The properties of high-redshift quasar host galaxies are studied in order to investigate the connection between galaxy evolution, nuclear activity, and the formation of supermassive black holes. We combine new near-IR observations of three high-redshift quasars (2 1.5. Radio-quiet quasar hosts also follow a similar trend but at a lower average

The reliability of quiet-Sun magnetic field diagnostics based on the Fe I lines at 6302 Å has been questioned by recent work. Here we present the results of a thorough study of high-resolution multiline observations taken with the new spectropolarimeter SPINOR, comprising the 5250 and 6302 Å spectral domains. The observations were analyzed using

I have developed an IDL simulation of an electron multiplying L3 (low light level) technology CCD that includes the effects of clock induced charge and multiplication noise. This model allows observers interested in obtaining high time resolution photometry and spectroscopy of faint sources to compare more easily the gains in performance that can

Context: The existence in the Milky Way of either a long thin bar with a half length of 4.5 kpc and a position angle of around 45° with respect to the Sun-Galactic centre line or a bulge+bar complex, thicker and shorter, with a smaller tilt respect to the Sun-GC line, has been a matter of discussion in recent decades. Aims: In this paper, we

We propose to produce definitive Color-Magnitude Diagrams (CMDs) for a small, but carefully chosen sample of galactic globular clusters, using the Mosaic Camera on the Blanco telescope. The large field size will enable us to efficiently cover to beyond the published tidal radius for even the larger clusters in our sample. We will combine with

If the gas in filaments and halos shares the same velocity field as the luminous matter, it will generate measurable temperature anisotropies due to the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. We compute the distribution function of the KSZ signal produced by a typical filament and show it is highly non-Gaussian. The combined contribution of the