News at MPA

New Simulations Reveal the Secrets of 'Little Red Dots' more

Many massive stars were once part of binary systems, but their exciting past is often lost – at least it was so far. A new study at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and the University of Bonn has now found a new method to identify stars that once gained mass from a companion – stars that now appear as single objects but carry the chemical scars of their binary youth. Using a unique “chemical fingerprint” – independent of specific evolutionary models – they were able to reconstruct the binary histories of massive stars. The method has already reclassified the well-studied star γ Columbae as a former mass gainer – challenging long-held assumptions about its origin– and offered new insight into the supernova SN 1987A’s progenitor. more

Juma Kamulali is the first astrophysics PhD graduate from Kyambogo University in Uganda. In collaboration with the partner group of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), he conducted ground-breaking research that introduces a powerful new machine-learning tool, MAISTEP, which enables the precise determination of stellar properties from basic observational data. Applying this method to thousands of exoplanet-host stars, Kamulali discovered a clearer, deeper 'radius valley' between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, shedding new light on planetary evolution and atmospheric loss. more

On 8 July, the Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik (MPA) honoure two outstanding early-career researchers, Teresa Braun and Aniket Bhagwat, with the Kippenhahn Prize for groundbreaking papers that have significantly advanced our understanding of the Sun and the early universe. The prize, which was established to promote excellence in scientific writing and original thinking, recognizes not only the depth of their discoveries but also the clarity and rigor of their presentation.
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The IAU has announced the winners of its annual PhD prizes, including MPA postdoc Claude Cournoyer-Cloutier, who was recognised for her thesis on the 'Dynamics and Feedback of Massive Binaries in Young Massive Star Clusters'.
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Today, the European Research Council (ERC) announced that two researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics will receive an Advanced Grant to pursue ambitious projects. MPA director Eiichiro Komatsu will investigate New Physics from the Polarized Light of the Cosmic Microwave Background (NewPhysCMB), while Sherry Suyu, who is also a professor at the Technical University Munich, will be constraining the Hubble constant, Supernova Ia progenitors, and emissions of tidally disrupted stars near black holes (LENS-ON-FIRE). In total, 319 leading researchers across Europe were selected to receive funding worth €838 million in the framework of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. more

Eight Max Planck Society scientists have been awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) in its latest funding cycle, each receiving up to €2.5 million for a period of five years to conduct their research projects. more