40 light years from Earth an Earth sized exoplanet called Trappist 1d orbits the M-dwarf star called Trappist 1. Trappist 1d is located in the habitable zone where liquid water could exist on the surface of the planet which raises the question: Could Trappist 1d be habitable? Since it is not known what the planet looks like, several simulations of potentially habitable climates were made including different water levels and atmospheric pressures with Earth-like atmospheres. Real observations with JWST and VLT are currently being made for the light passing through Trappist 1d’s potential atmosphere. In order to interpret the data and make any conclusions about the habitability of Trappist 1d, simulated spectra need to be made for the different scenarios. The goal of this project was to produce radiance spectrum of how observations viewed through different instruments would look like for the different planetary scenarios. The result of the project gave spectra that were quite similar, but differed specifically in the depths of the lines, meaning that in theory it could be possible to distinguish between the planetary scenarios via observations. In reality, because of uncertainties in the observations, it is probably not possible to distinguish between the different planetary models, but it might be enough to conclude if the planet has an Earth like atmosphere containing CO2 and H2O or not. / 40 ljusår bort från jorden kretsar en jordlik planet vid namn Trappist 1d runt en röd dvärgstjärna. Trappist 1d ligger i den så kallade beboeliga zonen där det är möjligt för flytande vatten att existera på planetens yta. Detta medför frågan: Finns det förutsättningar för liv på Trappist 1d? Eftersom det inte är känt hur det ser ut på planeten har flera potentiellt beboeliga klimat simulerats för olika vattennivåer och atmosfärstryck med en jordlik atmosfär. Olika instrument på teleskopen JWST och VLT samlar för tillfället in data för observationer genom Trappist 1d:s potentiella atmosfär. För att kunna tolka datan och dra slutsatser om förutsättningarna för liv på Trappist 1d behövs simulerade spektrum att jämföra med. Målet med det här projektet är att producera simulerade radians spektrum för hur observationer med de olika instrumenten hade sett ut för de olika scenarierna. Resultatet gav spektrum som främst skiljde sig i djupet av linjerna i graferna, vilket betyder att i teorin är det möjligt att skilja mellan de olika scenariona för en observation. På grund av osäkerheter i observationen, är det troligtvis inte möjligt i praktiken att se exakt vilket scenario det tillhör, men det kan vara tillräckligt för att säga ifall planeten har en jordlik atmosfär som innehåller vatten och koldioxid eller ej.

In this report, we present a novel Bayesian inference framework to reconstruct the three-dimensional initial conditions of cosmic structure formation from data. To achieve this goal, we leverage deep learning technologies to create a generative model of cosmic initial conditions paired with a fast machine learning surrogate model emulating the complex gravitational structure formation. According to the cosmological paradigm, all observable structures were formed from tiny primordial quantum fluctuations generated during the early stages of the Universe. As time passed, these seed fluctuations grew via gravitational aggregation to form the presently observed cosmic web traced by galaxies. For this reason, the specific shape of a configuration of the observed galaxy distribution retains a memory of its initial conditions and the physical processes that shaped it. To recover this information, we develop a novel machine learning approach that leverages the hierarchical nature of structure formation. We demonstrate our method in a mock analysis and find that we can recover the initial conditions with high accuracy, showing the potential of our model. / I detta examensarbete presenteras ett ramverk baserat på Bayesiansk inferens för att rekonstruera de tredimensionella begynnelsevärdena av kosmisk struktur från data. För att uppnå detta har tekniker från djupinlärning använts för att skapa en generativ modell av kosmiska begynnelsevärden, vilket parats ihop med en snabb maskininlärningsmodell som efterliknar den komplexa gravitationella strukturformationen. Utifrån moderna teorier inom kosmologi skapades alla observerbara strukturer i universum från små kvantfluktuationer i det tidiga universumet. Allt eftersom tiden gick har dessa fluktuationer vuxit via gravitationella krafter för att forma det av galaxer uppspända kosmiska nät som idag kan observeras. På grund av detta bibehåller en specifik form av en konfiguration av den observerade galaxdistributionen ett minne av sina begynnelsevärden och de fysikaliska processer som formade den. För att återfå denna information presenteras en maskininlärningsmetod som utnyttjar den hierarkiska naturen av strukturformation. Metoden demonstreras genom ett modelltest som påvisar att begynnelsevärdena kan återfås med hög noggrannhet, vilket indikerar modellens potential.

