a substellar companion can play in the excitation of g-modes for main-sequence solar-type stars.

A few rules:— access the virtual room with the microphone and camera switched off.— for questions leave a message in the chat and the answers at the end of the webinar.

Cleaning RV time series from stellar activity: SN-fit and bp-method
2022-11-21 11:00 - 12:00
DATE: Monday, November 21, 11:00 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT)
SPEAKER: Dott. Andrea Bonfanti (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz)
ABSTRACT:The radial velocity (RV) technique is one of the most successful method for detecting exoplanets and it is based on measuring the Doppler reflex motion induced on a star by its orbiting planets. However, the stellar activity in the form of oscillations, granulations, spots or faculae also produces Doppler signals which may completely hide the Keplerian signal of an exoplanet. Removing the stellar activity contribution from a RV time series is then crucial to hopefully detect an exoplanet. While exoplanets produce a Doppler-shift on the CCF extracted from the stellar spectrum without modifying its shape or its width, active regions produce variations in both the asymmetry and the FWHM of the CCF. During my talk I will present a novel technique for removing stellar activity that can be divided in two steps. In the first step a Skew-Normal (SN) fit is applied to the CCF to retrieve not only the Doppler signal which constitutes the RV time series, but also the FWHM, the contrast, and the skewness of the fitted function. These hyperparameters are activity indicators, therefore they are employed during the second step, when the RV time series is cleaned from stellar activity. To this end, I will present you the breakpoint (bp) method, which belongs to the family of change point detection algorithm. In fact, if on the one hand the Keplerian signal is persistent along the RV time series, on the other hand active regions (hence their RV signal) evolve over time. The core idea of the bp method is to evaluate those locations along a time series where the correlation changes involving the activity indicators are statistically significant. Applying a piecewise detrending rather than an overall correction (oc) turns out to be much more effective in removing the stellar activity contribution as shown by different examples where this framework has been applied.

Unveiling the atmospheric evolution of exoplanets: the PASTA tool
2022-11-24 11:00 - 12:00
DATE: Monday, November 24, 11:00 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience: https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dott. Andrea Bonfanti (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz)
ABSTRACT:A thorough characterisation of an exoplanetary system includes also studying the evolution of planetary atmospheres. To this end, we developed a custom Python tool that we have dubbed PASTA: Planetary Atmospheres and Stellar roTation rAtes. The tool runs within a Bayesian framework and it adopts a MCMC scheme to estimate the atmospheric content of exoplanets at the dispersal of the protoplanetary disk accounting for the present day system observables. As a positive by-product, the evolution of the stellar rotation period is reconstructed as well. In detail, our tool relies on planetary evolutionary models relating mass, radius and equilibrium temperature with the expected atmospheric mass fraction and mass loss rate, the latter derived from hydrodynamic simulations. The atmospheric mass loss rate is significantly influenced by the stellar activity level, which is estimated from the stellar rotation period via empirical relations. In particular, gyrochronology and theoretical stellar evolutionary tracks are essential to evaluate the high-energy emission over time. We have successfully applied this framework to a number of recently discovered planets, including various CHEOPS targets. The synergy between CHEOPS and radial velocity spectrographs have already allowed us to identify different systems amenable to PASTA’s analysis, so to constrain the planet formation and stellar evolution.

A few rules:— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room
— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar

Giornata Nazionale dello Spazio
2022-12-16 10:00 - 20:00 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Istituita dal Governo italiano nel 2021, la Giornata nazionale dello Spazio mira a sensibilizzare e informare i cittadini italiani sui contributi che la scienza e la tecnologia applicate allo Spazio portano al miglioramento della condizione umana e a far comprendere i benefici che dalle attività spaziali arrivano nella vita di tutti i giorni, in termini di crescita, benessere, immagine e ruolo sul piano globale del Paese.
La data del 16 dicembre è stata scelta a ricordo del lancio del primo satellite italiano, il San Marco 1, avvenuto negli USA la sera del 15 dicembre del 1964, che permise all’Italia di entrare, terza al mondo dopo Stati Uniti e Unione sovietica, nel ristretto novero di Paesi in grado di superare l’atmosfera terrestre.
L’INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania ha organizzato una serie di attività in presenza e on-line per le scuole e per il pubblico.

