AIP

Welcome!

The Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) is dedicated to astrophysical questions ranging from the exploration of our Sun to the evolution of the cosmos. It focuses on the study of stellar, solar and exoplanetary physics, extragalactic astrophysics and the development of research technologies in the fields of spectroscopy, robotic telescopes and E-science.

Virtual Babelsberg Starry Night at 18th December 2025

The next lecture of the Virtual Babelsberg Starry Nights of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) entitled “What’s wrong with the Hubble constant” (in German) by Prof. Dr. Matthias Steinmetz, will focus on this constant and the expansion of the Universe. The video of the lecture will be broadcast on the YouTube channel “Urknall, Weltall und das Leben” (Big Bang, Universe and Life) from Thursday, 18.12.2025.

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Research Group on Cosmic Jets Gets Extended

The research group "Relativistic Jets in Active Galaxies", in which the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam is also involved, has been investigating the powerful plasma beams emanating from supermassive black holes since 2021. Now the DFG has extended its funding.

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New research group to explore the evolution of the Magellanic Clouds

Dr. Lara Cullinane has been awarded a prestigious Leibniz Junior Research Group to investigate the evolution of the Magellanic Clouds, our nearest galactic neighbours. Her project, titled ’Chronicling the Clouds: Chemodynamics of the Most Massive Dwarf Galaxies’ will use the cutting-edge 4MOST instrument to uncover how these galaxies formed, evolved, and interacted over billions of years.

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Research Area I: Stellar, Solar and Exoplanetary Physics

Cosmic events are determined by two natural forces: gravity and magnetic fields. The magnetic field research at the AIP is mainly focused on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, the magnetically induced activities on the Sun and the stars, solar coronaphysics as well as space weather in our solar system and on planets around other stars.

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Research Area II: Extragalactic Astrophysics

Galaxies are fundamental cosmic building blocks. At the largest scales, they serve as markers to study the distribution of matter in the universe - active galaxies and quasars are particularly important because of their intrinsic brightness. Nearby objects can be spatially resolved and consist of populations with very different patterns of motion, star formation histories and chemical abundances.

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Latest News

Virtual lecture: Babelsberg Starry Night on 18 December 2025

Dec. 17, 2025

[more]

Research Group on Cosmic Jets Gets Extended

Dec. 12, 2025

[more]

New research group to explore the evolution of the Magellanic Clouds

Dec. 8, 2025

Dr Lara Cullinane has been awarded a prestigious Leibniz Junior Research Group to investigate the evolution of the Magellanic Clouds, our nearest galactic neighbours. Her project, titled ’Chronicling the Clouds: Chemodynamics of the Most Massive Dwarf Galaxies’ will use the cutting-edge 4MOST instrument to uncover how these galaxies formed, evolved, and interacted over billions of years.

[more]

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Latest Publications

The Spatial Distribution of Intracluster Globular Clusters in the Fornax Cluster

D'Abrusco, R., ... Chaturvedi, A., ...

The Astrophysical Journal, 996, 1, 67 – Published January 2026

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ae1a69, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Galaxies and Quasars

Sloan Digital Sky Survey. V. Pioneering Panoptic Spectroscopy

Kollmeier, J. A., ... Krumpe, M., ... Schwope, A., ... Steinmetz, M., ...

The Astronomical Journal, 171, 1, 52 – Published January 2026

doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae0576, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: X-ray Astronomy

PEPSI Investigation, Retrieval, and Atlas of Numerous Giant Atmospheres (PIRANGA). IV. High-resolution Phased-resolved Spectroscopy of the Ultra-hot-Jupiter KELT-20 b

Bonidie, V., ... Strassmeier, K., Ilyin, I.

The Astronomical Journal, 171, 1, 34 – Published January 2026

doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae21be, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Stellar Activity, High-resolution Spectroscopy and Polarimetry

Revisiting the X-ray-to-UV relation of quasars in the era of all-sky surveys

Chira, M., ... Krumpe, M.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 545, 1, staf1905 – Published January 2026

doi:10.1093/mnras/staf1905, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: X-ray Astronomy

Overmassive black holes in the early Universe can be explained by gas-rich, dark matter-dominated galaxies

McClymont, W., ... Puchwein, E., ...

