09.04.2025
As part of his PhD project, Sam Taziaux spent two months at the renowned CSIRO Institute in Perth, Australia. There he worked closely with George Heald, head of the SKAO headquarters in Perth, and Alec Thomson, both internationally recognised experts in the field of radio astronomy and the analysis of magnetic fields.
Sam's research project, which is part of A2, is dedicated to analysing cosmic ray transport and magnetic fields in dwarf galaxies. At CSIRO, he was able to benefit from the exceptional expertise there and was able to significantly improve the data reduction and analysis of his observed ATCA and MeerKAT data.
The stay was not only a great professional enhancement for Sam, but also a significant milestone in his scientific career, as he was able to get to know and work with the people from the CSIRO and SKAO. He was also able to establish contacts with the scientist at Curtin University in Perth to exchange ideas and expand his network.
Such research stays are excellent opportunities enabled by the CRC to specifically promote international cooperation. The CRC has thus opened up a unique opportunity to become involved in a global scientific network at an early stage, an invaluable advantage on the path to scientific independence.
Picture: Sam Taziaux and his supervisor Ralf-Jürgen Dettmar at the SKAO regional center at CSIRO, Perth.
11.03.2025
On March 1, 2025, our spokesperson Prof. Julia Tjus became affiliated professor at the Department of Space, Earth and Environment at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. This honor recognizes her long-standing connection to the Swedish university.
The collaboration is particularly fruitful as Julia’s expertise in high-energy astrophysics perfectly complements the extensive experience of researchers at Chalmers University in measuring and analyzing low-energy radiation.
This synergy allows for deeper insights into extreme cosmic events such as supernova explosions and active galactic nuclei and thus for a better understanding of the origins and properties of cosmic rays.
The aim of the affiliated professorship is to intensify existing collaborations and initiate new projects, especially in connection with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.
Read more
here and
here
Image: Prof. Susanne Aalto, Professor of Astronomy and Plasma Physics, Deputy President and Deputy CEO of Chalmers University of Technology and Prof. Julia Tjus (right) at Chalmers Campus.
10.03.2025
We are excited to announce that Dr. Christopher Riseley has been appointed as a new PI at our CRC.
Chris is a Junior Professor of Radio Astronomy at the Astronomical Institute of Ruhr-University Bochum (AIRUB). His research focuses on using radio telescopes worldwide to study clusters of galaxies. He aims to answer key scientific questions related to diffuse radio sources in galaxy clusters, including canonical relics, haloes, and mini-haloes. Chris is also exploring the unique sources discovered by the precursor instruments for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
Specializing in long-wavelength radio astronomy, Chris works extensively with data from the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR), the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), and the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa.
In the coming years Chris will use these instruments to explore galaxy groups, understanding the interplay between galaxies and their environments. Within the CRC, Chris will apply his radio astronomy expertise to studying the rich physics of dwarf galaxies and nearby galaxies in these environments, answering questions related to dark matter, Cosmic Rays, galaxy evolution, and feedback mechanisms.
21.02.2025
For two days in February, all SFB1491 researchers came together at TU Dortmund to discuss the latest results, covering a wide range of topics including the search for dark matter, investigating (cosmic) magnetic fields, the modeling of accretion and ejection phenomena in astrophysics, and the exploration of cosmic rays and neutrinos in astrophysical as well as collider experiments.
A special highlight were the keynote talks by Dr. Imre Bartos (University of Florida) on "The Expanding Gravitational Wave Horizon: Emerging Opportunities for
Multimessenger Discovery" and Dr. Daniel Verscharen (Mullard Space Science Laboratory) on "Electron heat flux in structured plasmas: collisions, trapping, and
wave-particle interactions".
More information on our meeting, in particular the program, can be found here
13.12.2024
Congratulations to Julien Dörner who has been awarded the SFB1491 Paper of the Year 2024 Award for his crucial contribution to the understanding of cosmic-ray propagation in the Galactic Center region!
The Galactic Center is one of the most fascinating yet complex areas in our Galaxy.
For the first time, Julien combined a 3D model of both the magnetic field configuration and the gas distribution with state-of-the-art cosmic-ray propagation modeling. He tested different anisotropic diffusion and cosmic-ray population models and compared their predictions to very-high-energy gamma-ray data. His model lays the foundation for future observations of the Galactic Center with the upcoming CTAO.
This research was published under the title "Impact of Anisotropic Cosmic-Ray Transport on the Gamma-Ray Signatures in the
Galactic Center” in the Astrophysical Journal, with Julien as the lead author.