PROGRAMMA
10:00 – Costruiamo il satellite “CHEOPS”
Attività presso la sede “A. Riccò” che prevede la realizzazione di un modellino di carta di CHEOPS, il satellite spaziale dedicato allo studio degli esopianeti (a cura di D. Sicilia e M. Falco). Seguiranno visita della cupola e osservazioni del Sole al telescopio (a cura di M. Falco e P. Costa). L’attività è rivolta a studenti di scuola primaria.
15:00 – “L’esplorazione umana dello spazio”
Webinar a cura di G. Cutispoto (disponibile al link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g28YPA_WYTw)
17:00 – “La ricerca dallo spazio all’Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania”
Seminari presso l’Aula Ovest della sede A. Riccò dell’Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania:
“Esperimenti sulla Stazione Spaziale: la sopravvivenza di materiale organico nello spazio” – M. E. Palumbo
“Il Sole osservato da vicino: la missione Solar Orbiter” – G. Capuano
“Osservare gli esopianeti dallo spazio” – G. Bruno
A seguire, visita della cupola e osservazioni di Giove al telescopio (a cura di M. Falco e G. Cutispoto).

Tutte le attività sono su prenotazione

Per informazioni e prenotazioni scrivere a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it

Premiazione concorsi
2023-01-13 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Venerdì 13 gennaio, l’INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania ospita la cerimonia di premiazione dei vincitori dei concorsi “Osserva il cielo e disegna le tue emozioni” e “NameExoWorlds” per l’edizione 2022.
Il primo concorso, giunto alla XVI edizione, è organizzato dall’INAF e gestito dalle sedi dell’Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania e dell’Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte. Il concorso è rivolto a studentesse e studenti delle scuole primarie e delle scuole secondarie di primo grado per la realizzazione di opere artistiche (disegni o modelli 3D) ispirate all’astronomia e all’esplorazione dello spazio.
Il secondo concorso, giunto alla III edizione, è promosso dall’Unione Astronomica Iternazionale (IAU – International Astronomical Union) che mira a coinvolgere il pubblico nel processo di assegnazione di un nome a un esopianeta e alla sua stella.

L’evento è su invito
PROGRAMMA
– Saluti istituzionali
Isabella Pagano – Direttrice Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania
– Premiazione concorsi “Osserva il cielo e disegna le tue emozioni” e “NameExoWorlds”
A cura di M. Falco, D. Sicilia, G. Cutispoto
– Osservazioni di Giove
A cura di P. Romano

La cerimonia si svolgerà presso l’Aula Ovest della sede A. Riccò dell’Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania.

Scienza e tecnologia a Catania: il ruolo delle Donne
2023-02-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Città della Scienza, via Simeto 23, Catania, Italia
Sabato 11 febbraio si svolgerà l’ottava “Giornata Internazionale delle donne e delle ragazze nella scienza”.
La giornata è stata istituita nel dicembre 2015 dall’Assemblea Generale delle Nazioni Unite per riconoscere il ruolo fondamentale che le donne e le ragazze svolgono nella scienza e nella tecnologia.
Nell’ambito delle iniziative che verranno organizzate in molti paesi del mondo, Città della Scienza – Università di Catania, INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e Struttura della Materia, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “E. Majorana” e INFN – Sezione di Catania, organizzano un evento per sottolineare il ruolo delle donne nella ricerca a Catania.
La manifestazione si svolgerà presso la Città della Scienza (ingresso da via Scuto Costarelli, 65 – Catania) dalle ore 10:00 alle ore 12:00.

PROGRAMMA

10:00 – Saluti di benvenuto
10:10 – “Tra l’astrofisica e l’informatica: un viaggio nella scienza” – Valentina Cesare (INAF)
10:20 – “Il mio Universo tra particelle e astroparticelle” – Alessia Tricomi (DFA-CSFNSM-INFN)
10:30 – “A spasso con i nuclei” – Elena Geraci (DFA)
10:40 – “Space Weather: dalla luce al blackout” – Mariachiara Falco (INAF)
10:50 – “Il mio viaggio nel mondo microscopico alla ricerca dei difetti e dei loro enigmi” – Emanuela Celano (CSFNSM)
11:00 – “Particelle fantastiche e dove trovarle” – Mariangela Bondì (INFN)
11:10 – Tavola Rotonda “Le donne nella ricerca: problemi e prospettive”. Partecipano: Germana Barone (UNICT), Fiorella Burgio (INFN), Maria Grazia Grimaldi (DFA), Isabella Pagano (INAF), Alessia Tricomi (CSFNSM), Grazia Umana (INAF).

Modera: Adriana Di Stefano

Ingresso su prenotazione. Per le prenotazioni, si prega di mandare una email a divulgazione.oact@inaf.it indicando il proprio Nome e Cognome e il titolo dell’evento.

