The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) today held the 16th edition of the ‘Our Science Day’, an annual internal event which brought together its research and technical staff at the IACTEC headquarters in La Laguna. This meeting has established itself as a space for sharing the most outstanding advances of the past year in the different areas of work of the centre, promoting collaboration, cohesion and the exchange of ideas between teams.
The conference was opened by the director of the IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet, who presented an analysis of the centre's situation. The director conveyed a realistic vision with prospects for improvement, framing the challenges in the context of the institutional calendar and on the eve of the Governing Council, scheduled for 23 July, and the celebration of the IAC's 40th anniversary, which will take place on 24 July in La Palma.
Next, scientific contributions were presented, grouped by thematic areas:
The talks in the Cosmology and Astroparticles line addressed fundamental aspects of the early universe and its evolution. New constraints on the mass content of globular clusters were discussed through the combination of stellar kinematics and pulsar timing, as well as the use of facilities like the ASTRI Mini-Array to explore high-energy phenomena. The role of heavy elements in the early universe was reviewed via the analysis of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and the current state of research on spectral distortions in the CMB was presented, a key element in understanding the physics of the early universe. Recent results from the DESI project on dark energy were also shared.
In the area of Galaxy Formation and Evolution, the talks focused on the structural properties of galaxies and their large-scale evolution. New physically motivated definitions of galaxy size were proposed based on advanced numerical simulations, and the detection of galaxy proto-clusters using data from the Euclid satellite was explored. The use of artificial intelligence to analyse the large volumes of data generated by these missions was also highlighted, opening new paths in the study of cosmic evolution. Results from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on active galactic nuclei were also presented, revealing a wide spectral diversity in the mid-infrared. In addition, new developments in instrumentation with high potential impact on this field were shown, such as the LightBridges project at the Teide Observatory or the future Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST).
The contributions in the area of the Milky Way and the Local Group offered deep insights into the formation history of our Galaxy and its immediate surroundings. New initiatives such as the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST) were presented, promising transformative results in astrophysics, particularly in understanding the formation history of the Milky Way and the dwarf galaxies of the Local Group. The study of the Galactic halo was also analysed using extremely metal-poor stars as tracers of its early components. The impact of unresolved binary systems on satellite galaxy mass estimates was discussed, and new perspectives on analysing the internal structure of the Milky Way were introduced.
In the area of Stellar and Interstellar Physics, the focus was on advanced stellar physics and the evolutionary processes of high-mass stars and final evolutionary stages. Observational evidence was presented of massive stars that have undergone binary interactions, along with new analyses of instabilities in so-called pre-degenerate stars and the dynamical detection of black holes in binary systems. A detailed study of eclipsing binary systems was also included, enabling comparisons between dynamical and asteroseismic methods for determining stellar masses—a key tool for refining stellar evolution models.
Solar Physics was addressed from both observational and technological perspectives. Studies were presented on the dynamics of plasma structures confined in coronal current sheets, relevant to understanding magnetic reconnection mechanisms. The present and future of solar infrared spectropolarimetry were also reviewed, highlighting its importance for obtaining accurate diagnostics of magnetic fields in different layers of the solar atmosphere.
In the area of Planetary Systems and the Solar System, the presentations focused on the characterisation of planetary systems, including both the study of the Solar System and exoplanets. The composition of the outer protoplanetary disk was discussed through the study of trans-Neptunian objects, Centaurs and primitive asteroids, providing clues to the initial conditions of the Solar System. In the exoplanet domain, results were presented on the planetary system of Proxima Centauri and the discovery of a super-Earth in the habitable zone of another nearby stellar system.
In the Instrumentation category, the talks highlighted technological advances in high-performance instrumentation, essential to astrophysical research. Progress in cross-disciplinary areas such as quantum communications was presented—an emerging field at the IAC with potential scientific and technological applications. A data acquisition system based on programmable semiconductor circuits (FPGA) was introduced for detecting signals from the cosmic microwave background, along with developments in adaptive optics at the Gran Telescopio Canarias. Preliminary results were shown from the testbed for multiconjugate adaptive optics at the EST, and mechanical integration work was presented for instrumentation for the ELT telescope. The status of the DALI prototype was also reported, as well as issues related to spectral precision such as the Tenerife Microwave Spectrometer (TMS). Advances in additive manufacturing techniques were also shared, which are key to producing components for astronomical instrumentation.
In the IACTEC section, talks focused on technological and engineering developments linked to IAC programmes within the IACTEC framework. Updates were presented on the European Solar Telescope (EST) project and an innovative broadband wavefront sensor based on multimode optical fibre. These initiatives reflect the growing integration of scientific research and technological innovation.
Outside the main research and development areas, a presentation was given on the International Scientific Committee, the decision-making body for the institutions that form part of the Canary Islands Observatories. The IAC's participation in major international collaborations, such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, was also highlighted. An institutional overview of the role of the scientific library was provided. The event concluded with an award ceremony for the most outstanding presentations.
