The largest structures in the Universe are clusters of galaxies. Each can contain hundreds to thousands of galaxies.

In this thesis, I studied the origin and evolution of the non-thermal radiation in merging galaxy clusters.

Promotor: Prof. dr. A.G.G.M. Tielens

Promotor: Prof.dr. S.F. Portegies Zwart

This thesis is largely an experimental study on the formation of solid-state simple and complex organic molecules in the H2O-rich and CO-rich ice phases of dense interstellar clouds and dark cores.

Galaxies form and evolve through close interaction with their surroundings. As a result, the heavy elements ('metals') that are synthesized in stars, are found both inside and outside galaxies.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. Franx, Co-Promotor: Rychard Bouwens

Promotor: Prof.dr. A.G.G.M. Tielens, Prof.dr. C. Dominik (UvA)

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.V.J. Linnartz

Promotores: Prof.dr. C.U. Keller, Prof.dr. H.C. Gerritsen

In this thesis new methodologies are developed for the detection and systematic study of radio sources in the early universe. This allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies, the activity of supermassive black holes, and the final phase transition of our universe:…

Promotor: K.H. Kuijken

This thesis develops a method for direction dependent calibration of the ionosphere in radio interferometric data.

Over geschiedenis van de sterrenkunde van radioastronomie tot exoplaneten, de revolutionaire ontwikkeling van de naoorlogse sterrenkunde.

Radio jets are important to the evoultion of galaxies. However, it is still not fully understood how a radio jet can be triggered.

Wat is er nodig om een mens te maken? Een uitdijend heelal. Gebouwd uit deeltjes, ruimte en tijd, en hun subtiele mechanismen.

Forming at the nodes of the Cosmic Web and growing hierarchically via mass accretion, galaxy clusters are the largest virialized halos in our universe, composed of dark matter (DM; ≥85%), ionized hot plasma in the intracluster medium (ICM; ≥10-15%), and galaxies (≥1-5%).

The Sun and all the stars in the night sky reside in the Milky Way galaxy. In the at-rest reference frame of the Galaxy, typical stars travel with velocities of about 100-200 kilometres per second.

In the past decade many population studies have been performed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to understand the bulk properties of protoplanetary disks around young stars. These population studies mostly consisted of low mass stars, with relatively few of the disks around…

Promotores: Prof.dr. M. Franx, Prof.dr. M. Kriek (Univ. of California at Berkeley)

Promotores: Prof.dr. M. Franx, Prof.dr. P.G. van Dokkum (Yale University)

This thesis contributes to studying primordial cosmology theories and their detectability in future observations.

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.L.V. Linnartz

Promotor: Prof.dr. E.F. van Dishoeck, Co-Promotor: G.J. Herczeg

Galaxies in the Universe are distributed along the intricate framework of the Cosmic Web. Groups and clusters of galaxies comprise the densest regions in this network, and therefore, are excellent cosmic laboratories to study different aspects of galaxy evolution in extreme environments.

The Low Frequency Array enables studies of low-frequency carbon radio recombination lines with unprecedented sensitivity, spectral and spatial resolution.

This thesis investigates the evolution and fate of gaseous exoplanets, which are continuously shaped by stellar activity across both short and long timescales.

This thesis describes the implementation and on-sky demonstration of high-resolution integral-field spectroscopy for extreme adaptive optics systems that are used to find and characterize exoplanets.

When a star is born in our Galaxy, it is quite likely that it has formed within a massive cluster, which hosts numerous high-mass stars bathing their lower mass neighbours in UV radiation.

Studievoorlichting

Op deze pagina vind je een overzicht van prijzen en subsidies die in 2025 zijn toegekend aan onze medewerkers en studenten, en de bijzondere benoemingen aan de Universiteit Leiden en andere instellingen.

Aan de hand van het lesmateriaal van het Wetenschapsknooppunt Leiden leren de kinderen over wetenschap en onderzoek doen.

Voor Sterrenkunde is de matchingsactiviteit een verplicht onderdeel van de toelatingsprocedure voor studenten met een Nederlandse vooropleiding.

In 2020 zijn de stimuleringsprogramma's van de Universiteit Leiden gestart, met als één van de programma's regeneratieve geneeskunde.

Luca Giomi heeft de eerste resultaten van zijn ERC-consolidatorbeurs. Hij ontdekte dat epitheelcellen collectief bewegen, maar op verschillende manieren, afhankelijk van de schaal waarnaar je kijkt. Het is hexatisch op kleine schalen en wordt nematisch op grotere schalen: het is een multischaal orde.…

Biologie in perspectief

When a star gets too close to a supermassive black hole, it is torn apart by strong tidal forces in a tidal disruption event (TDE).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the most abundant class of organic compounds in space. The PAH field evolves from the constant interaction between experimentalists, theorists, modellers and observers. While laboratory research and quantum chemical calculations together set up the molecular…

Promotor: Prof.dr. E.F. van Dishoeck, Co-Promotor: M.R. Hogerheijde

This research delves into a region of space known as the interstellar medium (ISM), which is essentially the area between the stars filled with gas and dust.

Het Leids Astronomisch Dispuut Frederik Kaiser is een vereniging die zich inzet voor de studenten die in Leiden sterrenkunde studeren. Daarnaast zijn ze ook erg betrokken bij de publieksactiviteiten in de Oude Sterrewacht en helpen ze bij de ontwikkeling en uitvoering van andere projecten in het geb…

Promotor: Prof.dr. A.G.G.M. Tielens

Carbonaceous asteroids preserve a record of early solar system processes, where minerals and organic molecules, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), offer clues to planetary evolution and prebiotic chemistry.

Patterned detectors are an existing technology that can be found in almost all color cameras.

Promotor: J. Schaye

The work presented in this thesis is based on ALMA surveys of protoplanetary disks in three star-forming regions: Lupus, OMC-2, and NGC 2024.

This thesis is about the study of hydrocarbons via infrared spectroscopy.

A large diversity of exoplanetary systems has been found, but it is still unclear what drives this diversity.

To study how planetary systems come into existence we study much younger systems still in formation.