Evento gestito e organizzato da Mariachiara Falco e Daniela Sicilia.

Michelson-Morley Experiments: An Enigma for Physics and the History of Science
2023-02-20 11:30 - 12:30
Slides and recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Monday, February 20, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Prof. Maurizio Consoli (INFN, Sezione di Catania, Italy)
ABSTRACT:The “null result” of the original 1887 Michelson-Morley experiment represents a fundamental step for physics and the history of science. Since then, more and more precise measurements have apparently strengthened the original interpretation. However, in principle, if the two-way velocity of light in the interferometers is not exactly the same parameter “c” of Lorentz transformations, nothing would prevent a non-zero effect. For instance, in a gaseous medium the small fraction of refracted light could keep track of the motion of matter with respect to some preferred reference frame. Starting from this observation, there is now a new interpretation where the small irregular residuals always observed in laboratory show intriguing correlations with the direct CMB observations with satellites in space. This opens the possibility of linking the CMB to a fundamental reference system for relativity with substantial implications for cosmology and the interpretation of non-locality in the quantum theory. The talk will focus on the basics of this research with brief notes on some leading scientists involved in these measurements.

The Evolutionary Map of the Universe
2023-03-20 11:30 - 12:30
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Monday, March 20, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Prof. Andrew Hopkins, Professor of Astronomy Australian Astronomical Optics (Macquarie University NSW 2113, Australia)
ABSTRACT:EMU, the Evolutionary Map of the Universe, is an ongoing ASKAP survey of the Southern three-quarters of the sky, aiming to achieve rms noise levels of 20 μJy. EMU will support a broad range of science, spanning star formation and evolution in our own Galaxy, galaxy evolution and the links between star formation and supermassive black holes, to cosmology. EMU has been allocated approximately 1 year of time on ASKAP in the coming 5 year window. I will summarise the technical and scientific goals of the survey, the current status of and timeline for the survey, and highlight a selection of recent results from early science and pilot survey data.

Avvistamento lunare
2023-03-22 17:45 - 20:00
Il Centro Islamico Culturale d’Italia – Grande Moschea di Roma in collaborazione con l’Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica e l’Unione Astrofili Italiana e con la partecipazione della Confederazione Islamica Italiana e COREIS organizzano l’evento “Avvistamento lunare per l’inizio del Ramadan 1444 AH”.

Un incontro dedicato all’avvistamento, assistito con strumentazione astronomica, della Luna Nuova di Ramadan. Questo incontro si svolgerà in via telematica mediante la piattaforma ZOOM e in presenza di alcune delegazioni di Imam, selezionate dal Centro Culturale Islamico di Italia – Grande Moschea di Roma e dagli organizzatori, presso alcune sedi INAF e UAI. Le osservazioni verranno trasmesse anche in streaming sul canale YouTube EduINAF e sulla pagina Facebook della Grande Moschea di Roma.

Programma
17:45 – Saluti delle autoritàDr. Naim Nasrollah – Presidente del Centro Islamico Culturale d’Italia – Grande Moschea di Roma” Abu Bakr Moretta, Presidente Comunità Religiosa Islamica ItalianaMustapha Hajraoui – Presidente della Confederazione Islamica ItalianaSimone Zaggia – INAF, vicedirettore Osservatorio Astronomico di PadovaPaolo Morini – Unione Astrofili Italiana, delegazione di Ravenna
18:00 – Collegamenti in sequenza dipendentemente dall’orario di tramonto del Sole e Luna: Catania, Ragusa, Palermo, Roma, Savignano sul Rubicone, Ravenna, Padova, Bologna, Cagliari, Milano, Novara (NB: i collegamenti dipendono dal tempo atmosferico)
19:30 – Conclusione e analisi delle osservazioni
19:45 – Saluto dei relatori e annuncio di inizio Ramadan

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Moderano: Federico Di Giacomo – INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di PadovaImam Dr. Nader Akkad – commissione scientifica per l’avvistamento lunare della Grande Moschea di Roma

