We search high-resolution and high-quality VLT/UVES optical spectra of the hot R Coronae Borealis star DY Cen for electronic transitions of the C60 molecule and diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). We report the non-detection of the strongest C60 electronic transitions (e.g., those at ~3760, 3980, and 4024 Å). The absence of C60 absorption bands may

We derive exact expressions for the degree of lineal polarization over a resolved or integrated stellar disc due to resonance scattering and the Hanle effect from a dipolar or quadrupolar distribution of magnetic fields. We apply the theory of scattering polarization within the formalism of the spherical tensors representation for the density

This paper describes the main characteristics of GRIS (GREGOR Infrared Spectrograph), the grating spectrograph installed in the recently inaugurated (May 2012) 1.5-meter GREGOR telescope located at the Observatorio del Teide in Tenerife. The spectrograph has a standard Czerny-Turner configuration with parabolic collimator and camera mirrors that

We describe the future night-time spectrograph for the GREGOR solar telescope and present its science core projects. The spectrograph provides a 3-pixel resolution of up to R=87 000 in 45 échelle orders covering the wavelength range 390-900 nm with three grating settings. An iodine cell can be used for high-precision radial velocity work in the 500

We present results of a long-baseline interferometry campaign using the PAVO beam combiner at the CHARA Array to measure the angular sizes of five main-sequence stars, one subgiant and four red giant stars for which solar-like oscillations have been detected by either Kepler or CoRoT. By combining interferometric angular diameters, Hipparcos

Recent studies have shown that at low metallicities Doppler-detected planet-hosting stars tend to have high α-content and to belong to the thick disk. We used the reconnaissance spectra of 87 Kepler planet candidates and data available from the HARPS planet search survey to explore this phenomenon. Using the traditional spectroscopic abundance