In this project we search for a planet in a triple-stellar system that could be habitable and a potential host to complex, human-like life. The first step in the search for potentially habitable planets involved examining catalogs of triple-stellar systems with known exoplanets and quadruple-star systems in which one of the stars could be swapped for a planet. Then, for all the potential planets, we estimated whether they lay within the habitable zone. For all systems with planets in the habitable zone, we used previously published climate model simulations of similar systems to gain a better understanding of the potential climate of these planets. Furthermore, the simulation program VPlanet was used to check the dynamical stability of systems in which one of the stars was swapped with a planet. In total, 10 planets were found to be within the habitable zone and were closer examined, with 6 of them being already existing planets and 4 of them being fabricated. Despite all of the planets lying within the habitable zone, they showed varying degrees of suitability for hosting life, with most planets being substantially cooler than Earth. None of the existing exoplanets had a suitable climate for human-like life, and none of the fabricated systems proved to be dynamically stable. However, the fabricated system that demonstrated the highest amount of stability in simulations was the one in which the planet and the stars were most similar in size. This leads us to conclude that optimal dynamical stability is achieved when the system components are of comparable size.

There exists many astronomical objects that vary in brightness. Objects such as variable stars like the Cepheids that periodically expands and contracts their outer layers, or the active galactic nuclei (AGN) where accretion of matter into a black hole generates a often varying brightness. Several candidates for being such variable objects have been identified as a result of the Vanishing and Appearing Stuff during a Century of Observations (VASCO) project. These candidates were then narrowed down to a handful that showed variability towards the infrared part of the spectrum. This bachelor’s thesis then aims to look further into these candidates using various databases and catalogues taking data from several sky surveys (SDSS, 2MASS etc). This is done to get better overview of the objects lightcurve over a bigger part of the spectrum, to establish whether the variability is real or a result from errors and to form a hypothesis of what kind of objects they could be. The result obtained from the data from the surveys points towards all the objects being real variable objects. The hypothesis is that all the objects are AGN’s that vary in brightness. / Det existerar många olika astronomiska objekt som varierar i ljusstyrka. Allt från variabla stjärnor som Cepheiderna som periodvis expanderar och kontraherar dess yttre skikt, till aktiva galaxkärnor där ackretion av materia in i ett svart hål genererar en ofta varierande ljusstyrka. Ett flertal kandidater för just sådana varierande objekt har identifierats som ett resultat av VASCO projektet. Dessa kandidater har sedan skalats ner till en handfull mängd kandidater som visade variation mot den infraröda delen av spektrumet. Detta kandidatarbete siktar på att vidare undersöka dessa kandidater genom att använda diverse astronomiska databaser och kataloger för att få data från flera kartläggningsprojekt (t.ex. SDSS, 2MASS etc). Detta är gjort för att få en bättre överblick över objektens ljuskurvor över en större del av spektrumet, att fastställa ifall objekten är riktiga variabla objekt eller uppstått på grund av diverse fel, samt att framställa en hypotes för vad det är för typ av objekt de kan vara. Resultaten från undersökningarna pekar på att alla objekten är riktiga variabla objekt. Hypotesen är att alla av objekten är aktiva galaxkärnor som varierar i ljusstyrka.

Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are stars with low- to intermediate mass in a late stage in their stellar evolution. An important feature of stellar evolution is the ongoing nucleosynthesis, the creation of heavier elements. Unlike main sequence stars, the AGB stars have a thick convective envelope which makes it possible to dredge-up the heavier fused elements from the stellar core to its surface. AGB stars are also pulsating variable stars, meaning the interior expands and contracts, causing the brightness to fluctuate. These pulsations will also play a major role in the mass loss observed in these stars. The mass loss is caused by stellar winds that accelerate gas and dust from the surface of these stars and thereby chemical enrich the interstellar medium. It is important to understand the properties of these pulsations since they play a key role in how stellar winds are produced and then enrich the galaxy with heavier synthesized elements. These pulsation periods can be observed with their corresponding Light-Curves, where the periodic motion of the brightness can be clearly seen. The main goal with this project is to calculate these pulsation periods for different AGB stars and compare these values with the periods listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS). The comparison between these values gives a better understanding of methods of determining these periods and the uncertainties that follow. / Asymptotiska jättegrenen är en del av slutstadiet för låg- till medelmassiva stjärnor (AGB stjärnor). Ett viktigt kännetecken hos stjärnutvecklingen är den pågående nukleosyntesen, sammanslagningen av tyngre ämnen i stjärnans inre. Till skillnad mot stjärnor på huvudserien har AGB stjärnor ett tjockt konvektivt lager som gör det möjligt att dra upp dessa nybildade ämnen till stjärnans yta. AGB stjärnor är pulserande variabla stjärnor där variationer i stjärnans radie gör att ljusstyrkan varierar. Dessa pulsationer kommer även att spela en viktig roll för den massförlust som observeras hos dessa stjärnor. Massförlusten orsakas av stjärnvindar som accelererar gas och stoft från stjärnans yta och därmed kemiskt berikar det interstellära mediet. Det är viktigt att förstå dessa pulsationer eftersom de är en viktig komponent för hur stjärnvindar uppstår och sedan berikar galaxer med tyngre ämnen. Dessa pulsationsperioder kan studeras genom att observera stjärnornas ljuskurvor, där man tydligt ser det periodiska beteendet hos ljusstyrkan. Det huvudsakliga målet med detta projekt är att beräkna dessa perioder för olika AGB stjärnor och att sedan jämföra dem med värden från General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS). Jämförelsen mellan dessa värden ger en bättre förståelse för metoderna som används för att bestämma dessa perioder och hur osäkra dessa värden är.

Abstract In this report I present a study of possible age gradients in the Green Pea galaxy J145735.13+223201.8 to be able to conclude if there is an extended star forming history in such a galaxy. Data are coming from two different sources, highly resolved images in four different wavelengths of stars in the galaxy, and of nebular gas in a narrow band Ha Balmer line filter, from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), as well as spectral line information from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). I compare the observations with stellar population models from two different libraries, Yggdrasil and Starburst99. Due to the highly resolved images from HST this is one of the first studies of spatially resolved stellar populations in a Green Pea galaxy. With the help from these spatially resolved images it was possible to study star clumps independently from each other. This would not be possible when using only data from SDSS. In this way it was possible to conclude an age difference between the centre of the galaxy and its outskirts. I found that the galaxy has an age gradient at a confidence level greater than 95%.

Supernovae (SNe) and more specifically Core-Collapsed SNe (CC SNe) are signatures of on-going star formation (SF), and higher star formation rates. In this project, we perform a study of all SNe ever discovered inside a specific type of galaxy: a type-1 Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN1). We calculate the SN detection fraction for CC SNe and thermonuclear SNe in AGN1. In AGN1, inclination of the host galaxy and the radial distance of the SN to the center of the galaxy are displayed. As a second goal, we gather all SNe from the OpenSN catalogue found close to an AGN1, classify them and compare them with the full sample of OpenSN catalogue host galaxies. Results:We found and calculated the SN detection fraction of AGN1s. We found 16 SNe exploding in 13 different AGN1 host galaxies. The CC/Ia SN ratio is ~ 0.78. Comparing by similar morphology, the AGN1-host galaxies with all the host galaxies from OpenSN, we see that the detection fractions are higher in spiral AGN1 hosts than in normal spiral galaxies, but the difference is not significant (~ 0.4\sigma) to be considered.

<p>The properties of Mercury's regolith have been investigated at optical and near-infrared wavelengths with high-resolution imaging, photometric, and spectroscopic observations with the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope and the Nordic Optical Telescope. </p><p>A new global optical map at a spatial resolution of 200 km shows that the well known (from Mariner 10) and poorly known hemispheres are indistinguishable with respect to the distribution, number density, and morphological parameters of bright albedo features. This indicates a globally uniform recent (<3 Gyr) geologic evolution, a compositionally very homogeneous surface and the absence of a lunar-like mare–terrae albedo dichotomy.</p><p>It is found that the spectrum of Mercury is linear, strongly sloped, lacks detectable absorption features and displays a unique relation between the continuum slope and photometric geometry. Mercury has a photometrically smoother surface than the average near-side Moon, and is 10–15% fainter and 50% more back scattering in the V-band. Unlike the case for the Moon, the average single-particle backscattering anisotropy increases with wavelength.</p><p>Intimate regolith mixing models are used to determine a probable surface composition of predominantly Ca-rich labradorite plagioclase feldspar with minor low-iron enstatitic orthopyroxene, and rule out high-iron pyroxenes or olivines as other than insignificant constituents. Abundances of FeO ~1.2 wt%, TiO₂ ~0 wt%, and submicroscopic metallic iron ~0.1–0.3 wt% are found for the average surface. This implies an optically active grain size of 15–30 μm that is a factor of two smaller than for the Moon.</p><p>A numerical integration study shows that hermeocentric orbits with semi-major axes <30 mercurian radii for elliptic retrograde, and circular prograde, object are stable for durations in excess of 4.5 Myr. The weak gravitational scattering effect of Mercury indicates that re-impacting particles may have been important for the early evolution of its crust.</p>

