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Neuropsychology of artificial intelligence focuses on synthetic neural cog nition as a new type of study object within cognitive psychology. With the goal of making artificial neural networks of language models more explainable, this approach involves transposing concepts from cognitive psychology to the interpretive construction of artificial neural cognition. The human cognitive concept involved here is categorization, serving as a heuristic for thinking about the process of segmentation and construction of reality carried out by the neural vectors of synthetic cognition.

Absorption lines from exoplanet atmospheres observed in transmission allow us to study atmospheric characteristics such as winds. We present a new high-resolution transit time-series of HD 189733b, acquired with the PEPSI instrument at the LBT and analyze the transmission spectrum around the Na D lines. We model the spectral signature of the RM-CLV-effect using synthetic PHOENIX spectra based on spherical LTE atmospheric models. We find a Na D absorption signature between the second and third contact but not during the ingress and egress phases, which casts doubt on the planetary origin of the signal. Presupposing a planetary origin of the signal, the results suggest a weak day-to-nightside streaming wind in the order of 0.7 km/s and a moderate super-rotational streaming wind in the order of 3 - 4 km/s, challenging claims of prevailing strong winds on HD 189733b., Comment: Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Methods: Broad- and narrow-band imaging of AFGL 5180 was made in the NIR with the LBT, in both seeing-limited ($\sim0.5\arcsec$) and high angular resolution ($\sim0.09\arcsec$) Adaptive Optics (AO) modes, as well as with HST. Archival ALMA continuum data was also utilized. Results: At least 40 jet knots were identified via NIR emission from H$_2$ and [FeII] tracing shocked gas. Bright jet knots outflowing from the central most massive protostar, S4, are detected towards the east of the source and are resolved in fine detail with the AO imaging. Additional knots are distributed throughout the field, likely indicating the presence of multiple driving sources. Sub-millimeter sources detected by ALMA are shown to be grouped in two main complexes, AFGL 5180 M and a small cluster $\sim15\arcsec$ to the south, AFGL 5180 S. From our NIR continuum images we identify YSO candidates down to masses of $\sim 0.1\:M_\odot$. Combined with the sub-mm sources, this yields a surface number density of such YSOs of $N_* \sim 10^3 {\rm pc}^{-2}$ within a projected radius of about 0.1 pc. Such a value is similar to those predicted by models of both Core Accretion from a turbulent clump environment and Competitive Accretion. The radial profile of $N_*$ is relatively flat on scales out to 0.2~pc, with only modest enhancement around the massive protostar inside 0.05~pc. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility of high-resolution NIR imaging, in particular with AO, for detecting outflow activity and YSOs in distant regions. The presented images reveal the complex morphology of outflow-shocked gas within the large-scale bipolar flow of a massive protostar, as well as clear evidence for several other outflow driving sources in the region. Finally, this work presents a novel approach to compare the observed YSO surface number density from our study against different models of massive star formation., Comment: Accepted to Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A)

