Alonso Luna
Astrophysicist
My current research focuses on finding the fastest stars at the centre of our Galaxy.

Hypervelocity stars

Hypervelocity stars are travelling with velocities large enough to be unbound from the galactic potential. The most successful scenario involves an interaction of a binary system with the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Galaxy, Sgr A*. In that way, Hypervelocity stars give us an insight into a recent stellar interaction with Sgr A* and help us constrain dynamical properties of binaries in the Galactic centre. I am conducting a systematical search of Hypervelocity stars in the galactic Bulge, where it is thought to have the highest density, but none has been confirmed.

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Globular clusters and their variable stars

Globular clusters are amongst the oldest structures in the Galaxy. They are composed of millions of stars with a spherical distribution. In a study we made of the Globular cluster M5, we found several new variable stars, and study the population of RR Lyrae stars in it. RR Lyrae stars are old (>10 Gyr) and pulsate radially, furthermore, they can be used to measure distances. By a comparison of the expected time of their maximum brightness and the measured one, it is possible to know if the RR Lyrae star is increasing or decreasing its pulsation period. In that way, one can infer the evolution stage in which the RR Lyrae is.

Detecting binary stars with speckle holography

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RRLyrae stars as tracers of galactic structure

RRLyrae stars are bright pulsating stars whose distance can be known. We use them to trace the 3D structure of the Galaxy and local group galaxies.

Stellar populations in globular clusters

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