<p>Comets are the most primordial and least evolved bodies in the Solar System. As such, they are unique sources of information regarding the early history of the Solar System. However, little is known about cometary nuclei since they are very difficult to observe due to the obscuring coma. Indirect methods are therefore often used to extract knowledge about nucleus parameters such as size, shape, density, material strength, and rotational properties. For example, tidal and non-tidal splitting of cometary nuclei can provide important information about nuclear densities and material strengths, but only if the criteria for mechanical stability are well known. Masses and densities of cometary nuclei can also be obtained by studying orbital modifications due to non-gravitational forces, but only if the thermophysics of comets can be modelled accurately. </p><p>A detailed investigation is made regarding the mechanical stability of small Solar System bodies. New expressions for the Roche distance are derived, as functions of the size, shape, density, material strength, rotational period, and spin axis orientation of a body. The critical rotational period for centrifugal breakup in free space is also considered, and the resulting formulae are applied to comets for which the size, shape and rotational period have been estimated observationally, in order to place constraints on their densities and material strengths. </p><p>A new thermophysical model of cometary nuclei is developed, focusing on two rarely studied features - layer absorption of solar energy, and parallel modelling of the nucleus and innermost coma. Sophisticated modelling of radiative transfer processes and the kinetics of gas in thermodynamic non-equilibrium form the basis for this work. The new model is applied to Comet 19P/Borrelly, and its density is estimated by reproducing the non-gravitational changes of its orbit.</p>

<p>We present an investigation of the magnetic field geometries and inhomogeneous distribution of chemical elements in the atmospheres of peculiar A and B stars. Our study combines high-quality spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric stellar observations with the development and application of novel techniques for theoretical interpretation of the shapes and variability of stellar line profiles. In particular, we extend the method of Doppler imaging to the analysis of spectra in the four Stokes parameters, making it possible to derive detailed and reliable stellar magnetic maps simultaneously with the imaging chemical inhomogeneities.</p><p>The magnetic Doppler imaging is applied to study of magnetic topologies and distributions of chemical elements in the peculiar stars α² CVn and 53 Cam. We found that the magnetic field geometry of 53 Cam is considerably more complex than a low-order multipolar topology, commonly assumed for magnetic A and B stars. Our Doppler imaging analysis also led to a discovery and study of spots of enhanced mercury abundance in the atmosphere of α And, a star where the presence of a global magnetic field is unlikely.</p><p>The ESO 3.6-m telescope is used to collect unique, very high spectral- and time-resolution observations of rapidly oscillating peculiar A (roAp) stars and to reveal line profile variations due to stellar pulsations. We present a detailed characterization of the spectroscopic pulsational behaviour and demonstrate a remarkable diversity of pulsations in different spectral lines. The outstanding variability of the lines of rare-earth elements is used to study propagation of pulsation waves through the stellar atmospheres and identify pulsation modes. This analysis led to a discovery of a non-axisymmetric character of pulsations in roAp stars.</p><p>Our study of chemical stratification in the atmosphere of the roAp star γ Equ provides a compelling evidence for significant variation of the chemical composition with depth. We find a combined effect of extreme chemical anomalies and a growth of pulsation amplitude in the outermost atmospheric layers to be the most likely origin of the high-amplitude pulsational variations of the lines of rare-earth elements.</p><p>Observations of cool magnetic CP stars are obtained with the ESO Very Large Telescope and are used for empirical investigation of the anomalies in the atmospheric temperature structure. We show that the core-wing anomaly of the hydrogen Balmer lines observed in some cool CP stars can be attributed to a hot layer at an intermediate atmospheric depth.</p>