We aimed to build a new and updated C0-C2 chemical network to study the CHON disequilibrium chemistry of warm and hot exoplanet atmospheres that relies on extensively validated and recent state-of-the-art combustion networks. The reliability range of this network was aimed for conditions between 500 - 2500 K and 100 - 10^-6 bar. We compared the predictions of seven networks over a large set of experiments, covering a wide range of conditions (pressures, temperatures, and initial compositions). To examine the consequences of this new chemical network on exoplanets atmospheric studies, we generated abundances profiles for GJ 436 b, GJ 1214 b, HD 189733 b, and HD 209458 b, using the 1D kinetic model FRECKLL and calculated the corresponding transmission spectra using TauREx 3.1. These spectra and abundance profiles have been compared with results obtained with our previous chemical network. Our new kinetic network is composed of 174 species and 1293 reactions mostly reversible. This network proves to be more accurate than our previous one for the tested experimental conditions. The nitrogen chemistry update is found to be impactful on the abundance profiles, particularly for HCN, with differences up to four orders of magnitude. The CO2 profiles are also significantly affected, with important repercussions on the transmission spectrum of GJ 436 b. These effects highlight the importance of using extensively validated chemical networks to gain confidence in our models predictions. As shown with CH2NH, the coupling between carbon and nitrogen chemistry combined with radicals produced by photolysis can have huge effects impacting the transmission spectra., Comment: 26 pages, 33 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Hot giant planets like MASCARA-1 b are expected to have thermally inverted atmospheres, that makes them perfect laboratory for the atmospheric characterization through high-resolution spectroscopy. Nonetheless, previous attempts of detecting the atmosphere of MASCARA-1 b in transmission have led to negative results. In this paper we aim at the detection of the optical emission spectrum of MASCARA-1 b. We used the high-resolution spectrograph PEPSI to observe MASCARA-1 (spectral type A8) near the secondary eclipse of the planet. We cross-correlated the spectra with synthetic templates computed for several atomic and molecular species. We obtained the detection of FeI, CrI and TiI in the atmosphere of MASCARA-1 b with a S/N ~7, 4 and 5 respectively, and confirmed the expected systemic velocity of ~13 km/s and the radial velocity semi-amplitude of MASCARA-1 b of ~200 km/s. The detection of Ti is of particular importance in the context of the recently proposed Ti cold-trapping below a certain planetary equilibrium temperature. We confirm the presence of an the atmosphere around MASCARA-1 b through emission spectroscopy. We conclude that the atmospheric non detection in transmission spectroscopy is due to the high gravity of the planet and/or to the overlap between the planetary track and its Doppler shadow.

Decline and recovery timescales surrounding eclipse are indicative of the controlling physical processes in Io's atmosphere. Recent studies have established that the majority of Io's molecular atmosphere, SO2 and SO, condenses during its passage through Jupiter's shadow. The eclipse response of Io's atomic atmosphere is less certain, having been characterized solely by ultraviolet aurorae. Here we explore the response of optical aurorae for the first time. We find oxygen to be indifferent to the changing illumination, with [O I] brightness merely tracking the plasma density at Io's position in the torus. In shadow, line ratios confirm sparse SO2 coverage relative to O, since their collisions would otherwise quench the emission. Io's sodium aurora mostly disappears in eclipse and e-folding timescales, for decline and recovery differ sharply: ~10 minutes at ingress and nearly 2 hr at egress. Only ion chemistry can produce such a disparity; Io's molecular ionosphere is weaker at egress due to rapid recombination. Interruption of a NaCl+ photochemical pathway best explains Na behavior surrounding eclipse, implying that the role of electron impact ionization is minor relative to photons. Auroral emission is also evident from potassium, confirming K as the major source of far red emissions seen with spacecraft imaging at Jupiter. In all cases, direct electron impact on atomic gas is sufficient to explain the brightness without invoking significant dissociative excitation of molecules. Surprisingly, the nonresponse of O and rapid depletion of Na is opposite the temporal behavior of their SO2 and NaCl parent molecules during Io's eclipse phase.

We exploit the increased sensitivity of the recently installed AO SOUL at the LBT to obtain new high-spatial-resolution NIR images of the massive young stellar object IRAS20126+4104 and its outflow. We aim to derive the jet proper motions and kinematics, as well as to study its photometric variability by combining the novel performances of SOUL together with previous NIR images. We used both broad-band ($K_{s}$, $K'$) and narrow-band (Br$\gamma$, H2) observations from a number of NIR cameras (UKIRT/UFTI,SUBARU/CIAO,TNG/NICS,LBT/PISCES,and LBT/LUCI1) to derive maps of the continuum and the H$_2$ emission in the 2.12 $\mu$m line. Three sets of images, obtained with AO systems (CIAO,2003; FLAO,2012; SOUL,2020), allowed us to derive the proper motions of a large number of H$_2$ knots along the jet. Photometry from all images was used to study the jet variability. We derived knot proper motions in the range of 1.7-20.3 mas yr$^{-1}$ (i.e. 13-158 km s$^{-1}$ at 1.64 kpc, avg. outflow tangential velocity $\sim$ 80 km s$^{-1}$). The derived knot dynamical age spans a $\sim$ 200-4000 yr interval. A ring-like H$_2$ feature near the protostar location exhibits peculiar kinematics and may represent the outcome of a wide-angle wind impinging on the outflow cavity. Both H$_2$ geometry and velocities agree with those inferred from proper motions of the H$_2$O masers, located at a smaller distance from the protostar. Although the total H$_2$ line emission from the knots does not exhibit time variations at a $\widetilde{>}$ 0.3 mag level, we have found a clear continuum flux variation (radiation scattered by the dust in the cavity opened by the jet) which is anti-correlated between the blue-shifted and red-shifted lobes and may be periodic (with a period of $\sim$ 12-18 yr). We suggest that the continuum variability might be related to inner-disc oscillations which have also caused the jet precession., Comment: 26 pages, 22 figures, 2 mpeg files, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics

