In this era of spatially resolved observations of planet-forming disks with Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and large ground-based telescopes such as the Very Large Telescope (VLT), Keck, and Subaru, we still lack statistically relevant information on the quantity and composition of the material that is building the planets, such as the total disk gas mass, the ice content of dust, and the state of water in planetesimals. SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) is an infrared space mission concept developed jointly by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and European Space Agency (ESA) to address these questions. The key unique capabilities of SPICA that enable this research are (1) the wide spectral coverage $10{-}220\,\mu\mathrm{m}$ , (2) the high line detection sensitivity of $(1{-}2) \times 10^{-19}\,\mathrm{W\,m}^{-2}$ with $R \sim 2\,000{-}5\,000$ in the far-IR (SAFARI), and $10^{-20}\,\mathrm{W\,m}^{-2}$ with $R \sim 29\,000$ in the mid-IR (SPICA Mid-infrared Instrument (SMI), spectrally resolving line profiles), (3) the high far-IR continuum sensitivity of 0.45 mJy (SAFARI), and (4) the observing efficiency for point source surveys. This paper details how mid- to far-IR infrared spectra will be unique in measuring the gas masses and water/ice content of disks and how these quantities evolve during the planet-forming period. These observations will clarify the crucial transition when disks exhaust their primordial gas and further planet formation requires secondary gas produced from planetesimals. The high spectral resolution mid-IR is also unique for determining the location of the snowline dividing the rocky and icy mass reservoirs within the disk and how the divide evolves during the build-up of planetary systems. Infrared spectroscopy (mid- to far-IR) of key solid-state bands is crucial for assessing whether extensive radial mixing, which is part of our Solar System history, is a general process occurring in most planetary systems and whether extrasolar planetesimals are similar to our Solar System comets/asteroids. We demonstrate that the SPICA mission concept would allow us to achieve the above ambitious science goals through large surveys of several hundred disks within $\sim\!2.5$ months of observing time.

Episodic accretion is an important process in the evolution of young stars and their surroundings. A consequence of an episodic accretion event is a luminosity burst, which heats the protostellar environment and has a long lasting impact on the chemical evolution of the disk and envelope of young stars. We present a new model for the chemistry of episodic accretion based on the 2D radiation thermo-chemical disk code ProDiMo. We discuss the impact of an episodic accretion burst on the chemical evolution of CO and its observables. Furthermore we present a model for the outbursting source V883 Ori where we fitted available observational data to get an accurate physical structure that allows for a detailed study of the chemistry.

Measurements in the infrared wavelength domain allow direct assessment of the physical state and energy balance of cool matter in space, enabling the detailed study of the processes that govern the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems in galaxies over cosmic time. Previous infrared missions revealed a great deal about the obscured Universe, but were hampered by limited sensitivity.

SPICA takes the next step in infrared observational capability by combining a large 2.5-meter diameter telescope, cooled to below 8 K, with instruments employing ultra-sensitive detectors. A combination of passive cooling and mechanical coolers will be used to cool both the telescope and the instruments. With mechanical coolers the mission lifetime is not limited by the supply of cryogen. With the combination of low telescope background and instruments with state-of-the-art detectors SPICA provides a huge advance on the capabilities of previous missions.

SPICA instruments offer spectral resolving power ranging from R ~50 through 11 000 in the 17–230 μm domain and R ~28.000 spectroscopy between 12 and 18 μm. SPICA will provide efficient 30–37 μm broad band mapping, and small field spectroscopic and polarimetric imaging at 100, 200 and 350 μm. SPICA will provide infrared spectroscopy with an unprecedented sensitivity of ~5 × 10−20 W m−2 (5σ/1 h)—over two orders of magnitude improvement over what earlier missions. This exceptional performance leap, will open entirely new domains in infrared astronomy; galaxy evolution and metal production over cosmic time, dust formation and evolution from very early epochs onwards, the formation history of planetary systems.

We present results of the X-ray monitoring of V4046 Sgr, a close classical T Tauri star binary, with both components accreting material. The 360 ks long XMM observation allowed us to measure the plasma densities at different temperatures, and to check whether and how the density varies with time. We find that plasma at temperatures of 1–4 MK has high densities, and we observe correlated and simultaneous density variations of plasma, probed by O VII and Ne IX triplets. These results strongly indicate that all the inspected He-like triplets are produced by high-density plasma heated in accretion shocks, and located at the base of accretion flows.

