We discuss some of our current knowledge of the mass distribution of DA and non-DA stars using various methods for measuring white dwarf masses including spectroscopic, trigonometric parallax, and gravitational redshift measurements, with a particular emphasis on the problems encountered at the low end of the cooling sequence where energy transport

We obtained 16 VLT/X-shooter observations of GX 339‑4 in quiescence during the period 2016 May–September and detected absorption lines from the donor star in its NIR spectrum. This allows us to measure the radial velocity curve and projected rotational velocity of the donor for the first time. We confirm the 1.76 day orbital period and we find that

We present the first infrared light curve of GRO J0422+32, and use it along with R-band data and published I- and Cousins R_c-band data to constrain the inclination of the system to be between 10 deg and 26 deg, implying that the black hole mass is greater than ~15Msolar. Remodeling the data with a 30 per cent accretion disc contamination level

We investigate the internal structure and density profiles of halos of mass $10^{10}-10^{14}~M_\odot$ in the Evolution and Assembly of Galaxies and their Environment (EAGLE) simulations. These follow the formation of galaxies in a $\Lambda$CDM Universe and include a treatment of the baryon physics thought to be relevant. The EAGLE simulations

We study relationships between star-formation rate (SFR) and the accretion luminosity and nuclear obscuration of X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) using a combination of deep far-infrared (FIR) and X-ray data in three key extragalactic survey fields (GOODS-South, GOODS-North and COSMOS), as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP)

To understand the formation and evolution of solar-type stars and planets in the solar neighborhood, we need to obtain their stellar parameters with high precision. We present a catalog of precise stellar parameters for the FGK stars in a volume limited sample followed by the HARPS spectrograph in the quest for extra solar planets. The