Magnetic fields in the multiphase interstellar medium of the Milky Way

Main Colloquium
Dr. Amit Seta
SCHEDULED
ARC DECRA fellow at the Australian National University

Even though the interstellar medium (ISM) of star-forming galaxies has been known to have a multiphase structure (broadly hot, warm, and cold phases) since the 1970s, how magnetic fields differ between the ISM phases is still unknown. Using a combination of theory, simulations, and observations, this talk explores how the multiphase nature of the ISM shapes magnetic fields. In particular, using Zeeman magnetic field measurements and pulsar observations, the relationship between the turbulent kinetic and magnetic energy densities will be established. The findings from these studies will enhance our understanding of the role of magnetic fields in star formation and galaxy evolution, and also prepare us to harness the upcoming wealth of radio polarisation data from the SKA.

LADUMA First Data Release: What we have found so far

Special Colloquium
Dr. Abhisek Mohapatra
SCHEDULED
University of Cape Town

TBD

TBD

Main Colloquium
Dr. Antonia Rowlinson
SCHEDULED
University of Amsterdam and ASTRON

TBD

TBD

Special Colloquium
Dr. Callum Lynn
SCHEDULED
Australian National University

TBD

Precession

Master Colloquium
Prathamesh Ingale
SCHEDULED
MPIfR

TBD

TBD

Special Colloquium
Dr. Yaherlin Diaz
SCHEDULED
Universidad Diego Portales, Chile

TBD

Origin of supermassive black holes - an astrophysical assessment of possible formation channels"

Main Colloquium
Prof. Dominik Schleicher
SCHEDULED
Dipartimento di Fisica - Sapienza, Università di Roma

TBD

TBD

Main Colloquium
Prof. Serena Viti
SCHEDULED
Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, UK

TBD

Southern Galactic Pulsars with MeerKAT: Surveys, Timing, and Fun with Old and New Discoveries

Promotionskolloquium
Miquel Colom i Bernadich
SCHEDULED
Max Planck Institut für Radioastronomie

Pulsars are highly magnetised, rapidly spinning neutron stars. Using the technique of pulsar timing, we can model their rotational slowdown with microsecond precision, tracking every single rotation. When found in compact binary systems, pulsar timing enables measurements of relativistic post-Keplerian corrections to the orbit, allowing tests of fundamental physics and precise stellar mass determinations. Despite the discovery of over 4,000 pulsars, many questions remain open, ranging from stellar mass distributions to the physics of dense matter, tests of theories of gravity and binary evolution, questions that can only be addressed through pulsar timing. In this PhD defence, I present new results on southern Galactic pulsars based on observations from two radio observatories with a privileged view of the southern Galactic plane: the Murriyang telescope in Parkes, Australia, and the SKA pathfinder MeerKAT in South Africa. Murriyang is a 64-metre single-dish telescope with wide instantaneous bandwidth coverage, while the 64 antennas of MeerKAT form the most sensitive radio interferometer in the Southern Hemisphere. Their combined use, and especially the high sensitivity of MeerKAT, has opened new scientific opportunities for studying southern Galactic pulsars. I will present discoveries from the MPIfR–MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey, the first wide-field interferometric pulsar survey, which has led to over 80 new detections. Thanks to MeerKAT’s interferometric capabilities, the sky localisation of new pulsars is instantaneous, significantly accelerating the derivation of timing solutions. Among these discoveries is PSR J1208–5936, a double neutron star system that will merge within a Hubble time due to gravitational-wave emission. This system and the performance of the survey provide valuable constraints on the neutron star merger rate in the Milky Way. Newly discovered pulsar–white dwarf systems also offer promising insights into mass distributions and binary evolution pathways. I will also present precise stellar mass measurements of the massive pulsar–white dwarf binary PSR J1227–6208, based on joint timing with MeerKAT and Murriyang. Its companion is an oxygen–neon–magnesium white dwarf potentially near the Chandrasekhar limit. Using Bayesian inference to model dispersion-measure-induced timing noise, we constrain the companion’s mass to lie between 1.2 and 1.5 solar masses, confirming its massive nature. This is only the third such mass measurement for this type of system, made possible by the combined sensitivity and frequency coverage of both telescopes. These results demonstrate the complementary strengths of MeerKAT and Murriyang, and they highlight the scientific potential of future facilities such as MeerKAT+ and the SKA. In particular, MeerKAT’s surveys offer a valuable blueprint for the next generation of pulsar searches and timing experiments with the SKA.

Intergalactic and Cosmological Magnetic Fields

Main Colloquium
Prof. Andrii Neronov
SCHEDULED
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

TBD

TBD

Main Colloquium
Dr. Ralf Klessen
SCHEDULED
Astrophysikalisches Institut Postdam

TBD

TBD

Main Colloquium
Dr. Gabriele Surcis
SCHEDULED
Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, INAF

TBD

Active Bystanders (half-day) training

Special Colloquium
Prof. Pauline Gagnon
SCHEDULED
CERN

TBD

The tragic destiny of Mileva Marić Einstein

Main Colloquium
Prof. Pauline Gagnon
SCHEDULED
CERN

What were Albert Einstein's first wife’s contributions to his extraordinary productivity in the first years of his career? A first biography of Mileva Marić Einstein was published in Serbian in 1969 but remained largely unknown despite being translated first in German, then in French in the 1990’s. The publication of Mileva and Albert’s love letters in 1987 revealed how they lived together while two recent publications shed more light on Mileva Marić’s life and work. I will review this evidence in its social and historical context to give a better idea of her contributions. In this presentation, I avoid all type of speculation and do not attack Albert Einstein personally, but rather strictly stick to facts. The audience will be able to appreciate why such a talented physicist has been so unkindly treated by history.

TBD

Main Colloquium
Prof. Dr. Felix Aharonian
CANCELED
DIAS/Dublin and MPIK/Heidelberg

TBD