Comunicazione@INAF
2023-05-11 11:30 - 13:00 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
DATA: giovedì 11 maggio, 11:30
LUOGO: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
RELATORI: Dott.ssa Caterina Boccato (responsabile della Didattica e Divulgazione dell’INAF), Dr. Marco Galliani (responsabile ufficio stampa INAF), Dr. Marco Malaspina (direttore responsabile di Media INAF)
ABSTRACT:La terza missione sta diventando sempre più cruciale per enti di ricerca e atenei, in particolare tutte quelle attività che vanno sotto il nome di Public Engagement o, se preferite, Comunicazione nel senso più ampio del termine. Attività che vedono coinvolti sempre più ricercatori e ricercatrici in prima persona.
In questo incontro vorremmo fornirvi alcuni strumenti per orientarvi al meglio e per collaborare secondo le attitudini e le aspirazioni di ciascuno di voi, ma anche dirvi com’è articolata la Struttura per la comunicazione dell’INAF. Ma, soprattutto, vorremmo dare risposta alle tante domande che spesso ci ponete: cosa si intende per press release, news, conferenza stampa, embargo, comunicato congiunto, virgolettato e cose simili? A chi vi rivolgete? Cosa posso raccontare a bambini e bambine di sei anni? Perché a volte avete così fretta di contattarmi mentre sono impegnato in un meeting o una call? Perché non mi hanno accettato al festival della scienza? E, soprattutto, perché parlate di qualunque cosa tranne che delle mie ricerche?

Il mese della Ciminiera Scientifica
2023-05-13 18:00 - 2023-06-12 20:00 | Città della Scienza, via Simeto 23, Catania, Italia
Nell’ambito del progetto “La Ciminiera Scientifica”, finanziato da MUR (PANN20_00606), l’Universita’ di Catania e il Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e di Struttura della Materia, organizzano il “Mese della Ciminiera Scientifica”. Dal 13 maggio al 12 giugno, Citta della Scienza illuminerà di scienza la città con proiezione olografiche nella grande vetrina su Viale Libertà e Videomapping della Ciminiera. Sarà un mese ricco di seminari scientifici aperti alla cittadinanza, visite guidate del museo, laboratori per i più piccoli e meno piccoli e molto altro.

Tra gli eventi in programma, alcuni sono a cura dell’Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania:
SEMINARI

18 maggio, ore 19:00: “La Rivoluzione degli Esopianeti” – a cura di I. Pagano

LABORATORI
26 maggio (a cura di M. Falco e D. Sicilia):

09:00-10:00 – “𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗸𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹’𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗼”
Si ricostruisce l’aspetto di un alieno tenendo conto delle caratteristiche del suo pianeta
Destinatari: scuole primarie
10:15-11:15 – “𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶 𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗽𝘀”
Costruzione del modellino di un satellite
Destinatari: ultimo anno scuole primarie o secondarie di I grado

11:30-12:30 – “𝗔 𝗰𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗶 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶”
Costruzione di uno spettroscopio per scomporre la luce
Destinatari: secondarie di I grado

7 giugno (a cura di M. Falco e D. Sicilia):

15:00 – 16:00 – “𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮 𝗱𝗶 𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘃𝗶 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶”
Costruzione di un modellino di sistema planetario extrasolare
Destinatari: scuole primarie o secondarie di primo grado

16.15 – 17.15 – “𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗮 𝗹𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘇𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲”
Ricostruzione di un’immagine utilizzando chiodini di diverse dimensioni
Destinatari: scuole primarie

17.30 – 18.30 – “𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗼 𝗦𝗥𝗧”
Costruzione di un modello in carta del più grande radiotelescopio italiano
Destinatari: scuole primarie

8 giugno (a cura di F. Cavallaro e A. Trovato):

16:30 – 17:15 / 17.15 – 18.00 – “𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗼 𝗶𝗹 𝗽𝗶ù 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼”
Costruzione di un’antenna di carta del radiotelescopio SKA col solo utilizzo di forbici
Destinatari: studenti scuola primaria

La partecipazione è GRATUITA, ma è richiesta una prenotazione da effettuare al seguente link

Nati sotto il segno di Dike, cresciuti con quello della Bilancia - La storia della Space Law, tra gravità e giurisprudenza
2023-05-31 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
DATA: Mercoledì, 31 maggio, 11:30
ORGANIZZATORE: INAF OACT
LUOGO: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT)
RELATORE: Dott. Angelo Adamo (INAF, IASF Palermo)
ABSTRACT:In questo seminario pongo l’attenzione su quei particolari momenti in cui la scienza giuridica ha felicemente intersecato l’osservazione pre-scientifica della natura e, in seguito, le scienze fisiche propriamente dette, traendo da esse, specie nel passato, quando ispirazione, quando una maggiore forza argomentativa.Si tratta di incroci che sembrano denunciare in modo chiaro un’origine comune dello sguardo del fisico e del giurista – un’origine di sicuro meritevole di uno studio storico e filosofico più attento che già sto conducendo – e che la presente ricerca evidenzia solo per la parte avente a che fare con la descrizione di come la nostra specie si è progressivamente impossessata dello spazio esplorabile: un concetto usato in una fase iniziale esclusivamente per indicare territori sulla terraferma e che, al progressivo crescere delle acquisizioni scientifiche, tecnologiche e di una parallela evoluzione giuridica, ha subito diverse modifiche che gli hanno fatto guadagnare pure il significato di distese marine, di spazi aerei al di sopra delle nazioni e, in tempi più recenti, quello di spazio esterno alla nostra atmosfera. Uno spazio oramai teatro di dispute di diritto internazionale e scenario di possibili scontri bellici del futuro.

