Research Questions

Our publications

3D radiative transfer of Lyman-series lines with SKIRT

01/10/2026 - High-Energy

Context. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry provided by XRISM and IXPE offer new diagnostics of the geometry and kinematics of photoionised plasmas around compact objects. Interpreting reprocessed X-ray emission in such systems requires a full three-dimensional radiative transfer (3D RT) including photon-ion interactions. Aims. We extended the Monte Carlo (MC) RT code SKIRT by implementing…

Advancing the detection of low surface brightness galaxies: I. ATTILA: multi-tAsking deTecTIon tool for Lsb gAlaxies

01/10/2026 - Low-Energy

Context. Ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) lie at the extreme end of the size–luminosity distribution of low-surface-brightness (LSB) galaxies. Their detection and characterization require deep imaging and reliable source detection techniques that can handle low signal-to-noise ratios and severe source blending. Aims. We aim at improving the detection and characterization of LSB galaxies and UDG candidates in…

The Hot Neptune Initiative (HONEI): III. An ultra-hot super Neptune orbiting the metal-rich subgiant star TOI-5646: the largest host for a desert dweller

01/10/2026 - Exoplanets

Neptune-sized exoplanets appear to be located in three distinct regions when plotted in the period-radius space: the desert, which is an ultra-close-in region nearest to the host star and is typically defined by orbital periods shorter than 3.2 days and is characterised by a scarcity of planets; the savanna, in which planets reside at a…

TS23/McDonald and FIES/NOT strike again: Two new warm Jupiter systems and outer companions in a third

01/10/2026 - Exoplanets

Context. Gas giant planets with orbital periods of P~8–200 d, known as warm Jupiters, are thought to be largely unaffected by the tidal interactions that can often erase valuable information on the dynamical histories of hot Jupiters. Their orbital eccentricities (e) and stellar obliquities are therefore expected to be preserved, making them valuable probes of…

Rovibrational cross sections for the CO2 0000, 0110, 0220, and Fermi resonance states 1000(1) and 1000(2) in collisions with He atoms

01/10/2026 - Exoplanets

We present quantum scattering calculations of CO2–He state-to-state integral cross sections for 25 transition sets, covering pure rotational transitions within and rovibrational transitions between: the ground state 0000, the bend fundamental 0110, the bending overtone 0220, and the Fermi doublet states 1000(1) and 1000(2). Exact coupled-channel (CC) and coupled-states approximation (CSA) calculations are performed using…

The effect of the atmospheric C/O ratio on interiors of hot Jupiters

01/10/2026 - Exoplanets

The atmosphere is the outer boundary of a gas giant exoplanet’s interior. Therefore, compositional changes in the atmosphere can affect interior inferences. Typically, only metallicity is considered in atmospheric boundary conditions, while other elemental ratios, in particular the C/O ratio, are assumed to be solar. In light of the observational constraints now achievable with James…

Publications