Context. High-contrast imaging at optical wavelengths is limited by the modest correction of conventional near-IR optimized AO systems. We take advantage of new fast and low-readout-noise detectors to explore the potential of fast imaging coupled to post-processing techniques to detect faint companions of stars at small angular separations. Aims

Using simultaneous observations in X-rays and optical, we have performed a homogeneous analysis of the cross-correlation behaviours of four X-ray binaries: SWIFT J1753.5-0127, GX 339-4, Sco X-1 and Cyg X-2. With high-time-resolution observations using ULTRACAM and RXTE, we concentrate on the short time-scale, δt 20 s, variability in these sources

Most of the known transiting extrasolar planets orbit slowly rotating F, G or K stars. In here we report on the detection of a transiting planet orbiting the bright, rapidly rotating A5 star HD15082, recently made by SuperWASP. Time resolved spectroscopic observations taken during transit show a hump caused by the planet crossing the line profile

The transient black hole candidate GX 339-4 has been in outburst since January 2010 (ATel #2380, #2384, #2455, #2459, #2525) and made a transition from the hard state to the soft state during March - May 2010 (ATel #2523, #2545, #2547, #2556, #2573, #2577, #2593). The source remained in a soft state for ~ eight months before finally hardening in

During the five years of the mission, the Gaia spectrograph, the Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) will repeatedly survey the celestial sphere down to magnitude V ~ 17-18. This talk presents: (i) the system which is currently developed within the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) to reduce and calibrate the spectra and to derive

The angular distribution of fission fragments for the 32S+184W reaction at center-of-mass energies of 118.8, 123.1, 127.3, 131.5, 135.8, 141.1 and 144.4 MeV were measured. The experimental fission excitation function is obtained. The fragment angular anisotropy is found by extrapolating the fission angular distributions. The measured fission cross