ALTA project has been active since 2016, providing, at LBT observatory site, forecasts of atmospheric parameters, such as temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity and precipitable water vapor, and optical turbulence parameters, such as seeing, wavefront coherence time and isoplanatic angle with the final goal to support nightly the science operation of the LBT. Besides to the forecasts, during the years ALTA has been collecting statistics on the atmospheric conditions which can be used to draw a very accurate characterization of the climatology of the telescope site located on top of Mount Graham, Arizona. Such characterization can be used both for the optimization and calibration of the forecast model and as a reference for a model validation. The climatology of these parameters is conceived to be a further output of ALTA that will be upgraded on the website with time and it will be able to put in evidence trends at short as well as long time scales. In this contribution we present a climatological description of all the atmospheric parameters relevant for ground-based astronomy in order to provide to the scientific community a robust reference of the bserving conditions at LBT. The study is performed using on-site measurements provided by DIMM and atmospheric sensors over several years and made available in the telescope telemetry data., Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures

Recent observations have shown that the atmospheres of ultra hot Jupiters (UHJs) commonly possess temperature inversions, where the temperature increases with increasing altitude. Nonetheless, which opacity sources are responsible for the presence of these inversions remains largely observationally unconstrained. We used LBT/PEPSI to observe the atmosphere of the UHJ KELT-20 b in both transmission and emission in order to search for molecular agents which could be responsible for the temperature inversion. We validate our methodology by confirming previous detections of Fe I in emission at $16.9\sigma$. Our search for the inversion agents TiO, VO, FeH, and CaH results in non-detections. Using injection-recovery testing we set $4\sigma$ upper limits upon the volume mixing ratios for these constituents as low as $\sim1\times10^{-9}$ for TiO. For TiO, VO, and CaH, our limits are much lower than expectations from an equilibrium chemical model, while we cannot set constraining limits on FeH with our data. We thus rule out TiO and CaH as the source of the temperature inversion in KELT-20 b, and VO only if the line lists are sufficiently accurate., Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in AJ

The study of exoplanets and especially their atmospheres can reveal key insights on their evolution by identifying specific atmospheric species. For such atmospheric investigations, high-resolution transmission spectroscopy has shown great success, especially for Jupiter-type planets. Towards the atmospheric characterization of smaller planets, the super-Earth exoplanet 55 Cnc e is one of the most promising terrestrial exoplanets studied to date. Here, we present a high-resolution spectroscopic transit observation of this planet, acquired with the PEPSI instrument at the Large Binocular Telescope. Assuming the presence of Earth-like crust species on the surface of 55 Cnc e, from which a possible silicate-vapor atmosphere could have originated, we search in its transmission spectrum for absorption of various atomic and ionized species such as Fe , Fe+, Ca , Ca+, Mg and K , among others. Not finding absorption for any of the investigated species, we are able to set absorption limits with a median value of 1.9 x RP. In conclusion, we do not find evidence of a widely extended silicate envelope on this super-Earth reaching several planetary radii., Comment: MNRAS, in press

