We present new constraints on the star formation histories of six ultra-faint dwarf galaxies: Bootes I, Canes Venatici II, Coma Berenices, Hercules, Leo IV, and Ursa Major I. Our analysis employs a combination of high-precision photometry obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope, medium-resolution spectroscopy obtained with the DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph on the W.M. Keck Observatory, and updated Victoria-Regina isochrones tailored to the abundance patterns appropriate for these galaxies. The data for five of these Milky Way satellites are best fit by a star formation history where at least 75% of the stars formed by z ∼ 10 (13.3 Gyr ago). All of the galaxies are consistent with 80% of the stars forming by z ∼ 6 (12.8 Gyr ago) and 100% of the stars forming by z ∼ 3 (11.6 Gyr ago). The similarly ancient populations of these galaxies support the hypothesis that star formation in the smallest dark matter sub-halos was suppressed by a global outside influence, such as the reionization of the universe.

We present the analysis of optical and near-infrared spectra of the only four z > 6.5 quasars known to date, discovered in the UKIDSS-LAS and VISTA-VIKING surveys. Our data-set consists of new VLT/X-Shooter and Magellan/FIRE observations. These are the best optical/NIR spectroscopic data that are likely to be obtained for the z > 6.5 sample using current 6 -10 m facilities. We estimate the black hole mass, the Eddington ratio, and the Si iv/C iv, C iii]/C iv, and Fe ii/Mg ii emission-line flux ratios. We perform spectral modeling using a procedure that allows us to derive a probability distribution for the continuum components and to obtain the quasar properties weighted upon the underlying distribution of continuum models. The z > 6.5 quasars show the same emission properties as their counterparts at lower redshifts. The z > 6.5 quasars host black holes with masses of ∼ 10 9 M ⊙ that are accreting close to the Eddington luminosity ( log(L Bol /L Edd ) = −0.4 ± 0.2), in agreement with what has been observed for a sample of 4.0 < z < 6.5 quasars. By comparing the Si iv/C iv and C iii]/C iv flux ratios with the results obtained from luminosity-matched samples at z ∼ 6 and 2 ≤ z ≤ 4.5, we find no evidence of evolution of the line ratios with cosmic time. We compare the measured Fe ii/Mg ii flux ratios with those obtained for a sample of 4.0 < z < 6.4 sources. The two samples are analyzed using a consistent procedure. There is no evidence that the Fe ii/Mg ii flux ratio evolves between z = 7 and z = 4. Under the assumption that the Fe ii/Mg ii traces the Fe/Mg abundance ratio, this implies the presence of major episodes of chemical enrichment in the quasar hosts in the first ∼ 0.8 Gyr after the Big Bang.1 Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile, programs 286.A-5025, 087.A-0890 and 088.A-0897. This paper also includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescope located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Context. The observation of planets in their formation stage is a crucial, but very challenging step in understanding when, how and where planets form. PDS 70 is a young pre-main sequence star surrounded by a transition disk, in the gap of which a planetary-mass companion has been discovered recently. This discovery represents the first robust direct detection of such a young planet, possibly still at the stage of formation. Aims. We aim to characterize the orbital and atmospheric properties of PDS 70 b, which was first identified on May 2015 in the course of the SHINE survey with SPHERE, the extreme adaptive-optics instrument at the VLT. Methods. We obtained new deep SPHERE/IRDIS imaging and SPHERE/IFS spectroscopic observations of PDS 70 b. The astrometric baseline now covers 6 years which allows us to perform an orbital analysis. For the first time, we present spectrophotometry of the young planet which covers almost the entire near-infrared range (0.96 to 3.8 µm). We use different atmospheric models covering a large parameter space in temperature, log g, chemical composition, and cloud properties to characterize the properties of the atmosphere of PDS 70 b. Results. PDS 70 b is most likely orbiting the star on a circular and disk coplanar orbit at ∼22 au inside the gap of the disk. We find a range of models that can describe the spectrophotometric data reasonably well in the temperature range between 1000-1600 K and log g no larger than 3.5 dex. The planet radius covers a relatively large range between 1.4 and 3.7 R J with the larger radii being higher than expected from planet evolution models for the age of the planet of 5.4 Myr.Conclusions. This study provides a comprehensive dataset on the orbital motion of PDS 70 b, indicating a circular orbit and a motion coplanar with the disk. The first detailed spectral energy distribution of PDS 70 b indicates a temperature typical for young giant planets. The detailed atmospheric analysis indicates that a circumplanetary disk may contribute to the total planet flux.

Massive stellar clusters are the best available laboratories to study the mass function of stars. Based on NTT/SofI near-infrared photometry, we have investigated the properties of the massive young cluster Westerlund 1. From comparison with stellar models, we derived an extinction A K S = 0.91 ± 0.05 mag, an age τ = 4 ± 0.5 Myr and a distance d = 4.0 ± 0.2 kpc for Westerlund 1, as well as a total mass of M Wd 1 = 4.91 +1.79 −0.49 × 10 4 M . Using spatiallydependent completeness corrections, we performed a two-dimensional study of the cluster's initial mass function (IMF) and, in addition, of the stellar density profiles of the cluster as a function of mass. From both IMF slope variations and stellar density, we find strong evidence of mass segregation. For a cluster with some 10 5 stars, this is not expected at such a young age as the result of two-body relaxation alone. We also confirm previous findings on the elongation of Westerlund 1; assuming an elliptical density profile, we found an axial ratio of a:b = 3:2. Rapid mass segregation and elongation could be well explained as the results of subclusters merging during the formation of Westerlund 1.

We have analyzed two epochs of HST/WFPC2 observations of the young Galactic starburst cluster in NGC 3603 with the aim to study its internal dynamics and stellar population. Relative proper motions measured over 10.15 yrs of more than 800 stars enable us to distinguish cluster members from field stars. The best-fitting isochrone yields A V =4.6-4.7 mag, a distance of 6.6-6.9 kpc, and an age of 1 Myr for NGC 3603 Young Cluster (NYC). We identify pre-main-sequence/main-sequence transition stars located in the short-lived radiative-convective gap, which in the NYC occurs in the mass range 3.5-3.8 M ⊙ . We also identify a sparse population of stars with an age of 4 Myr, which appear to be the lower mass counterparts to previously discovered blue supergiants located in the giant H II region NGC 3603. For the first time, we are able to measure the internal velocity dispersion of a starburst cluster from 234 stars with I < 18.5 mag to σ pm1D = 141 ± 27µas yr −1 (4.5 ± 0.8 km s −1 at a distance of 6.75 kpc). As stars with masses between 1.7 and 9 M ⊙ all exhibit the same velocity dispersion, the cluster stars have not yet reached equipartition of kinetic energy (i.e., the cluster is not in virial equilibrium). The results highlight the power of combining high-precision astrometry and photometry, and emphasize the role of NYC as a benchmark object for testing stellar evolution models and dynamical models for young clusters and as a template for extragalactic starburst clusters.