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 545, 1, staf2092 – Published January 2026

doi:10.1093/mnras/staf2092, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Cosmology and High-Energy Astrophysics

MUSEQuBES: the column density, covering fraction, mass, and environmental dependence of cool H I gas around low-redshift galaxies

Dutta, S., ... Augustin, R., ...

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 545, 3, staf2080 – Published January 2026

doi:10.1093/mnras/staf2080, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Galaxies and Quasars

Constraining lens masses in moderately to highly magnified microlensing events from Gaia

Pylypenko, U., ... Ilyin, I., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 705, A24 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202554935, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: High-resolution Spectroscopy and Polarimetry

An improved model for the effect of correlated Si III absorption on the one-dimensional Lyman-α forest power spectrum

Ma, K., Bolton, J. S., Iršič, V., Gaikwad, P., Puchwein, E.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society – Published December 2025

doi:10.1093/mnras/staf2262, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Cosmology and High-Energy Astrophysics

An unusual velocity field in a sunspot penumbra

Balthasar, H., Denker, C., Diercke, A., ... Louis, R. E., ... Verma, M.

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 705, A10 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202142199, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Solar Physics

X-ray reverberation black hole mass and distance estimates of Cygnus X-1

O’Neill, P., ... Mitchell, J.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society – Published December 2025

doi:10.1093/mnras/staf2232, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Solar Physics

Stellar Rotation in an Old Solar Twin Using ESPRESSO/VLT Validates Gyrochronology

Carvalho-Silva, G., Barragán, O., Haywood, R. D., Meléndez, J., Barnes, S. A.

The Astrophysical Journal, 995, 2, L62 – Published December 2025

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ae2744, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Stellar Activity

High-Resolution Modeling of Coronae and Winds in Solar-Type Stars with Varying Rotation Rates. I. X-Ray Coronae

Chen, Y.-H., Alvarado-Gómez, J. D., ... Poppenhäger, K., ...

The Astrophysical Journal, 995, 1, 83 – Published December 2025

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ae1697, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Stellar Physics and Exoplanets

Asteroseismic Calibration of the Rossby Number and Its Connection to the Stellar Dynamo and Fundamental Properties

Bonanno, A. M. et al.

The Astrophysical Journal, 995, 1, 32 – Published December 2025

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ae12f2, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Magnetohydrodynamics and Turbulence

Wave Period Variability in a Quiescent Solar Prominence

Wiśniewska, A., ... Pietrow, A. G. M., ...

The Astrophysical Journal, 995, 1, 17 – Published December 2025

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ae1ef4, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Solar Physics

The THESAN-ZOOM project: Star-formation efficiencies in high-redshift galaxies

Shen, X., ... Puchwein, E., ...

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society – Published December 2025

doi:10.1093/mnras/staf2119, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Cosmology and High-Energy Astrophysics

The X-Ray Flare Spectrum of HR 1099: The Search for Photopumped Ne IX Line Emission

Christian, D. J., Keenan, F. P., Rose, S. J., Poppenhaeger, K.

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 137, 12, 124201 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ae265b, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Stellar Physics and Exoplanets

Cluster Ages to Reconstruct the Milky Way Assembly (CARMA): IV. Chrono-dynamics of seven old star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud and the peculiar origin of NGC 1841

Niederhofer, F., ... Kacharov, N., ... Cioni, M.-R. L., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A257 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202554384, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Dwarf Galaxies and the Galactic Halo, Milky Way and the Local Volume

Counterpart identification and classification for eRASS1 and characterisation of the active galactic nuclei content

Salvato, M., ... Lamer, G., Schwope, A., ... Homan, D., Krumpe, M., ... Brink, J., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A344 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202556142, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: X-ray Astronomy

Chronology of our Galaxy from Gaia colour─magnitude diagram fitting (ChronoGal): II. Unveiling the formation and evolution of the kinematically selected thick and thin discs

Fernández-Alvar, E., ... Chiappini, C., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A258 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202553814, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Milky Way and the Local Volume

Gaia DR3 high radial velocity stars: Genuine fast-moving objects or outliers?

Katz, D., ... Mints, A., ... Weingrill, K.