Unraveling the geological processes ongoing at Io's numerous sites of active volcanism requires high spatial resolution to, for example, measure the areal coverage of lava flows or identify the presence of multiple emitting regions within a single volcanic center. In de Kleer et al. (2017) we described observations with the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) during an occultation of Io by Europa at ~6:17 UT on 2015 March 08, and presented a map of the temperature distribution within Loki Patera derived from these data. Here we present emission maps of three other volcanic centers derived from the same observation: Pillan Patera, Kurdalagon Patera, and the vicinity of Ulgen Patera/PV59/N Lerna Regio. The emission is localized by the light curves and resolved into multiple distinct emitting regions in two of the cases. Both Pillan and Kurdalagon Paterae had undergone eruptions in the months prior to our observations, and the location and intensity of the emission is interpreted in the context of the temporal evolution of these eruptions observed from other facilities. The emission from Kurdalagon Patera is resolved into two distinct emitting regions separated by only a few degrees in latitude that were unresolved by Keck observations from the same month.

Little is known about Earth quasi-satellites, a class of near-Earth small solar system bodies that orbit the sun but remain close to the Earth, because they are faint and difficult to observe. Here we use the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) and the Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT) to conduct a comprehensive physical characterization of quasi-satellite (469219) Kamo`oalewa and assess its affinity with other groups of near-Earth objects. We find that (469219) Kamo`oalewa rotates with a period of 28.3 (+1.8/-1.3) minutes and displays a reddened reflectance spectrum from 0.4-2.2 microns. This spectrum is indicative of a silicate-based composition, but with reddening beyond what is typically seen amongst asteroids in the inner solar system. We compare the spectrum to those of several material analogs and conclude that the best match is with lunar-like silicates. This interpretation implies extensive space weathering and raises the prospect that Kamo`oalewa could comprise lunar material., Comment: Published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are classified as long and short events. Long GRBs (LGRBs) are associated with the end states of very massive stars, while short GRBs (SGRBs) are linked to the merger of compact objects. GRB 200826A was a peculiar event, because by definition it was a SGRB, with a rest-frame duration of ~ 0.5 s. However, this event was energetic and soft, which is consistent with LGRBs. The relatively low redshift (z = 0.7486) motivated a comprehensive, multi-wavelength follow-up campaign to characterize its host, search for a possible associated supernova (SN), and thus understand the origin of this burst. To this aim we obtained a combination of deep near-infrared (NIR) and optical imaging together with spectroscopy. Our analysis reveals an optical and NIR bump in the light curve whose luminosity and evolution is in agreement with several LGRB-SNe. Analysis of the prompt GRB shows that this event follows the $E_{\rm p,i}-E_{\rm iso}$ relation found for LGRBs. The host galaxy is a low-mass star-forming galaxy, typical for LGRBs, but with one of the highest star-formation rates (SFR), especially with respect to its mass ($\log M_\ast/M_\odot = 8.6$, SFR $\sim 4.0 \,M_\odot$/yr). We conclude that GRB 200826A is a typical collapsar event in the low tail of the duration distribution of LGRBs. These findings support theoretical predictions that events produced by collapsars can be as short as 0.5 s in the host frame and further confirm that duration alone is not an efficient discriminator for the progenitor class of a GRB., Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

With the conclusion of the third observing run for Advanced LIGO/Virgo (O3), we present a detailed analysis of both triggered and serendipitous observations of 17 gravitational wave (GW) events (7 triggered and 10 purely serendipitous) from the Searches After Gravitational-waves Using ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO) program. We searched a total of 4935 deg$^2$ down to a median 5$\sigma$ transient detection depth of 21.1 AB mag using the Mt Lemmon 1.5 m telescope, the discovery engine for SAGUARO. In addition to triggered events within 24~hours, our transient search encompassed a time interval following GW events of $<120$~hrs, providing observations on $\sim$ 1/2 of the events accessible to the Mt Lemmon 1.5 m telescope. We covered 2.1--86\% of the LVC total probability ($P_{\rm total}$) for individual events, with a median $P_{\rm total} \approx 8\%$ within $<120$~hours. Following improvements to our pipeline and the addition of serendipitous observations, we find a total of 7 new optical candidates across 5 GW events which we are unable to rule out after searching for additional information and comparing to kilonova models. Using both publicly available and our own late-time data, we investigated a total of 252 optical candidates for these 17 events, finding only 65\% were followed up in some capacity by the community. Of the total 252 candidates, we are able to rule out an additional 12 previously reported counterpart candidates. In light of these results, we discuss lessons learned from the SAGUARO GW counterpart search. We discuss how community coordination of observations and candidate follow-up, as well as the role of archival data, are crucial to improving the efficiency of follow-up efforts and preventing unnecessary duplication of effort with limited EM resources., Comment: 44 pages, 21 figures, 2 tables, submitted to ApJ

