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. Simon D.M. White

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

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.

Lately, the impact of magnetic fields in simulations of galaxy formation and evolution is being widely studied. A team of researchers from the astronomical Max Planck Institutes in Garching, the University Observatory in Munich, and the University of Konstanz have introduced a new galactic model with an explicitly modelled circum galactic medium (CGM) to investigate the impact of magnetic fields in an isolated simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy with the focus on the dynamo amplification of the magnetic field.

Dynamo-amplification and magnetic driven outflows in Milky Way-like galaxies

Lately, the impact of magnetic fields in simulations of galaxy formation and evolution is being widely studied. A team of researchers from the astronomical Max Planck Institutes in Garching, the University Observatory in Munich, and the University of Konstanz have introduced a new galactic model with an explicitly modelled circum galactic medium (CGM) to investigate the impact of magnetic fields in an isolated simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy with the focus on the dynamo amplification of the magnetic field.

NEWS at MPA

The ESA Planck satellite has found no new evidence for the puzzling cosmic anomalies that appeared in its initial temperature map of the Universe made public in 2013. The anomalies are faint features on the sky that appear at large angular scales. The Planck team now looked at the polarisation of the CMB, but their analysis, published today, revealed only some weak hints at best that some of the anomalies may be present. Using of polarization data to confirm or refute CMB anomalies was pioneered at MPA in 2010 by Mona Frommert and Torsten Enßlin. The latest study does not rule out the potential relevance of the anomalies for new physics but the mystery of the anomalies continues.

Planck finds no new evidence for cosmic anomalies

The ESA Planck satellite has found no new evidence for the puzzling cosmic anomalies that appeared in its initial temperature map of the Universe made public in 2013. The anomalies are faint features on the sky that appear at large angular scales. The Planck team now looked at the polarisation of the CMB, but their analysis, published today, revealed only some weak hints at best that some of the anomalies may be present. Using of polarization data to confirm or refute CMB anomalies was pioneered at MPA in 2010 by Mona Frommert and Torsten Enßlin. The latest study does not rule out the potential relevance of the anomalies for new physics but the mystery of the anomalies continues. [more]
Radio astronomers were able to identify a "stream" of magnetic fields and relativistic electrons along a filament that connects the galaxy clusters Abell 0399 and Abell 0401. Thanks to the data collected by the LOFAR (LOw-Frequency ARray) radio telescope, for the first time, it was possible to discover and measure these traces of the immense filaments of the cosmic web with observations at radio wavelengths. MPA operates one of the LOFAR antenna stations and participates in the search for diffuse radio emission from galaxy clusters and filaments.

A “cosmic aurora” lights up the connection between two galaxy clusters

Radio astronomers were able to identify a "stream" of magnetic fields and relativistic electrons along a filament that connects the galaxy clusters Abell 0399 and Abell 0401. Thanks to the data collected by the LOFAR (LOw-Frequency ARray) radio telescope, for the first time, it was possible to discover and measure these traces of the immense filaments of the cosmic web with observations at radio wavelengths. MPA operates one of the LOFAR antenna stations and participates in the search for diffuse radio emission from galaxy clusters and filaments. [more]
By Professor Anatoly Spitkovsky, Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University

Biermann Lectures 2019: Kinetic modeling of astrophysical plasmas

June 03, 2019

By Professor Anatoly Spitkovsky, Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University

[more]
 
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