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A294 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202556602, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Dwarf Galaxies and the Galactic Halo, Milky Way and the Local Volume

The radial acceleration relation at the EDGE of galaxy formation: Testing its universality in low-mass dwarf galaxies

Júlio, M. P., ... Pawlowski, M. S., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A330 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202557106, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Dwarf Galaxies and the Galactic Halo

A continuous parameterization of the cosmic web

Yaryura, C. Y., ... Libeskind, N. I., Gottlöber, S., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A333 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202554008, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Cosmography and Large-Scale Structure, Cosmology and High-Energy Astrophysics

Unveiling the nature of HE 0107─5240: a long period binary CEMP-no star with [Fe/H] of ─5.56

Caffau, E., Steffen, M., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A238 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202556891, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Stellar Physics and Exoplanets

A targeted radio survey of infrared-selected bow shock candidates

Moutzouri, M., ... Castro, N., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A268 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202557036, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Astrophotonics (innoFSPEC)

Towards precision cosmology with improved PNLF distances using VLT-MUSE: III. Impact of stellar populations in early-type galaxies

Soemitro, A. A., ... Roth, M. M., ... Couto, G. S., Jakob Walcher, C.

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A303 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202557218, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Astrophotonics (innoFSPEC), Galaxies and Quasars

The perils of stacking optically selected groups in eROSITA data: The Magneticum perspective

Popesso, P., ... Lamer, G., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A277 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202453253, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: X-ray Astronomy

Average X-ray properties of galaxy groups: From Milky Way-like halos to massive clusters

Popesso, P., ... Lamer, G., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A278 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202453255, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: X-ray Astronomy

From thermal to magnetic driving: Spectral diagnostics of simulation-based magneto-thermal disc wind models

Weber, M. L., Sarafidou, E., Rab, C., Gressel, O., Ercolano, B.

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A197 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202557339, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Magnetohydrodynamics and Turbulence

Upper limits on atmospheric abundances of KELT-11b and WASP-69b from a retrieval approach

Lesjak, F. et al.

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A161 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202555790, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Stellar Physics and Exoplanets

Quantifying CME effects on plasma parameters and elemental abundance recovery during an M1 flare event with X-ray spectroscopy

Takala, S., ... Mitchell, J. A. J., Warmuth, A., ...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 704, A216 – Published December 2025

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202556226, NASA ADS

AIP sections/groups: Solar Physics

[List of AIP publications] [AIP publications in ADS]

Events and dates at AIP

Special Seminar | Elena Asencio (University of Bonn)

01.12.2025, 15:00 – 16:00

Scientific

Speaker: Elena Asencio (University of Bonn)
Title: The classical Milky Way satellites are perturbed by the Milky Way tides

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Special Seminar | Marcin Semczuk (University of Barcelona)

02.12.2025, 11:00 – 12:00

Scientific

Speaker: Marcin Semczuk (University of Barcelona)
Title: Non-Equilibrium Galactic Disc Dynamics in TNG50

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Observation evening in the Great Refractor

02.12.2025, 19:00 – 20:00

Public Event

The AIP invites to a public observation evening in the Great Refractor at the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam. Prior registration required, see Observation Evenings.

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External Colloquium | Oscar Agertz (Lund Universtiy)

04.12.2025, 14:30 – 15:30

Scientific

Speaker: Oscar Agertz (Lund Universtiy)
Title: Early Galactic Disks and Their Connections to Present-Day Galaxies

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Special Seminar | Dr. Andrea Afruni (University of Florence)

08.12.2025, 14:00 – 15:00

Scientific

Speaker: Dr. Andrea Afruni (University of Florence)
Title: Studying the baryon cycle through observations, models and simulations

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Galaxies and space cats – interdisciplinary starry night between science and fiction

11.12.2025, 19:15 – 21:00

Public Event

The AIP invites you to a special edition of the Babelsberg Starry Night on the Babelsberg campus, an interdisciplinary event combining science and science fiction literature. The event is presented by scientist Dr Ramona Augustin and science fiction author Tobias Radloff.

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Virtual Babelsberg Starry Night

18.12.2025, 20:00 – 21:00

Public Event

Talk (in German): Was stimmt nicht mit der Hubble-Konstante? (Matthias Steinmetz)

[more]

External Colloquium | Sarah Pearson (NBI)

15.01.2026, 14:30 – 15:30

Scientific

Speaker: Sarah Pearson (NBI)
Title: TBD

[more]

Observation evening in the Great Refractor

28.01.2026, 19:00 – 20:00

Public Event

The AIP invites to a public observation evening in the Great Refractor at the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam. Prior registration required, see Observation Evenings.