Since 2014, the LBT's First Light Adaptive Optics (FLAO) system has also included a seldom used capability, known as Enhanced Seeing Mode (ESM), that can improve the angular resolution over a 4' x 4' field of view (FOV). In full AO operation, FLAO provides diffraction limited (DL) capabilities over a small (30" x 30") FOV. By comparison, ESM can achieve significantly enhanced resolution, over natural seeing, across a far larger FOV. This improves operational efficiency over standard seeing limited (SL) observations and is applicable across a broader range of scientific targets. ESM uses 11 modes of correction (including tip and tilt) to remove residual aberrations and jitter which significantly improves angular resolution over the full FOV. While this mode does not reach the DL, it can achieve uniform angular resolutions as good as 0".22 over the FOV. Furthermore, it allows for the use of multi-object spectroscopy with R~10,000 or imaging with angular resolution similar to that achieved by the Wide-Field Camera 3 infrared channel on the Hubble Space Telescope, but powered by 11.6 meters of effective aperture in binocular mode. As part of the on-going characterization of ESM, we have demonstrated that even in poor seeing conditions (1".5-2") the image quality delivered to the focal station is improved by factors of 2-3. Here, we present the first results of the characterization of ESM, including systematic tests of the delivered PSF across the FOV as a function of the brightness of, and distance from, the AO Reference Star. We present a range of galactic and extra-galactic targets showing the improvements obtained over a broad range of seeing conditions and propose ESM as a standard observational mode for near-Infrared observations., Comment: AO4ELT6 Conference Proceedings, 10 pages, 6 Figures

The composition of comets in the Solar System come in multiple groups thought to encode information about their formation in different regions of the outer protosolar disk. The recent discovery of the second interstellar object, 2I/Borisov, allows for spectroscopic investigations into its gas content and a preliminary classification of it within the Solar System comet taxonomies to test the applicability of planetesimal formation models to other stellar systems. We present spectroscopic and imaging observations from 2019 September 20th to October 26th at the Bok, MMT, and LBT telescopes. We identify CN in the comet's spectrum and set precise upper limits on the abundance of C2 on all dates. We use a Haser model to convert our integrated fluxes to production rates and find Q(CN) = 5.0 +/- 2.0 * 10^24 mol/s on September 20th and Q(CN) = 1.1 - 1.9 * 10^24 mol/s on later dates, both consistent with contemporaneous observations. We set our lowest upper limit on a C2 production rate, Q(C2) < 1.6 * 10^23 mol/s, on October 10th. The measured ratio upper limit for that date, Q(C2)/Q(CN) < 0.095 indicates that 2I/Borisov is strongly in the (carbon chain) 'depleted' taxonomic group. The only comparable Solar System comets have detected ratios near this limit, making 2I/Borisov statistically likely to be more depleted than any known comet. Most 'depleted' comets are Jupiter Family Comets, perhaps indicating a similiarity in formation conditions between the most depleted of the JFCs and 2I/Borisov. More work is needed to understand the applicability of our knowledge of Solar System comet taxonomies onto interstellar objects, and we discuss future work that could help clarify the usefulness of the approach., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, in revision at Astrophysical Journal Letters with new data

