Recent advancements in imaging techniques have enabled the detection of thousands of exoplanets, as well as the characterization of a multitude of protoplanetary disks. These disks are believed to...Show moreRecent advancements in imaging techniques have enabled the detection of thousands of exoplanets, as well as the characterization of a multitude of protoplanetary disks. These disks are believed to form planets, but have mostly been observed around low mass T Tauri stars. No observations of disks around high mass Herbig Be stars exist, raising the question whether planets and especially giant planets can form there. Using archival data from VLT/SPHERE/IRDIS, one of the world’s best direct imagers for exoplanets and protoplanetary disks, we have attempted to image the disk of such a Herbig Be star, MWC147 (alias V700 Mon & HD259431). For this data reduction, a variety of correction techniques are demonstrated and compared against each other. The resulting images reveal the prescence of a second companion, dubbed MWC147 C, and a large bow shaped structure. Furthermore, a model of VLT/SPHERE/ZIMPOL was designed to quantify the effects of instrumental polarization and crosstalk on the polarimetric efficiency of the instrument. Finally, an observing proposal for VLT/SPHERE was written with the goal of obtaining better data of MWC147, such that the bow shaped structure and disk of MWC147 could be better characterized.Show less
A catalogue of a total of 171 galaxies, supplemented with their redshift, is created for three deep, blank fields observed by MUSE. Furthermore, a study of the physical properties of 65 low-mass...Show moreA catalogue of a total of 171 galaxies, supplemented with their redshift, is created for three deep, blank fields observed by MUSE. Furthermore, a study of the physical properties of 65 low-mass galaxies is performed for these fields. A model for the process of star formation in galaxies is discussed, and its parameters are constrained by observed data in the MUSE fields. Here, a relation between star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass (M_*) of SFR / M_* ~ M_*^a with a = 0.72 +0.11-0.13 is found, with a redshift evolution of SFR / (1 + z) ~ b with b = 5.58 +3.0-2.8. The relation has an intrinsic scatter of s_intr = 0.61 +0.15-0.13. Lastly, the calibration techniques of the MUSE instrument are investigated, showing that the instrument is quite sensible to temperature changes.Show less
