Contact

Dr. Hannelore Hämmerle
Press Officer
Phone:+49 89 30000-3980
Email:pr@...

MPI for Astrophysics

https://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/

Structure

Managing Director
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel

Scientific Members, Kollegium, Directors
Prof. Dr. Guinevere Kauffmann
Prof. Dr. Eiichiro Komatsu
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel
Prof. Dr. Simon D.M. White

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

Head of the administration
Hendrik Wanger

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

Seminars

All events

Current research at MPA

New cosmological simulations targeting the evolution of the first quasars and their host galaxies now follow the effects of radiation from young stars on the interstellar medium. As the international team shows, stellar radiation can alter both the properties of the quasar host galaxy and its satellites, making them more diffuse and less tightly-bound. Satellites are more easily disrupted by the strong tidal forces of the massive central galaxy, which therefore contains a smaller satellite population.

The hidden satellites of the first massive galaxies and quasars

New cosmological simulations targeting the evolution of the first quasars and their host galaxies now follow the effects of radiation from young stars on the interstellar medium. As the international team shows, stellar radiation can alter both the properties of the quasar host galaxy and its satellites, making them more diffuse and less tightly-bound. Satellites are more easily disrupted by the strong tidal forces of the massive central galaxy, which therefore contains a smaller satellite population.

The Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium contributes substantially to the matter budget in the Universe – but it is only poorly studied, as it is very difficult to observe. Researchers at MPA have now predicted how it can be explored using heavier elements as tracers. Due to scattering of the cosmic X-ray background some of this line emission can be boosted substantially and should be accessible by the upcoming X-ray survey missions.

X-ray emission from Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium

The Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium contributes substantially to the matter budget in the Universe – but it is only poorly studied, as it is very difficult to observe. Researchers at MPA have now predicted how it can be explored using heavier elements as tracers. Due to scattering of the cosmic X-ray background some of this line emission can be boosted substantially and should be accessible by the upcoming X-ray survey missions.
A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, the University Observatory Munich, and collaborators have investigated the effect of heat conduction on the evolution of supernova blast waves and the structure of the supernova-driven interstellar medium (ISM). They find that thermal conduction has a strong impact on the volume filling fractions of cold, warm and hot gas. Thermal conduction also plays an important role for an accurate description of the hot ISM phase structure and the chemical composition of the cold phase of the turbulent ISM.

Heat conduction in the Interstellar Medium

A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, the University Observatory Munich, and collaborators have investigated the effect of heat conduction on the evolution of supernova blast waves and the structure of the supernova-driven interstellar medium (ISM). They find that thermal conduction has a strong impact on the volume filling fractions of cold, warm and hot gas. Thermal conduction also plays an important role for an accurate description of the hot ISM phase structure and the chemical composition of the cold phase of the turbulent ISM.
For the first time MPA scientists and European collaborators have simulated the solar neighborhood interstellar medium (ISM), including physical processes following all major thermal and non-thermal components - ionized, neutral and molecular gas, dust, interstellar radiation, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays in the presence of star formation. As the different processes strongly influence each other, the simulations highlight the importance of including them all for a realistic model of the star-forming ISM.

Towards a complete model of the interstellar medium

For the first time MPA scientists and European collaborators have simulated the solar neighborhood interstellar medium (ISM), including physical processes following all major thermal and non-thermal components - ionized, neutral and molecular gas, dust, interstellar radiation, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays in the presence of star formation. As the different processes strongly influence each other, the simulations highlight the importance of including them all for a realistic model of the star-forming ISM.
Recent high-resolution microwave and X-ray observations of the galaxy cluster RX J1347-1145 offer a new diagnosis tool of gas motion. Probing different parameters of the hot gas in galaxy clusters, these observations allow the MPA scientists to distinguish between gentle and violent motion of gas stirred by encounters with smaller sub-clusters.

Sloshed and shocked: diagnosing gas motion in galaxy clusters

Recent high-resolution microwave and X-ray observations of the galaxy cluster RX J1347-1145 offer a new diagnosis tool of gas motion. Probing different parameters of the hot gas in galaxy clusters, these observations allow the MPA scientists to distinguish between gentle and violent motion of gas stirred by encounters with smaller sub-clusters.
Models of the large-scale structure of galaxies in the Universe suffer from serious limitations, when artificial boundaries are imposed at the virial radius of the dark matter halo. As MPA scientists demonstrate, environmental effects vary smoothly across the traditionally adopted halo boundary and need to be taken into account even in low-density environments.

Galaxy physics beyond the halo boundary

Models of the large-scale structure of galaxies in the Universe suffer from serious limitations, when artificial boundaries are imposed at the virial radius of the dark matter halo. As MPA scientists demonstrate, environmental effects vary smoothly across the traditionally adopted halo boundary and need to be taken into account even in low-density environments.
An international team of more than 200 astronomers from 18 countries has published the first phase of a major new sky survey at unprecedented sensitivity using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope. The survey reveals hundreds of thousands of previously undetected galaxies, shedding new light on many research areas including the physics of black holes and how clusters of galaxies evolve.

