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New Hubble Constant Measurement Strengthens Discrepancy in Universe's Expansion Rate

Cosmic Magnifying Glasses Yield Independent Measure of Universe's Expansion

Rather than trying to study special regions in large-volume simulations, scientists at MPA have used the IllustrisTNG model to create whole separate universes with a modified cosmology. Their study of these separate universes shows that when the baryon density (the density of ordinary matter) changes, the number of galaxies can increase or decrease depending on how this number is measured. Also, the large-scale distribution of matter is affected by the effects of baryons, with various measures reacting differently.

Galaxy formation in separate universes

Galactic fountains and carousels

Quasars are amongst the brightest non-transient sources in the sky. Thanks to their high luminosity, they can be observed even at early cosmic times, where – surprisingly – these first quasars appear as already evolved systems: with black holes with masses exceeding one billion solar masses hosted by massive and heavily star forming galaxies. To explain such rapid growth, theorists believe these systems must reside in peculiarly dense environments, where huge gas reservoirs favour efficient inflow of material onto seed super-massive black holes. An international team of astronomers has recently found the first clear observational evidence that this is indeed the case. The new “panoramic” spectrograph called MUSE unveiled, for the first time, the almost ubiquitous presence of large amounts of cool gas in close proximity to the first quasars. This pristine fuel will fall on the primordial galaxies and sustain their growth in both stellar and black hole mass.

Cool dense hydrogen gas around the first quasars

Globular clusters are the densest gravitationally bound stellar systems in the Universe. They are found in all galaxy types, even low mass dwarf galaxies and they can be almost as old as the Universe. The formation mechanisms of these enigmatic systems are not yet understood. Scientist at MPA and the University of Helsinki, together with international collaborators, have now presented the first hydro-dynamical simulation at sub-parsec resolution following the entire formation history of spatially resolved globular cluster candidates in merging dwarf galaxies. This provides a general model for the formation of metal-poor globular clusters in chemically unevolved starbursting environments of low-mass galaxies at high redshifts.

Globular cluster formation deciphered

Simulation, originally developed for cosmology, shows that a strong magnetic field is indeed produced in the merger of two stars

An irresistible pull – when massive stars collide

The expansion rate of the Universe today is described by the so-called Hubble constant and different techniques have come to inconsistent results about how fast our Universe actually does expand. An international team led by the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) has now used two gravitational lenses as new tools to calibrate the distances to hundreds of observed supernovae and thus measure a fairly high value for the Hubble constant. While the uncertainty is still relatively large, this is higher than that inferred from the cosmic microwave background.

High value for Hubble constant from two gravitational lenses

News at MPA

SRG begins all-sky survey

December 18, 2019

The Spectrum-RG observatory, launched from Baikonur on July 13, 2019, now begins with scanning the entire sky. On December 8, the spacecraft moving on a wide orbit around the L2 liberation point at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres started rotating around the axis directed towards the Earth. Both, the ART-XC and eROSITA telescopes began scanning the sky along the big circle on the celestial sphere, thus marking the start of the 4-years long all-sky survey.

Of harps, Christmas trees, a wandering star and the mysterious streams of cosmic rays

December 19, 2019

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP), and the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching (MPA), have investigated galactic radio objects that adopt shapes such as Christmas trees and harps. They were able to answer the old question of the transport of cosmic rays.

Progress in understanding the brightest explosions in the Universe

January 24, 2020

Some unidentified features in one of the brightest stellar explosions ever witnessed, SN 2006gy, have now been explained by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. The spectral lines arise from neutral iron - very unusual for such a high-energy event - and imply that more than a third of a solar mass of this heavy element was created. The dominance of iron in the spectrum rules out several previously proposed scenarios for SN 2006gy and instead opened up the door for a new one.

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Constraining SN Ia explosion models from nebular phase spectroscopy

from 15:30 to 16:30

The cosmic evolution of star formation and molecular gas from archive mining

from 11:00 to 12:00

ASKAP's ORCs, AGN and SNRs - early results

from 11:00 to 12:00

The young and the wild: What happens to protoclusters forming at z=4?

from 15:00 to 16:00

The Standard Model is Just the Beginning

from 14:00 to 15:00

Exploring the primordial Universe

from 15:30 to 16:30

"Meet the speaker''

from 16:00 to 17:00

Aerosol - climate interactions, the distribution of aerosol impacts, and their implications for the social cost of carbon

from 17:15 to 18:30

Tracing mass accretion in the young population of the NGC1333 cluster

from 10:00 to 11:00

Quenching star formation in massive galaxies

from 12:00 to 13:00

How Not to Measure the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

from 10:45 to 11:45

The ExoMol project: molecular line lists for the opacity of exoplanets and other hot atmospheres

from 14:00 to 15:00

The Supercooled Universe

from 14:00 to 15:00

Planet Formation Post-Kepler

from 15:15 to 16:00

Upcoming seminars

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Feb 11, 2020 19:00 - 20:30

Stragula, Bergmannstr. 66, 80339 München (U5 Schwanthaler Höhe)

Galaktische Archäologie: Öffentlicher Vortrag zur Würdigung von Frauen in der Astronomie

Feb 11, 2020 19:00 - 20:00

ESO, Room: Planetarium

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About MPA

Structure

Managing Director
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel

Scientific Members, Kollegium, Directors
Prof. Dr. Guinevere Kauffmann
Prof. Dr. Eiichiro Komatsu
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel

Emeritus Scientific Members
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

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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

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