Per partecipare, si consiglia di prenotarsi mandando una mail a seminari.oact@inaf.it

INAF a Etna Comics 2023
2023-06-01 10:00 - 2023-06-04 22:00 | Città della Scienza, via Simeto 23, Catania, Italia
Dal 1 al 4 giugno 2023 si svolge presso il centro fieristico “Le Ciminiere” di Catania l’undicesima edizione di Etna Comics, Festival Internazionale del fumetto, del gioco e della cultura POP.
L’INAF è presente alla manifestazione con diverse attività.
In particolare le ricercatrici e i ricercatori dello IASF-Palermo e dell’Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania propongono presso l’Area Family&Games:

“Il Solametro – Disegna i Pianeti e mettili al posto giusto” (attività permanente);
“Chi vuole essere astrofisico” (attività permanente);
il gioco da tavolo “PIXEL – Picture (of) the Universe” con un tavolo dedicato nella ludoteca (attività permanente);
il “CodyMaze Astrofisico” con slot temporali dedicati nel Family Lab:
– 1 giugno, ore 10.00-11.15, ore 13.45-14.30, ore 19.15-20.00;
– 2 giugno, ore 10.00-10.45, ore 13.45-14.45;
– 3 giugno, ore 10.00-10.30, ore 19.00-20.00;
– 4 giugno – ore 10.00-10.30.

Sono previsti anche interventi e conferenze:

Conferenza di presentazione della mostra di astrofotografia di Dario Giannobile, con la partecipazione di ricercatori dell’Ossevatorio Astrofisico di Catania. Presso la Sala ACI – Area Family&Games, 1 giugno, ore 12.00 – 13.00;
Conferenza “Dove i telescopi (ancora) non vedono – Saturno e la Luna nelle illustrazioni di Scriven Bolton, Etienne Trouvelot, Lucien Rudaux, Chesley Bonestell e nei fumetti di Hergé” – a cura di Angelo Adamo (INAF – IASF Palermo). Presso la Sala Galatea – Area Comics, 1 giugno ore 12.30 – 13.30;
Conferenza “Pixel: Picture (of) the Universe. Genesi (atipica) di un board game” – a cura di Giovanni Contino e Valentiva La Parola (INAF – IASF Palermo). Presso la Sala ACI – Area Family&Games, 1 giugno, ore 16.00-17.00.

Per ulteriori informazioni e per le modalità di partecipazione visita la pagina ufficiale del festival.
Fonte: Edu INAF

Diagnostics of the solar corona expansion through Metis coronagraph observations
2023-06-05 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
DATE: Monday, June 5, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Giuseppe E. Capuano (University of Catania, Department of Physics and Astronomy ”Ettore Majorana”, and INAF – OACT)
ABSTRACT:The solar corona has been investigated in the last decades through observations coming from several spacecraft. The Metis coronagraph, aboard the ongoing Solar Orbiter mission, extends the UVCS/SOHO spectrocoronagraph observations of the scattered ultraviolet emission of the coronal plasma performed during solar activity cycle 23, by simultaneously imaging the coronal visible light polarised brightness (VL pB), in the spectral bandpass 580-640 nm, and the coronal ultraviolet H I Lyα emission, in the spectral window 121.6 ± 10 nm. Here some specific observations are shown, such as those taken on May 15, 2020, from which important results about the solar wind outflow velocity were inferred by applying the Doppler dimming technique. Other results on the coronal solar wind velocity are presented, obtained by considering the data acquired during the first quadrature of the Solar Orbiter and the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft with respect to the Sun. In particular, the same parcel of plasma on the East limb was remotely observed with Metis between 3.5 R⊙ and 6.3 R⊙ on January 17, 2021, during low-cadence synoptic mode observations, and was sampled in situ by PSP at about 22 R⊙ on January 18, 2021. In this case, information about several coronal parameters were inferred with unprecedented details, thanks to the high quality of Metis and PSP data. Finally, other results concerning the first coronal mass ejection observed with Metis on January 16-17, 2021 are reported. In this case, also considering data coming from instruments onboard Solar Orbiter and other spacecraft, a 3D reconstruction and detailed physical information about this structure were obtained. Therefore, Metis, even when operates in synoptic mode and in synergistic coupling with other instruments, allows to get novel and detailed information about the structure of the solar corona with an accuracy never reached until now.

