Netherlands Astronomy Conference 2026

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous ingredients of the interstellar medium where they contain 15 to 20% of all the carbon and play a crucial role in the ionization balance and gas heating (Tielens et al., 2008). PAHs produce bright emission spectral features called the Aromatic Infrared Bands (AIBs), which are detected in great detail thanks to the exquisite spectral...

We investigate a dust-driven vertical shear instability (DVSI) in a radially local, vertically stratified isothermal shearing box. Unlike the classical vertical shear instability, which relies on baroclinicity from global thermodynamic gradients (radial temperature gradients with finite cooling), DVSI is triggered by dust backreaction that generates axisymmetric vertical shear in an otherwise...

Atmospheric boundary conditions play a critical role in interior modeling, as they define the interior adiabat and strongly influence the inferred planetary radius for a given interior structure. For hot Jupiters, their extended and highly irradiated atmospheres enable detailed observational constraints on atmospheric composition, now reaching unprecedented quality with JWST and ground-based...

Warps are responsible for various global disc phenomena and observational signatures and have mostly been studied using global hydrodynamical simulations. However, their role in planet formation and affecting dust instabilities is best studied in a local frame. I will present our recent efforts in modelling dusty warps in a local shearing box and show that warps can cause dust instabilities...

The Class I protostellar stage is a critical phase early in stellar evolution, where a rotating disk of gas and dust is formed, setting the chemical budget for the formation of planets. However, unlike the slightly older Class II disks, Class I protostars are deeply embedded in their natal envelopes. With the coverage, sensitivity and spectral resolution of the JWST, we are now capable of...

Massive stars are fundamental drivers of cosmic evolution, shaping the interstellar medium, enriching galaxies with heavy elements, and producing compact remnants. A large fraction reside in binary or higher-order multiple systems, with most undergoing interaction during their lifetimes, profoundly altering their evolution and final outcomes. Understanding the physics of binary interaction is...