Astronomers publish new sky map detecting hundreds of thousands of previously unknown galaxies

An international team of more than 200 astronomers from 18 countries has published the first phase of a major new sky survey at unprecedented sensitivity using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope. The survey reveals hundreds of thousands of previously undetected galaxies, shedding new light on many research areas including the physics of black holes and how clusters of galaxies evolve.
The Information Field Theory Group at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics has released a new version of the NIFTy software for scientific imaging. NIFTy5 generates an optimal imaging algorithm from the complex probability model of a measured signal. Such algorithms have already proven themselves in a number of astronomical applications and can now be used in other areas as well.

Next generation imaging

The Information Field Theory Group at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics has released a new version of the NIFTy software for scientific imaging. NIFTy5 generates an optimal imaging algorithm from the complex probability model of a measured signal. Such algorithms have already proven themselves in a number of astronomical applications and can now be used in other areas as well.

NEWS at MPA

The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste has awarded its 2019 Dirac Medal and Prize to three physicists whose research has made a profound impact on modern cosmology. Rashid Sunyaev (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics) shares the prize with Viatcheslav Mukhanov (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) and Alexei Starobinsky (Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics) for “their outstanding contributions to the physics of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) with experimentally tested implications that have helped to transform cosmology into a precision scientific discipline by combining microscopic physics with the large scale structure of the Universe.” All three winners have made important contributions to the understanding of the early Universe in the context of inflationary cosmology.

Dirac Medal 2019 awarded to Rashid Sunyaev

August 08, 2019

The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste has awarded its 2019 Dirac Medal and Prize to three physicists whose research has made a profound impact on modern cosmology. Rashid Sunyaev (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics) shares the prize with Viatcheslav Mukhanov (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) and Alexei Starobinsky (Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics) for “their outstanding contributions to the physics of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) with experimentally tested implications that have helped to transform cosmology into a precision scientific discipline by combining microscopic physics with the large scale structure of the Universe.” All three winners have made important contributions to the understanding of the early Universe in the context of inflationary cosmology.

[more]
During this year’s MPA summer get-together, Aoife Boyle received the 2018 Kippenhahn Prize for the best student paper at MPA for her publication on “Understanding the neutrino mass constraints achievable by combining CMB lensing and spectroscopic galaxy surveys”. The selection committee was very impressed by her single author paper, which in today’s publishing culture is quite rare.

Kippenhahn Prize 2018 for single author paper by Aoife Boyle

July 24, 2019

During this year’s MPA summer get-together, Aoife Boyle received the 2018 Kippenhahn Prize for the best student paper at MPA for her publication on “Understanding the neutrino mass constraints achievable by combining CMB lensing and spectroscopic galaxy surveys”. The selection committee was very impressed by her single author paper, which in today’s publishing culture is quite rare.

[more]
The HEPP division of the European Physical Society awarded the 2019 Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi Prize to the WMAP and Planck Collaborations. The prize recognizes an outstanding contribution to Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology and is awarded for providing high-precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization anisotropies, leading to detailed information on properties of the universe and tests of cosmological models and fundamental physics. The award ceremony took place during the EPS-HEPP Conference in Ghent, Belgium, on 15 July 2019. The full citation for the 2019 EPS Cocconi Prize can be found here:

Planck and WMAP receive EPS HEPP Prize

The HEPP division of the European Physical Society awarded the 2019 Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi Prize to the WMAP and Planck Collaborations. The prize recognizes an outstanding contribution to Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology and is awarded for providing high-precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization anisotropies, leading to detailed information on properties of the universe and tests of cosmological models and fundamental physics.

The award ceremony took place during the EPS-HEPP Conference in Ghent, Belgium, on 15 July 2019. The full citation for the 2019 EPS Cocconi Prize can be found here: [more]
On July 13, 2019, at 14:31 CEST the Russian-German Spectrum-RG satellite mission has been launched from the Baikonur Kosmodrom by a Proton rocket. The space observatory carries two multi-mirror grazing incidence X-ray telescopes: eROSITA, built by the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (Garching, Germany), and ART-XC, built by the Space Research Institute (Moscow, Russia). After a spectacular launch the spacecraft attained 3-axis stabilization and started its 100-day long journey to the Lagrange point L2 of the Sun-Earth system.

Successful launch of the Spectrum-RG mission

July 13, 2019

On July 13, 2019, at 14:31 CEST the Russian-German Spectrum-RG satellite mission has been launched from the Baikonur Kosmodrom by a Proton rocket. The space observatory carries two multi-mirror grazing incidence X-ray telescopes: eROSITA, built by the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (Garching, Germany), and ART-XC, built by the Space Research Institute (Moscow, Russia). After a spectacular launch the spacecraft attained 3-axis stabilization and started its 100-day long journey to the Lagrange point L2 of the Sun-Earth system. [more]
 
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