Gravitational entropy proposals adaptable to structure formation in Cosmology
2023-06-12 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Monday, June 12, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Prof. Roberto A. Sussman (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)
ABSTRACT:I would like to summarize and present cosmological applications of two proposals of Gravitational entropy, which are distinct from the standard holographic approach and from the entropy of the sources. One is the proposal by Clifton-Ellis and Tabakol (CET) based on the Bel-Robinson tensor, the other by Hosoya and Buchert (HB), based on the Leibler-Kullbach functional of Information Theory. By applying these proposals to inhomogenous dust solutions of Einstein’s equations (LTB and Szekeres models), we have shown in various published articles that both proposals are equivalent in their predictions, but CET is local and HB is non-local. Both yield entropy production in spacetime regions that can be characterized by generation and growth of structure (either overdensities or voids). The CET proposal provides an interesting interpretation of the cosmological constant as an asymptotic gravitational temperature that characterizes a finite entropy saturation value.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

Determination of fundamental stellar parameters on massive stars
2023-06-28 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Wednesday, June 28, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dott. Gabriel Ferrero (University of La Plata, Argentina)
ABSTRACT:Massive stars (i.e. the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae) are quite scarce, but play a crucial role in several important astrophysical phenomena, as for example, the chemical evolution of their host galaxies. Even so, their fundamental stellar parameters (as mass, radii, temperature and luminosity) are poorly known. This relates to important uncertainties about their formation processes, structure and evolution. We are attempting to face this challenge at the research group GEMAE (Grupo de investigación en Estrellas Masivas y Agrupaciones Estelares) at the University of La Plata, together with collaborators in Chile and Spain. We rely mainly on high-quality and high-resolution spectroscopic data collected by 18 years by the OWN Survey of the O-type and WN-stars in the Southern hemisphere. In this talk I will outline the work that we are developing at GEMAE, focusing on determinations of masses of close binary stars by spectroscopy and photometry in the optic and near-infrared bands.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

The evolution of young low-mass stars: focus on rotation and activity
2023-07-03 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Monday, July 3, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dott. Louis Amard (astrophysics department of the CEA Saclay, France)
ABSTRACT:Between its formation stage as an active accreting seed and today, the Sun underwent large structural changes as well as variation in magnetic activity, rotation rate and its relation to the surrounding environment. I will go through the different processes that are responsible for these changes and present our latest results on the subject. We will go from the early interaction between the star and its proto-planetary disc bathing in UV radiations emitted from the massive neighbours, to the internal mixing happening in the inner layers of solar-like stars that are probed by asteroseismology.Finally, I will review the possible applications of this work to other types of stars at different stages of the evolution in the context of the current or future surveys.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

Challenges for the forthcoming CMB polarization experiments
2023-11-20 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Monday, November 20, 11:00 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Prof. Giuseppe Puglisi (DFA – Università di Catania)
ABSTRACT:One of the major challenges in the context of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation is to detect a polarization pattern, the so called B-modes of CMB polarization, that are thought to be directly linked to the space-time fluctuations present in the Universe at the very first instants of life. To date, several challenges have prevented to detect the B-modes partly because of the lower sensitivity of the detectors. Our own Galaxy is observed in this context as a foreground contamination. However the awareness of improving the modeling of its polarized emission has been constantly increase not only to assess the cosmological signals but also to provide new insights onto the Galactic magnetic field probed with the Galactic polarized emissions, e.g. synchrotron and thermal dust. This is particularly relevant in order to better characterize the foreground contamination for future CMB experiments (e.g. SO, LiteBIRD, CMB-S4 ), where unprecedented polarization sensitivities are expected to be achieved in the coming decades.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