We present Searches After Gravitational-waves Using ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO), a comprehensive effort dedicated to the discovery and characterization of optical counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) events. SAGUARO utilizes ground-based facilities ranging from 1.5m to 10m in diameter, located primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. We provide an overview of SAGUARO's telescopic resources, pipeline for transient detection, and database for candidate visualization. We describe SAGUARO's discovery component, which utilizes the $5$~deg$^2$ field-of-view optical imager on the Mt. Lemmon 1.5m telescope, reaching limits of $\approx 21.3$~AB mag while rapidly tiling large areas. We also describe the follow-up component of SAGUARO, used for rapid vetting and monitoring of optical candidates. With the onset of Advanced LIGO/Virgo's third observing run, we present results from the first three SAGUARO searches following the GW events S190408an, S190425z and S190426c, which serve as a valuable proof-of-concept of SAGUARO. We triggered and searched 15, 60 and 60 deg$^{2}$ respectively, 17.6, 1.4 and 41.8 hrs after the initial GW alerts. We covered 7.8, 3.0 and 5.1\% of the total probability within the GW event localizations, reaching 3$\sigma$ limits of 19.8, 21.3 and 20.8 AB mag, respectively. Although no viable counterparts associated with these events were found, we recovered 6 known transients and ruled out 5 potential candidates. We also present Large Binocular Telescope spectroscopy of PS19eq/SN2019ebq, a promising kilonova candidate that was later determined to be a supernova. With the ability to tile large areas and conduct detailed follow-up, SAGUARO represents a significant addition to GW counterpart searches., Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Accepted to ApJL

Unexpected dynamic phenomena have surprised solar system observers in the past and have led to important discoveries about solar system workings. Observations at the initial stages of these events provide crucial information on the physical processes at work. We advocate for long-term/permanent programs on ground-based and space-based telescopes of all sizes - including Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) - to conduct observations of high-priority dynamic phenomena, based on a predefined set of triggering conditions. These programs will ensure that the best initial dataset of the triggering event are taken; separate additional observing programs will be required to study the temporal evolution of these phenomena. While not a comprehensive list, the following are notional examples of phenomena that are rare, that cannot be anticipated, and that provide high-impact advances to our understandings of planetary processes. Examples include: new cryovolcanic eruptions or plumes on ocean worlds; impacts on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune; extreme eruptions on Io; convective superstorms on Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune; collisions within the asteroid belt or other small-body populations; discovery of an interstellar object passing through our solar system (e.g. 'Oumuamua); and responses of planetary atmospheres to major solar flares or coronal mass ejections., Comment: Astro2020 white paper

Context. Pluto's tenuous nitrogen (N2) atmosphere undergoes strong seasonal effects due to high obliquity and orbital eccentricity, and has been recently (July 2015) observed by the New Horizons spacecraft. Goals are (i) construct a well calibrated record of the seasonal evolution of surface pressure on Pluto and (ii) constrain the structure of the lower atmosphere using a central flash observed in 2015. Method: eleven stellar occultations by Pluto observed between 2002 and 2016 are used to retrieve atmospheric profiles (density, pressure, temperature) between $\sim$5 km and $\sim$380 km altitude levels (i.e. pressures from about 10 microbar to 10 nanobar). Results: (i) Pressure has suffered a monotonic increase from 1988 to 2016, that is compared to a seasonal volatile transport model, from which tight constraints on a combination of albedo and emissivity of N2 ice are derived; (ii) A central flash observed on 2015 June 29 is consistent with New Horizons REX profiles, provided that (a) large diurnal temperature variations (not expected by current models) occur over Sputnik Planitia and/or (b) hazes with tangential optical depth of about 0.3 are present at 4-7 km altitude levels and/or (c) the nominal REX density values are overestimated by an implausibly large factor of about 20% and/or (d) higher terrains block part of the flash in the Charon facing hemisphere., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures

Having completed its commissioning phase, the Advanced Rayleigh guided Ground-layer adaptive Optics System (ARGOS) facility is coming online for scientific observations at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). With six Rayleigh laser guide stars in two constellations and the corresponding wavefront sensing, ARGOS corrects the ground-layer distortions for both LBT 8.4m eyes with their adaptive secondary mirrors. Under regular observing conditions, this set-up delivers a point spread function (PSF) size reduction by a factor of ~2--3 compared to a seeing-limited operation. With the two LUCI infrared imaging and multi-object spectroscopy instruments receiving the corrected images, observations in the near-infrared can be performed at high spatial and spectral resolution. We discuss the final ARGOS technical set-up and the adaptive optics performance. We show that imaging cases with ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO) are enhancing several scientific programmes, from cluster colour magnitude diagrams and Milky Way embedded star formation, to nuclei of nearby galaxies or extragalactic lensing fields. In the unique combination of ARGOS with the multi-object near-infrared spectroscopy available in LUCI over a 4x4 arcmin field of view, the first scientific observations have been performed on local and high-z objects. Those high spatial and spectral resolution observations demonstrate the capabilities now at hand with ARGOS at the LBT., Comment: 21 pages, 28 figures

