Main Scientific Results

Primordial abundances of light elements

Confirmation of primordial origin of the Li in halo stars after Spite & Spite 1982. First etermination of Li in Turn-Off stars of Globular clusters. First determination of primordial Deuterium in a Damped Ly$\alpha$ galaxy. First observation of Light elements produced by spallation processes Be and B in halo stars which indirectly prove that the Lithium in the same stars is primordial. Rebolo et al (1988 A & A 192); Bonifacio and Molaro (1997 MNRAS 285); Molaro and Pasquini (1994 A & A 281), Molaro et al (1995 A & A 295); Molaro et al (2007, A & A 462); D'Odorico et al (2002 A & A 368); Molaro and Beckman (1984, A & A 139); Molaro (1987 A & A 183).

First stars

First spectroscopic follow up and confirmation of extremely metal poor stars around [Fe/H]~ -4 selected with the H & K technique. This is currently one of the most effective way to find metal poor stars. Participation in the R. Cayrel project on the first stars which established the chemical evolution of the Galactic halo. Discovery of the prototype of the CEMP-no (C-rich and no s-process elements) class of stars. These stars are likely the second generation of stars in the Universe. Molaro and Castelli (1990 A & A 228); Molaro and Bonifacio(1990 A & A 236); Primas et al (1994, A & A 307) Bonifacio et al (1998 A & A 332); Sivarani et al (2006 A & A 459).

Molecules at high redshift

One of the first detections of the rare molecular hydrogen at high redshift, with first evidence of H2 -dust correlation and of an ortho-para ratio suggestive of non-primordial origin ( Levshakov et al. 2000 A & A 361).

Primeval galaxies

First evidence of the chemical anomaly of the Damped Lyman-alpha galaxies with show low alpha over Fe-peak element ratios and anomalous Nitrogen abundances. I suggested the existence of a primary production of Nitrogen. Molaro et al (1996 A & A 308); Molaro et al (2001, ApJ 549); D'Odorico, Molaro (2004 A & A 415)

Temperature of the CMBT in the past

I made one of the few currently available measurements of the temperature of cosmic background radiation which is still the one at the highest redshift, z=3.0 (Molaro et al 2002 A & A 381, L64).

Nucleochronology and age of the Universe

Discovery of the r-process enriched stars with the first detection of Uranium outside the solar system and the determination of the age of the universe by means of nucleochronology. Cayrel et al 2001, Nature 409)

Variability of fundamental constants

A first sensitive bound of the proton-to-electron mass ration with UVES data and a series of papers challenging the claims on the variability of the fine structure Levshakov, Molaro et al (2002 MNRAS 333), (2005 A & A 434), (2006A & A 449), (2007 astro-ph/0703042); Molaro et al 2007 arXiv0712.4380, Molaro arXiv0712.4390, Molaro et al arXiv 0712.2949, Levshakov et al arXiv0712.2890, Levshakov eta al 2007, A & A 466,1077

High Resolution Spectrographs

Project Scientist of ESPRESSO. Member the science team of HIRES. In the past I was member of the science team of UVES, which is one of the most successful high resolution spectrographs. Molaro et al (2006 astroph/0601264); Pasquini, Molaro et al (2005 Messenger 122); Several papers about ESPRESSO and CODEX ( Liske et al arXiv0802.1532)

Comets

Determination of the potassium abundance in the PANSTARR (the second one available in comets) and a first significant upper limit in Lithium

Transit of Venus 2012

Detection of the Rossitter-MacLaughlin effect due to the Venus Transit the Sun in 2012. This is the more precise measure in radial velocity ever peformed with an agreement with the prediction within 5 cm/s

Transit of Earth as seen from Jupiter in 2014

Observation of the transit of Earth in front of the Sun as seen from Jupiter by exploting the solar light reflected by the Jupiter's moons Ganimede and Europa. Discovery of a new effect that we called the Inverse Rossitter-MacLaughlin effect.

CERES bright spot RV modulation

as soon as the spacecraft Dawn discovered the bright spots in Ceres in 2015 we detected the RV modulation induced by the albedo features of the dwarf planet, with some intruiging anomalies connected to the appearence of the bright spots in the Occator crater.

Art & Astronomy

With Pierluigi Selvelli we found the first painting of a telescope in a Jan Brueghel the Elder painting 1608-1611 and argued that it is one made by the unknown inventor of the telescope. We argued that a telescope depicted in the Allegory of Sight of 1617 is a telescope with a keplerian optical configuration (two convex lenses) which would make the first evidence of such telescope. I interpreted the Galileo's watercolours of the Moon as evidence that in the very first astronomical observations of 30 Oct 1609 Galileo was looking for evidence of the controversial secondary light of the Moon. I found a possible previously unknown portrait of a young Galileo Galilei and identified the lost portrait of Galileo made by Santi di Tito in 1601 in one portrait in the Padua museum presently attributed to J. Tintoretto. With Alberto Cappi I wrote an article on the Eureka by E.A. Poe showing that he was the first man conceiving an evolving Universe.