Astronomical Observations & Optical Communication through Atmospheric Turbulence
2023-12-01 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Friday, December 1, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dr. Aziz Ziad (Université Côte d’Azur)
ABSTRACT:The atmospheric parameters have a strong impact on the image formation through the atmosphere. Indeed, the effect of atmospheric turbulence on wavefronts reduces severely the resolution of ground-based astronomical observations. Thus, in the context of astronomical observations, the site-selection has now become essential with the advent of the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT). Indeed, it is important to choose sites with reduced cloud coverage, weak turbulence and low aerosol distribution in order to enhance observations time and to improve their scientific performance. It is also important to remember that the choice of sites hosting astronomical projects must meet very strict criteria in terms of optical quality. Future optical communications and telemetry stations will be forced to meet the same requirements.
Beyond Site-Testing and Site-Selection for Astronomical Observations or Optical Communications, precise knowledge of atmospheric turbulence parameters is of interest for the technical specifications of the Adaptive Optics (AO) systems dedicated to real-time correction of the atmospheric turbulence. In addition, the CN2(h) profiles (as well as wind and outer scale profiles) with high vertical resolution is necessary for a better evaluation of the performance of AO systems. A large number of monitors have been developed for this purpose, particularly with the emergence of ELT projects, but very few meet the required need. Recently, a new station has been developed in the framework of a European consortium and a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). This ANAtOLIA station is a compact mobile high-performance station, equipped with the most performing instruments leading to the whole atmospheric parameters.
ANATOLIA is a ESA funded project aimed to study, among other topics, the effects of aerosols and atmospheric turbulence on optical communication. Master students in Physics, Engineering, Geology are solicited to attend if interested to conduct research on (one/more) topic(s) in optical communication (internship and PhD level).
A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

Space-Weathering on Primitive Asteroids
2023-12-06 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dr. Stefano Rubino (INAF-IAPS)
ABSTRACT:Studying small bodies in our solar system is fundamental for understanding its youth and evolution. These small “primitive” bodies are “undifferentiated” (they did not undergo phase density separation, irreversibly altering their mineralogy). They have evolved little since their creation, spurring a composition relatively close to the primordial proto-planetary disk. However, other processes, such as thermal alteration, aqueous alteration, shocks, or space-weathering, can affect these bodies’ surfaces. This issue is because remote-sensed data acquired while studying these bodies target these surfaces. If these surfaces have been altered, they can induce a particular bias in the study of the composition of these small bodies. Therefore, it is paramount to understand the processes affecting the surface of primitive asteroids to assess their composition correctly.There are several ways to study the surface of primitive asteroids, such as remotely, from the Earth or a satellite orbiting the body of interest, by acquiring spectroscopic data (gaining access to surface chemical and mineralogical composition). It is also possible to study these bodies in a laboratory environment by working on analogous materials, such as certain classes of “primitive” meteorites (carbonaceous chondrites), on terrestrial analogs (simpler to study than meteorites but less closely related to extraterrestrial materials), or directly on extraterrestrial materials brought back by sample return missions.In this work, we replicate the effects of space weathering (SpWe) on the surface of primitive asteroids in a laboratory environment. More specifically, we focus on the effects of solar wind, the dominant SpWe process on “young” surfaces of the solar system. We have chosen three terrestrial minerals analogous to a “primitive” surface – three hydrated minerals (two serpentines and one saponite) – of which we have produced several pellets which have been bombarded using He and Ar ions, to investigate the effects of two different solar wind. In doing so, we made analogous materials of weathered primitive surface matter.These analogs were then characterized by infrared spectroscopy, from the visible to the far-infrared range, to study chemical changes prompted by ion bombardment. This was done by investigating how certain spectroscopic features – characteristic of hydrated silicates – changed upon ion bombardment. We detected several effects, such as darkening in the visible range, visible slope reddening and bluing, and a systematic shift towards longer wavelength affecting the position of several spectroscopic features.This spectroscopic characterization was followed by a study at a smaller scale using electron microscopy. We first characterized the surface of our weathered analogs using scanning electron microscopy. Then, we investigated the morphological and physicochemical changes in the bombarded layer, at a nanometer scale using transmission electron microscopy. Strong vesiculation effects of various kinds were identified in the ion-bombarded amorphized layers, textural changes, and some elemental concentration evolution (such as the loss of oxygen in the utmost top surfaces, preferential amorphization of magnesium, etc.). The coupling between these two techniques, IR spectroscopy, and electron microscopy acting at different scales, has allowed for a better understanding of SpWe effects on primitive bodies and will be able to support current and future studies of primitive bodies, whether they are carried out remotely or in a laboratory environment on returned samples.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

