Research Highlights of the Lehrstuhl Prof. Dr. Andreas Eckart 2002 - 2005

• Active involvement in ESO Science Verification program of SINFONI at the VLT. First AO-assisted integral field spectroscopy observation of the starburst/Seyfert composite Mrk 609 revealing indications for a starburst ring within a nuclear bar (Zuther et al. NAR 2005).
• The identification of new high-rank Seyfert galaxies with abundant molecular gas content and a detailed analysis of the galaxy disk evolution (star formation, disk stripping) in the nearby spiral-rich cluster Abell 262 (Bertram et al. A&A 2005).
• First census of the distribution, dynamics, and excitation of molecular gas in the nuclei of a sample of nearby active galaxies on a sub-arcsec scale (NUGA survey) (Pott et al. A&A 2004, Krips et al. A&A 2005, Combes et al. A&A 2004, Garcia-Burillo et al. A&A 2003).
• First multi-particle analysis of the massive merger hosts in 3C48 supported by mm-interferometric, multi-color near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy, and optical spectroscopic data (Scharwächter et al. 2004, Zuther et al. 2004). Accompanied by the analysis of the low mass merger IZw1 and detailed theoretical work on galactic and stellar disks (Pfalzner ApJ 2003, ApJ 2004, Scharwächter et al. A&A 2003, A&A 2004, Staguhn et al. APJ 2004).
• First derivation of intrinsic (in-band corrected for foreground extinction) mid-infrared spectra of dust enshrouded sources in the central parsec of the Milky Way and the identification of a cluster of stars with extreme IR excess in that region (Eckart et al. ApJ 2004, Moultaka et al. A&A 2004, Viehmann et al. A&A 2004).
• First detailed non-Keplerian analysis of stellar orbits in the vicinity of a massive black hole (Mouawad et al. AN 2005).
• First MIR interferometric measurement with the VLTI of a source within the central stellar cluster of the Milky Way (Eckart, Schödel & Straubmeier (book: The Exploration of the Super Massive Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way, Imperial College Press, 2005 in press, Pott et al. 2005).
• First measurement of simultaneous NIR/X-ray flare emission from SgrA* (Eckart et al. A&A 2004).

Astronomy & Astrophysics Cover Pages

• Pott et al. 2004, A&A 415, 27 (left)
• Moultaka et al. 2004, A&A 425, 529 (middle)
• Eckart et al. 2004, A&A 427, 1 (right)

Honours & Awards

• Scharwächter J.: PhD stipend granted by the ‘Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes’, from July 2002 till June 2004.
• Krips M.: DAAD stipend and Stipend of the French Government, from September 2002 till August 2003.
• Pott, J.-U.: PhD stipend granted by the ‘European Southern Observatory’, from September 2004 till September 2006.
• Schödel R.: ‘Otto Hahn Medaille’ of the MPG, 2005
• Eckart A.: Manne Siegbahn Medaille, awarded by the Manne Siegbahn Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden, in 2004