Seminars and Colloquia at ESO Garching and on the campus

Star formation regions in the solar neighborhood are the only places where we can resolve processes like gas cloud formation and dispersal, or stellar evolution, in great detail. The youngest stars found in active stellar nurseries are arguably the best tracers of their parent cloud motion. However, shrouded by gas and dust, they are missing from astrometric surveys like Gaia. To measure their motions and investigate the coupling to their natal cloud we instead have to turn to, e.g.,  infrared wavelengths. 
In this talk, I will first give an overview of the ESO public survey VISIONS, which aims to provide proper motions for embedded young stellar objects (YSOs), complimentary to Gaia. Then I will demonstrate the successful derivation of infrared YSO proper motions and investigation of the kinematics of stars and gas in a pilot study of the NGC 2024 cluster, located at d~400 pc in the Orion B molecular cloud. Lastly, I will offer an outlook on the broader context of star formation in the solar neighbourhood, using recent findings from the star formation group in Vienna.

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) are among the most fascinating astronomical phenomena, offering a unique probe into the properties of massive black holes and the nuclear environments of galaxies. In this talk, I will present results from theoretical calculations of the realistic rates of TDEs for both supermassive and intermediate-mass black holes. These results reveal how TDE rates depend on black hole mass, stellar dynamics, and galactic environments. I will also show state-of-the-art simulations of TDE accretion, outflows and emissions, demonstrating how these processes produce the diverse emission features we observe, including Bowen fluorescence lines. Finally, I will discuss the broader implications of TDEs for black hole growth, particularly in the early universe, and their role in shaping galactic evolution. By exploring these results, we can better understand the physics of TDEs and their critical role in the growth of black holes and the evolution of galaxies across cosmic time.

The rapid evolution of space technologies over the past decades, particularly in satellite positioning and communication systems, has revolutionized the way we perceive and experience the world. These technologies, now indispensable to countless aspects of our daily lives, are the result of decades of collaboration across disciplines and communities. As we continue to push the boundaries of innovation, research and development in science remain fundamentally dependent on developing environments that encourage collaboration and welcome diverse perspectives. This talk explores how strengthening teamwork and inclusivity within research teams can enhance innovation, ensuring that the future of space exploration is both groundbreaking and representative of the broader community it serves.