We present a preliminary 3D potential field extrapolation model of the joint magnetosphere of the close accreting PMS binary V4046 Sgr. The model is derived from magnetic maps obtained as part of a coordinated optical and X-ray observing program.

The pre-main sequence star V1647 Ori started a new outburst in August 2008. From October 2008 to February 2009 we monitored V1647 Ori, obtaining quasi-simultaneous VLT-CRIRES near-IR spectroscopy, VLT-VISIR mid-IR spectroscopy and VLT-FORS2 optical spectroscopy. We studied the evolution of H2 and CO emission from hot and warm gas and Hα and forbidden line-emission during the initial outburst phase of V1647 Ori. Hα is observed in emission displaying P-Cygni profiles with blue-shifted absorption up to –700 km/s, suggesting the presence of a high velocity wind (Fig. 1a). [OI] emission at 6300 Å is observed displaying a blue-shifted emission shoulder, indicating the presence of material moving away from the star (Fig. 1b). We detect H2 1-0 S(1) and CO (P4 to P14 and P30-P38) ro-vibrational lines centered at the velocity of the star at all epochs (Fig. 1c & d). This strongly suggests that the H2 and CO emission originates from a disk and not from a warm outflow. The H2 1–0 S(0) and 2-1 S(1) ro-vibrational lines at 2.22 and 2.24 μm and the pure-rotational H2 0–0 S(1) and 0–0 S(2) lines at 17 and 12 μm were not detected in our spectra. Changes in the Hα and [OI] profiles and the H2 and CO emission observed do not correlate. We modeled the H2 and CO line profiles assuming emission from a flat disk in keplerian rotation with line intensity decreasing with radius (I ~ I0(R/Rmin)−α). We found that the disk of V1647 Ori is observed nearly face-on and that the line emission is produced within a fraction of an AU of the star (Fig. 1d).

We present preliminary results of grating observations of YY Mensae and V824 Arae by Chandra and XMM-Newton. Spectral features are presented in the context of the emission measure distributions, the coronal abundances, and plasma electron densities. In particular, we observe a coronal N/C enhancement in YY Men believed to reflect the photospheric composition (CN cycle). Finally, we interpret line broadening in YY Men as Doppler thermal broadening in its very hot corona.

X-ray emission from > 100 pre-main sequence (PMS) stars in the Orion star-forming complex is studied in a 20-ks observation by XMM-Newton. No relation between the ratio of X-ray and bolometric luminosities, LX/Lbol, and rotation period or Rossby number is exhibited, though the action of a solar-like dynamo is not excluded because all stars would appear to be in the “saturated regime” of such a dynamo. Low-mass stars showing a strong U — V excess have lower median X-ray luminosity, suggesting that accretion suppresses magnetic activity.

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer data archive has been used to study flare energy distributions and infer the role of flares in coronal heating. We have constructed flare number distributions as a function of observed EUV and X-ray emitted thermal energy. We find cumulative flare distributions of the form N(> E) ∝ E−α+1 with α ≍ 1.5–2.6. We present results in the context of spectral type classification.

Ground-based observational networks are now able to reliably detect more than 20 frequencies for individual δ Scuti stars. The ground-based Delta Scuti Network specializes in the intensive study of individual stars for several months with dedicated telescopes on different continents. With the new quantity and quality of data, the observational limit to extracting 50 or more frequencies in a single δ Scuti star is no longer determined only by the signal/noise ratio, but by the available frequency resolution.

Recent results on the δ Scuti stars FG Vir and 4CVn are presented. 4CVn exhibits some of the characteristics of δ Scuti stars: some close spacings are observed, pulsations occur in specific frequency regions with relatively sharp borders, and show large amplitude variations. This presents an important asteroseismological diagnostic, and can help us to improve our understanding of for example rotation and excitation mechanisms.

We also report a new Gamma Doradus variable with two excited g modes (HD 108100, F2V).

The European Union Network ANTENA started to work in October 1993. During these last three years, several collaborative projects have been undertaken. ANTENA has offered a very good opportunity for most of the European people doing asteroseismology to work together. The asteroseismological networks STEPHI and STACC have run within the framework of the project, obtaining fairly good results. New instrumentation has also been developed, such as the Four-Channel Stellar Photometer.