The Gravitational-Wave breakthrough we can('t) wait for
2023-12-18 11:30 - 12:30 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Monday, December 18, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dr. Gianluca Pagliaro (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, AEI Hannover)
ABSTRACT:Less than a decade after the first historical Gravitational Wave (GW) detection GW150914, the field of GW astronomy has grown at a phenomenal pace, going from less than an event per month, to the currently observed rate of few events a week.Despite the exceptional contributions the field has brought to fundamental physics, astronomy, cosmology, computational physics as well as the unavoidable collateral progress in fields related to the experimental development of GW detectors, the picture is anything but complete.Amongst the missing pieces of the puzzle we find Continuous Gravitational Waves (CGWs). In this seminar I am going to talk about CGWs, what are they and what astrophysical sources and mechanisms can produce them, with a particular focus on non-axisymmetric spinning Neutron Stars. I will also briefly discuss the different search implementations, what is done, or can be done, to increase our chances to arrive to what is probably going to be the next breakthrough in GW Astronomy, the first CGW detection, including a discussion about prospects in view of future observation runs as well as GW detectors operational in the close future.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

The contribution of laboratory experiments in the study of organic matter in Solar-system bodies
2024-01-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Monday, January 22, 11:00 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dr. Riccardo Giovanni Urso (INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania)
ABSTRACT:Organic matter is revealed in a variety of extraterrestrial bodies, including comets, asteroids, satellites, and trans-Neptunian objects. On atmosphere-less surfaces, organics are detected in the visible and near-infrared thanks to observations performed with the instruments on-board space probes and telescopes. Further information on the properties of organics comes from the analysis of meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, and unique samples collected on comets and asteroids during dedicated space missions.
Understanding the properties of organic matter present in small bodies would allow us to shed light on processes that happened at the dawn of the Solar System, when these objects formed by the aggregation of the materials available in the protoplanetary disk. However, since their formation, atmosphere-less surfaces were continuously exposed to energetic photons, solar particles, and cosmic rays that cause the alteration of organics, hindering to draw firm conclusions on their pristine composition and origin.
With the aim to support the interpretation of recent remote sensing observations and the analysis of extraterrestrial samples, we performed laboratory experiments to study the spectral properties of organics revealed in Solar System bodies, to shed light on the alteration induced by energetic charged particles, and to suggest possible pathways for the organics’ formation thanks to processes that involved molecular precursors already available in the pre-solar cloud.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.

RU Lup: the accretion environment of a prototypical Classical T Tauri star
2024-01-30 11:30 - 12:00 | Sede A. Riccò, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania
Recording: https://www.oact.inaf.it/seminars/
DATE: Tuesday, January 30, 11:30 a.m.
ORGANIZER: INAF OACT
LOCATION: AULA OVEST (INAF-OACT) + remote
Link for the remote audience:https://meet.google.com/wvf-uwxo-oyj
SPEAKER: Dr. Antonio Armeni (Tuebingen University)
ABSTRACT:
While it is well established that Classical T Tauri stars accrete material from a circumstellar disk through magnetic fields, the physics regulating the processes in the inner (0.1 AU) disk is still not well understood. With its long observational history and its rich emission line spectrum, RU Lup is a prime example to study this environment.
RU Lup is a monitoring target within the ULLYSES survey for Classical T Tauri stars. Optical spectroscopic observations with CHIRON and ESPRESSO were obtained simultaneously with the two epochs of the ULLYSES monitoring program for RU Lup.
In this talk, I will discuss the main results obtained by analyzing this collection of data, supplemented by the two TESS observations and the archival AAVSO photometry of RU Lup.Using the high resolution ESPRESSO spectra, we improved the measurements of the stellar parameters, especially the projected rotational velocity (vsini).We determined the veiling fraction for the ESPRESSO spectra, showing that the veiling consists of two components: a continuum emission likely originating in the accretion shock and line emission that fills in the photospheric absorption lines.We detected a periodic modulation in the narrow component (NC) of the He I 5876 line with a period that is compatible with the stellar rotation period, indicating the presence of a compact region on the stellar surface that we identified as the footprint of the accretion shock. Although the brightness of RU Lup changed drastically both on daily and yearly timescales, this region is overall stable over the 3 years covered by the observations.An analysis of the high-cadence TESS light curves revealed quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) on timescales shorter than the stellar rotation period. This suggests that the accretion disk in RU Lup extends inward of the corotation radius and the star accretes through a magnetic boundary layer (MBL). The rich metallic emission line spectrum of RU Lup might be characteristic of this accretion regime.

A few rules:— in case of large in-person attendance, attendees may be asked to wear a face mask— before joining, make sure you are using your institutional inaf.it account if you have one (otherwise we will grant you permission to join)— please do not forget to mute your microphone and switch off your webcam when access the virtual room— for questions leave a message in the chat, the answers at the end of the webinar— the seminar will be recorded, so if you are interested in it, please contact us to get the link to the registration.