[more]

Public Event

Scientific

Internal Event

Holidays

Virtual Babelsberg Starry Night at 18th December 2025

Research Group on Cosmic Jets Gets Extended

New research group to explore the evolution of the Magellanic Clouds

Research Area I: Stellar, Solar and Exoplanetary Physics

Research Area II: Extragalactic Astrophysics

Latest News

Virtual lecture: Babelsberg Starry Night on 18 December 2025

Research Group on Cosmic Jets Gets Extended

New research group to explore the evolution of the Magellanic Clouds

Have you heard?

Latest Publications

The Spatial Distribution of Intracluster Globular Clusters in the Fornax Cluster

Sloan Digital Sky Survey. V. Pioneering Panoptic Spectroscopy

PEPSI Investigation, Retrieval, and Atlas of Numerous Giant Atmospheres (PIRANGA). IV. High-resolution Phased-resolved Spectroscopy of the Ultra-hot-Jupiter KELT-20 b

Revisiting the X-ray-to-UV relation of quasars in the era of all-sky surveys

Overmassive black holes in the early Universe can be explained by gas-rich, dark matter-dominated galaxies

MUSEQuBES: the column density, covering fraction, mass, and environmental dependence of cool H I gas around low-redshift galaxies

Constraining lens masses in moderately to highly magnified microlensing events from Gaia

An improved model for the effect of correlated Si III absorption on the one-dimensional Lyman-α forest power spectrum

An unusual velocity field in a sunspot penumbra

X-ray reverberation black hole mass and distance estimates of Cygnus X-1

Stellar Rotation in an Old Solar Twin Using ESPRESSO/VLT Validates Gyrochronology

High-Resolution Modeling of Coronae and Winds in Solar-Type Stars with Varying Rotation Rates. I. X-Ray Coronae

Asteroseismic Calibration of the Rossby Number and Its Connection to the Stellar Dynamo and Fundamental Properties

Wave Period Variability in a Quiescent Solar Prominence

The THESAN-ZOOM project: Star-formation efficiencies in high-redshift galaxies

The X-Ray Flare Spectrum of HR 1099: The Search for Photopumped Ne IX Line Emission

Cluster Ages to Reconstruct the Milky Way Assembly (CARMA): IV. Chrono-dynamics of seven old star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud and the peculiar origin of NGC 1841

Counterpart identification and classification for eRASS1 and characterisation of the active galactic nuclei content

Chronology of our Galaxy from Gaia colour─magnitude diagram fitting (ChronoGal): II. Unveiling the formation and evolution of the kinematically selected thick and thin discs

Gaia DR3 high radial velocity stars: Genuine fast-moving objects or outliers?

The radial acceleration relation at the EDGE of galaxy formation: Testing its universality in low-mass dwarf galaxies

A continuous parameterization of the cosmic web

Unveiling the nature of HE 0107─5240: a long period binary CEMP-no star with [Fe/H] of ─5.56

A targeted radio survey of infrared-selected bow shock candidates

Towards precision cosmology with improved PNLF distances using VLT-MUSE: III. Impact of stellar populations in early-type galaxies

The perils of stacking optically selected groups in eROSITA data: The Magneticum perspective

Average X-ray properties of galaxy groups: From Milky Way-like halos to massive clusters

From thermal to magnetic driving: Spectral diagnostics of simulation-based magneto-thermal disc wind models

Upper limits on atmospheric abundances of KELT-11b and WASP-69b from a retrieval approach

Quantifying CME effects on plasma parameters and elemental abundance recovery during an M1 flare event with X-ray spectroscopy

Events and dates at AIP

Special Seminar | Elena Asencio (University of Bonn)

Special Seminar | Marcin Semczuk (University of Barcelona)

Observation evening in the Great Refractor

External Colloquium | Oscar Agertz (Lund Universtiy)

Special Seminar | Dr. Andrea Afruni (University of Florence)

Galaxies and space cats – interdisciplinary starry night between science and fiction

Virtual Babelsberg Starry Night

External Colloquium | Sarah Pearson (NBI)

Observation evening in the Great Refractor

Conferences

STIX Team Meeting

PUNCH4NFDI Annual Meeting 2025

37th XMM-SSC Consortium Meeting 2026