Research Areas
The research activities of the Graduate Program in Astronomy are generally described by the following thematic areas, each containing a brief description of the main objectives and ongoing research.
The final outcome of these ongoing research projects is the publication of papers submitted to specialized journals in Astronomy/Astrophysics. An updated list of the work by advisors and students of the program can be found on the Publications page.
1. Positional Astronomy and Celestial Mechanics
This research area encompasses two subfields:
(i) Fundamental Astronomy, which focuses on the spatial location of Solar System bodies, stars, and extragalactic objects.
(ii) Celestial Mechanics, which applies modern mechanics to celestial phenomena and develops fundamental mathematical theories related to Astronomy. This area is also connected to the study of the Dynamics of Planetary Systems, including planets, moons, and asteroids within the Solar System and in extrasolar planetary systems. It also investigates the origins of observed phenomena in the Solar System, including chaos, resonance, stationary solutions, and coherent motions.
Advisors:
Sylvio Ferraz de Mello
Tatiana Alexandrovna Michtchenko
2. Stellar Astrophysics
This is a broad research area involving: stellar evolution, stellar populations in the halo, bulge, and disk of our Galaxy and other galaxies, star clusters, pre-main-sequence stars, cool and hot stars, neutron stars, X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, supernovae, black holes, stellar winds and jets, gamma-ray bursts, and gravitational waves.
Advisors:
Alex Cavalieri Carciofi
Amâncio Cesar Santos Friaça
Antonio Mário Magalhães
Augusto Damineli Neto
Beatriz Leonor Silveira Barbuy
Eduardo Janot Pacheco
Elisabete Maria de Gouveia Dal Pino
Jacques Raymond Daniel Lépine
Jane Cristina Gregorio Hetem
Jorge Ernesto Horvath
Jorge Luis Meléndez Moreno
Marcos Perez Diaz
Paula Rodrigues Teixeira Coelho
Ramachrisna Teixeira
Roberto Dell'Aglio Dias da Costa
Silvia Cristina Fernandes Rossi
Sylvio Ferraz de Mello
Vera Jatenco Silva Pereira
Walter Junqueira Maciel
Zulema Abraham
3. Extragalactic Astronomy
This research area is divided into three main subfields:
(i) Galaxies, which are classified as normal or active. In the study of normal galaxies, topics include the structure of our Galaxy, elliptical and lenticular galaxies with bars and rectangular bulges, models of chemical evolution, and stellar populations. The bulges of spiral galaxies and their spiral structures are also studied. In the study of active galaxies, the focus is on active nuclei, the formation of emission lines, and the variability of quasars. There is also a focus on mechanisms involving accretion disks and supermassive black holes and their correlation with extragalactic jets.
(ii) Galaxy Clusters, which investigates the properties of large galaxy samples, the interactions between galaxies in a cluster, and intra-cluster gas.
(iii) Cosmology, which is dedicated to studying the formation of the first structures in the Universe, the effects of magnetic fields in the early Universe, and galaxy formation.
Advisors:
Amâncio Cesar Santos Friaça
Antonio Mário Magalhães
Beatriz Leonor Silveira Barbuy
Claudia Lucia Mendes de Oliveira
Eduardo Serra Cypriano
Elisabete Maria de Gouveia Dal Pino
Gastão Cesar Bierrenbach Lima Neto
Jacques Raymond Daniel Lépine
José Ademir Sales de Lima
Laerte Sodré Junior
Paula Rodrigues Teixeira Coelho
Ramachrisna Teixeira
Roberto Dell'Aglio Dias da Costa
Rodrigo Nemmen da Silva
Zulema Abraham
4. Interstellar Medium Astrophysics
This area focuses on the study of the interstellar material in our Galaxy and other stellar systems, extended envelopes, and implications for galactic structure. Research also includes photoionized nebulae and their central stars in the context of the structure and evolution of galaxies and their chemical evolution. Phenomena responsible for the dynamic evolution of the interstellar medium in galaxies are also studied, such as the formation and destruction of clouds, shock waves, turbulence, and cosmic rays.
Advisors:
Antonio Mário Magalhães
Jacques Raymond Daniel Lépine
Marcos Perez Diaz
Reinaldo Santos de Lima
Roberto Dell'Aglio Dias da Costa
Walter Junqueira Maciel
Zulema Abraham
5. Solar System Astrophysics
Research in this area focuses on phenomena in the solar atmosphere, planets, satellites, and comets. Solar research mainly concerns the study of global and local properties of the solar corona and the evolution of the solar magnetic field. Research on comets involves studying the chemical composition, brightness (measured via optical and infrared photometry), morphology, and spectroscopic observations.
Advisors:
Eduardo Janot Pacheco
Elysandra Figueredo Cypriano
Jorge Ernesto Horvath
Jorge Luis Meléndez Moreno
Roberto Dell'Aglio Dias da Costa
Sylvio Ferraz de Mello
Tatiana Alexandrovna Michtchenko
Vera Jatenco Silva Pereira
6. Astronomical Instrumentation
This area involves the development of instruments for both optical and infrared astronomy, as well as radio astronomy. The SOAR telescope is a major motivation for the construction of these instruments, and the Department has been heavily involved in the development of two spectrographs. In the field of radio astronomy, the LLAMA project (Large Latin American Millimeter Array), a collaboration between Brazil and Argentina, is underway under the coordination of Professors from our department. This research also includes specific radio astronomy projects using the 13.7-meter Atibaia radio telescope and the ALMA observatory (Chile) to study molecular lines in the interstellar medium and in extragalactic sources.
Advisors:
Alex Cavalieri Carciofi
Antonio Mário Magalhães
Augusto Damineli Neto
Beatriz Leonor Silveira Barbuy
Claudia Lucia Mendes de Oliveira
Eduardo Janot Pacheco
Eduardo Serra Cypriano
Elisabete Maria de Gouveia Dal Pino
Gastão Cesar Bierrenbach Lima Neto
Jacques Raymond Daniel Lépine
Jorge Luis Meléndez Moreno
Laerte Sodré Junior
Marcos Perez Diaz
Paula Rodrigues Teixeira Coelho
Roberto Dell'Aglio Dias da Costa
Rodrigo Nemmen da Silva
Silvia Cristina Fernandes Rossi
Zulema Abraham
How to Join the Astronomy Research Groups
Graduated in Exact Sciences, Earth Sciences, or Engineering who are interested in participating in research activities in any of these areas should contact a Professor of the program via email (available on the page listing the members of the Department) and apply for a position in the Master's or PhD courses when a selection process opens.
For those who are accepted into the Master's or PhD courses, it is necessary to develop a research project aligned with the program’s existing lines. Each line has specific working groups composed of other students and Professors from the department. Therefore, the candidate needs to find a Professor within these lines who is available to guide them.
For more information and clarification of doubts, candidates should contact the Graduate Program in Astronomy via email: cpgiag@usp.br.