A remarkable population of short period transiting rocky exoplanets with equilibrium temperatures on the order of 2,000 K has recently been discovered.

This thesis focuses on the X-ray spectral analysis of merging galaxy clusters and the plasma code development for future high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy observations.

This thesis describes the development and validation of new high-contrast imaging techniques, with the ultimate goal of enabling the next generation of instruments for ELT-class telescopes to directly image Earth-like extra-solar planets orbiting around nearby stars.

Promotor: Prof.dr. E. F. van Dishoeck

I have studied the hot, diffuse gas around and between galaxies. Specifically, I have used the EAGLE numerical simulations of galaxy formation to predict the properties of this gas, and I have used those properties to predict specific observables: soft X-ray absorption and emission lines.

In this thesis we study the landscape of gravitational models which modify GR by introducing an additional scalar degree of freedom (d.o.f.) to source Cosmic Acceleration.

We explored how to morphologically classify well-resolved jetted radio-loud active galactic nuclei (RLAGN) in the LOw Frequency Array (LOFAR) Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) using machine learning.

Three major cosmology-focused missions are planned for the next decade: the Euclid space telescope, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

Large areas of space are filled by molecular clouds that consist of gas and dust grains that are the remnants of dead stars. When these clouds start collapsing, the decreasing temperature and increasing density cause gas particles to start accreting onto dust grain surfaces.

Hot astrophysical plasma is ubiquitous in the Universe, from comets in our Solar system to the largest scale structures -- the cosmic web filaments. These hot plasmas, with the temperature of a few millions of degrees, are often observed in the X-ray wavelength range.

This thesis utilises the exceptional sensitivity and resolution of LOFAR to explore the low-frequency Universe, while simultaneously advancing the telescope's capabilities to enable new scientific discovery.

When observing star-forming galaxies, we are not only seeing stellar light, but we also see how this interacts with galactic gas and dust. This thesis contains studies of the stellar, nebular and dust properties of low mass star-forming galaxies.

More than 5,000 exoplanets have been found over the past couple of decades. These exoplanets show a tremendous diversity, ranging from scorching hot Jupiters, common super-Earths, to widely separated super-Jupiters on the planet/brown dwarf boundary.

One of the key quests in astronomy is to study the growth and evolution of galaxies across cosmic time. Radio observations provide a powerful means of studying the formation of stars and subsequent buildup of distant galaxies, in a way that is unbiased by the presence of dust.

This thesis discusses the physical and chemical processes than influence the composition of forming planets.

Promotor: E. F. van Dishoeck, Co-promotor: C. Walsh

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.J.A. Rottgering

My work focuses on a class of astronomical objects called protoplanetary disks.

We have conducted a full spectral line survey of the 3-13 micron region of two massive protostars, AFGL 2591 and AFGL 2136, for the first time at high spectral resolution.

The LOFAR radio telescope produces petabytes of data every year. Radio Astronomers use complex multi-step pipelines to process this data and produce scientific images.

This thesis describes the Multi-site All-Sky CAmeRA (MASCARA), which consists of two small robotic telescope designed to detect exoplanets around the brightest stars in the sky.

Over the last three decades, the discovery of exoplanets has revealed the boundless variety of worlds beyond our own Solar System⁠. Majority of planetary systems contain short-period planets that are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune⁠.

Onderzoekers vanuit verschillende vakgebieden werken samen om oplossingen te bedenken voor maatschappelijke problemen.

De keten die patiënten voorziet van nieuwe medicijnen, bestaat uit diverse complexe schakels: van fundamentele wetenschap, tot klinische tests, tot productie. Deze hele keten is aanwezig in Leiden. De Universiteit Leiden, het Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (LUMC) en de bedrijven op het Leiden Bio…

De European Research Council (ERC) heeft chemicus dr. Alexander Kros geselecteerd voor een Starting Independent Researcher Grant van 1,4 miljoen euro. Hiermee gaat hij bestuderen hoe moleculen de natuurlijke barrière van een celmembraan nemen. Als het lukt voorspelt hij op termijn een revolutie in…

Vanaf april 2011 staat in Leiden dé nationale faciliteit voor elektronenmicroscopie. Hier kunnen wetenschappers meer details van celstructuren zichtbaar maken dan nu in Nederland mogelijk is. Tien universiteiten en onderzoeksorganisaties werkten samen om de faciliteit voor elkaar te krijgen.