We review the current status of the facility instrumentation for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The LBT has 2x 8.4m primary mirrors on a single mount with an effective collecting area of 11.8m or 23m when interferometrically combined. The facility instruments are: 1) the Large Binocular Cameras (LBCs), each with a 23'x25' field of view (FOV). The blue and red optimized optical LBCs are mounted at the prime focus of the left and right primary mirrors, respectively. The filter suite of the two LBCs covers 0.3-1.1{\mu}m, including the new TiO (0.78{\mu}m) and CN (0.82{\mu}m) filters; 2) the Multi-Object Double Spectrograph (MODS), two identical optical spectrographs each mounted at a straight through f/15 Gregorian mount. MODS-1 & -2 can do imaging with Sloan filters and medium resolution (R~2000) spectroscopy, each with 24 interchangeable masks (multi-object or longslit) over a 6'x6' FOV. Each MODS is capable of blue (0.32-0.6{\mu}m) and red (0.5-1.05{\mu}m) wavelength only coverage or, using a dichroic, 0.32-1.05{\mu}m coverage; and 3) the two LBT Utility Camera in the Infrared instruments (LUCIs), each mounted at a bent-front Gregorian f/15 port. LUCI-1 & 2 are designed for seeing-limited (4'x4'FOV) and AO (0.5'x0.5' FOV) imaging & spectroscopy over 0.95-2.5{\mu}m with spectroscopic resolutions of R~400-11000, including 32 interchangeable cryogenically cooled masks. All facility instruments are on the LBT and, for the first time, have been on-sky for science. We also report on the first science use of "mixed-mode" (differently paired instruments). While both primary mirrors reside on a single fixed mount, they are capable of operating independently within a defined "co-pointing" limit. This provides users with the additional capability to independently dither each mirror or center observations on two different sets of spatial coordinates within this limit. (ABRIDGED), Comment: Published in Proceedings of the SPIE 9906, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VI, 990622 (July 27, 2016). Paper No. 9906-73. 20 pages, 9 Figures

Recent ALMA images of HL Tau show gaps in the dusty disk that may be caused by planetary bodies. Given the young age of this system, if confirmed, this finding would imply very short timescales for planet formation, probably in a gravitationally unstable disk. To test this scenario, we searched for young planets by means of direct imaging in the L'-band using the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer mid-infrared camera. At the location of two prominent dips in the dust distribution at ~70AU (~0.5") from the central star we reach a contrast level of ~7.5mag. We did not detect any point source at the location of the rings. Using evolutionary models we derive upper limits of ~10-15MJup at <=0.5-1Ma for the possible planets. With these sensitivity limits we should have been able to detect companions sufficiently massive to open full gaps in the disk. The structures detected at mm-wavelengths could be gaps in the distributions of large grains on the disk midplane, caused by planets not massive enough to fully open gaps. Future ALMA observations of the molecular gas density profile and kinematics as well as higher contrast infrared observations may be able to provide a definitive answer., Comment: Accepted for publication on ApJ Letters

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer is a NASA-funded nulling and imaging instrument designed to coherently combine the two 8.4-m primary mirrors of the LBT for high-sensitivity, high-contrast, and high-resolution infrared imaging (1.5-13 um). PHASECam is LBTI's near-infrared camera used to measure tip-tilt and phase variations between the two AO-corrected apertures and provide high-angular resolution observations. We report on the status of the system and describe its on-sky performance measured during the first semester of 2014. With a spatial resolution equivalent to that of a 22.8-meter telescope and the light-gathering power of single 11.8-meter mirror, the co-phased LBT can be considered to be a forerunner of the next-generation extremely large telescopes (ELT)., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Conference proceedings