Home | Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

The first all-sky survey performed by the eROSITA X-ray telescope on-board the SRG observatory has revealed a large hourglass-shaped structure in the Milky Way. These “eROSITA bubbles” show a striking similarity to the Fermi bubbles, detected a decade ago at even higher energies. The most likely explanation for these huge features is a massive energy injection from the Galactic centre region in the past, leading to shocks in the hot gaseous halo around our galaxy.

SRG/eROSITA detects large-scale X-ray bubbles encompassing the Fermi bubbles

Radio telescopes observe the sky in a very indirect fashion. Sky images in the radio frequency range therefore have to be computed using sophisticated algorithms. Scientists at the MPI for Astrophysics have developed a series of improvements for these algorithms, which help to improve the telescopes' resolution considerably.

Algorithmic improvements for radio interferometry

Dark matter is the most abundant matter component in the universe. But while it influences all structure in the universe, its nature is still unknown. Among the many candidates is ultra-light dark matter, the lightest possible candidate for dark matter, which been receiving a lot of attention recently, as this might be probed by current and future experiments. MPA researchers have written a review on the current status of these models and their search for observational markers, introducing a division into three classes and showing how the rich phenomenology of this leading candidate for dark matter could help answer the question of what dark matter really is.

The light and fuzzy side of dark matter

Emeritus Scientific Member and former Director of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

Rudolf Kippenhahn (24.5.1926 – 15.11.2020)

Using Planck data from the cosmic microwave background radiation, an international team of researchers has observed a hint of new physics. The team developed a new method to measure the polarization angle of the ancient light by calibrating it with dust emission from our own Milky Way. While the signal is not detected with enough precision to draw definite conclusions, it may suggest that dark matter or dark energy causes a violation of the so-called “parity symmetry”.

A hint of new physics in polarized radiation from the early Universe

How hot is the Universe today? How hot was it before? A new study, which has been published in the Astrophysical Journal, suggests that the mean temperature of gas in large structures of the Universe has increased ten times over the last 10 billion years, to reach about 2 million Kelvin today.

Taking the temperature of the Universe

Recently, astronomers discovered an extended glow of emission far beyond the stellar bodies of galaxies. While the emission is known to be associated with excited neutral hydrogen, the origin of this so called Lyman-alpha radiation is unknown. MPA researchers use new computational models to understand this emission, establishing that a large contribution is caused by light which originates from deep within galaxies but subsequently scatters at much larger distances.

Revealing the nature of a diffuse Lyman-alpha glow around galaxies

The Planck satellite mission to measure the cosmic microwave background radiation – the echo of the Big Bang – was completed in September 2020 with the publication of the final set of publications. In addition to groundbreaking insights into cosmology, the ESA mission also provided a large number of astrophysical results. A brief review.

Planck – mission accomplished

News at MPA

Note due to corona: Contacting MPA

To contain the spread of corona virus infections, the MPA has enacted certain changes to protect its employees. For the time being, the MPA will not offer public events, and its staff will not undertake travel or attend conferences. Meetings will primarily be held via video conferencing.
It might be difficult to reach some staff members by telephone, please use Email instead. Mail continues to be received. Please note, however, that there might be some delays in getting a response.
For information about MPG research on the Corona virus, please see here:

Stars, stars, stars

January 01, 2021

Selma E. de Mink appointed as director at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

Leibniz Prize 2021 for Volker Springel

December 10, 2020

The German Research Foundation DFG announced today that Volker Springel, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, will receive the most important research award in Germany: together with nine other scientists, he will receive the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2021 for his ground-breaking work in the field of numerical astrophysics.

January 2021

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

3CO Observations in Neary Galaxies on Kpc Scales

from 11:00 to 12:00

Deciphering the Kinematics of Galaxies in the first 1.5Gyr of the Universe

from 13:00 to 14:00

"The properties and evolution of star-forming galaxies at high redshifts”

from 11:00 to 12:00

"From disk to planet : unveiling planets and disks around young stars at the AU scale with the next generation of high-contrast, optical interferometric instruments”

from 10:00 to 11:00

"Average and not-so-average HI discs in the nearby Universe”

from 11:00 to 12:00

Über die Galaxie zum Nobelpreis

from 19:00 to 20:00

"The ACT SZ mass - MaDCoWS richness scaling relations"

from 15:00 to 16:00

"Icy conditions in protoplanetary disks: how and where to find the water snowline”

from 10:00 to 11:00

"Solving the core-cusp problem in Local Group dwarf spheroidals"

from 15:30 to 16:30

"The Neutron Decay Anomaly: how it may be a window to new Physics"

from 17:00 to 18:00

"The adventure of microarcsecond astrometry from space: challenges, results and promises of Gaia"

from 17:15 to 18:30

"Changing-Look (CL) AGN and accretion disk instabilities"

from 12:00 to 13:00

"On the duration of the embedded phase of star formation"

from 10:30 to 11:30

"TBA"

from 15:15 to 16:15

Upcoming seminars

"Solving the core-cusp problem in Local Group dwarf spheroidals"

Jan 25, 2021 15:30 - 16:30

MPA, Garching, Room: online - zoom

"The Neutron Decay Anomaly: how it may be a window to new Physics"

Jan 25, 2021 17:00 - 18:00

online only

"The adventure of microarcsecond astrometry from space: challenges, results and promises of Gaia"

Jan 25, 2021 17:15 - 18:30

online - zoom

"Changing-Look (CL) AGN and accretion disk instabilities"

Jan 26, 2021 12:00 - 13:00

online only

"On the duration of the embedded phase of star formation"

Jan 27, 2021 10:30 - 11:30

MPE, Room: online - zoom

"TBA"

Jan 28, 2021 15:15 - 16:15

online only

Job Offers

NINS Postdoctoral Research Fellow

November 30, 2020

All news

About MPA

Structure

Managing Director
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel

Scientific Members, Kollegium, Directors
Dr. Selma E. de Mink
Prof. Dr. Guinevere Kauffmann
Prof. Dr. Eiichiro Komatsu
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel

Emeritus Directors
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hillebrandt
Prof. Dr. Rashid Sunyaev
Prof. Dr. Simon White

External Scientific Members
Prof. Dr. Martin Asplund
Prof. Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki
Prof. Dr. Werner Tscharnuter

Head of the administration
Hendrik Wanger

Contact

Press and Public Relations
Dr. Hannelore Haemmerle
Phone: 089 30000-3980
Cornelia Rickl
Phone: 089 30000-2201
Dr. Hans-Thomas Janka
Phone: 089 30000-2228

email: pr@mpa-garching.mpg.de

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching
Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1
Postfach 1317
D-85741 Garching, Germany

Click for Travel directions