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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 cosmic magnetic fields, extragalactic astrophysics and the development of research technologies in the fields of spectroscopy, robotic telescopes and E-science.

The Babelsberg research campus.On the left, the Schwarzschildhaus with its glass façade and peaked roof; on the right, the historic metal-domed building of the library. In the background, the white main dome of the Humboldthaus is visible through trees.
Optical image of the second galaxy found with quasi-periodic eruptions in the eROSITA all-sky data.
MUSE Ultra Deep Field
Sun-magnetic_field_lines
European_Research_Council_logo.png Logo ERC

Research Campus Babelsberg

On the Babelsberg campus of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), you can take a journey through the history of astronomy from the beginning of the last century in just a few steps. In 1913, today's Humboldthaus became the new home of the Berlin Observatory, which moved from the ever-growing city to the then undisturbed Babelsberg night sky.

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eROSITA detects regular X-ray flashes from the vicinity of black holes

The all-sky survey with the X-ray telescope eROSITA identified strong, regularly recurring bursts of brightness in two previously completely unremarkable galaxies.

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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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Research Area I: Cosmic Magnetic Fields

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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Two AIP researchers receive ERC Advanced Grants

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded two professors at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) each with one of the world's most prestigious awards for established researchers, the ERC Advanced Grant – an exceptional success. Grantees Professor Lutz Wisotzki and Professor Christoph Pfrommer both aim at improving our understanding of galaxy formation.

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Latest News
Banner for the Potsdam Days of Science with schematic figures and various scientific objects such as a DNA helix and a Bunsen burner.

Virtual Potsdam Days of the Sciences from 3 to 9 May
April 29, 2021

Under the motto "Research. Discover. Participate." the Potsdam Science Days will take place – for the first time online – from Monday, 3 May, to Sunday, 9 May. More than 30 universities and research institutions in the region participate – including the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP).

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eROSITA detects regular X-ray flashes from the vicinity of black holes
April 28, 2021

The all-sky survey with the X-ray telescope eROSITA identified strong, regularly recurring bursts of brightness in two previously completely unremarkable galaxies.

[more]
Logo of the European Research Council ERC.

Two AIP researchers receive ERC Advanced Grants
April 22, 2021

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded two professors at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) each with one of the world's most prestigious awards for established researchers, the ERC Advanced Grant – an exceptional success.

[more]
 

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Latest Publications

Suppressed heat conductivity in the intracluster medium: implications for the magneto-thermal instability

Berlok, T., Quataert, E., Pessah, M. E., Pfrommer, C.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 3, 3435 – Published July 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab832, NASA ADS

A unicorn in monoceros: the 3 M⊙ dark companion to the bright, nearby red giant V723 Mon is a non-interacting, mass-gap black hole candidate

Jayasinghe, T., ... Strassmeier, K. G., Weber, M., ... Ilyin, I., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 2, 2577 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab907, NASA ADS

I - A hydrodynamical CLONE of the Virgo cluster of galaxies to confirm observationally driven formation scenarios

Sorce, J. G. et al.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 2, 2998 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab1021, NASA ADS

Non-Kolmogorov turbulence in multiphase intracluster medium driven by cold gas precipitation and AGN jets

Wang, C., Ruszkowski, M., Pfrommer, C., Oh, S. P., Yang, H.-Y. K.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 1, 898 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab966, NASA ADS

MERGHERS pilot: MeerKAT discovery of diffuse emission in nine massive Sunyaev-Zel'dovich-selected galaxy clusters from ACT

Knowles, K., ... Pfrommer, C., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 2, 1749 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab939, NASA ADS

The VMC Survey - XLII. Near-infrared period-luminosity relations for RR Lyrae stars and the structure of the Large Magellanic Cloud

Cusano, F., ... Cioni, M.-R. L., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 1, 1 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab901, NASA ADS

Constraining the cosmic UV background at z > 3 with MUSE Lyman-α emission observations

Gallego, S. G., ... Wisotzki, L., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 1, 16 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab796, NASA ADS
AIP sections/groups: Galaxies and Quasars

On the absence of backsplash analogues to NGC 3109 in the ΛCDM framework

Banik, I., Haslbauer, M., Pawlowski, M. S., Famaey, B., Kroupa, P.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 4, 6170 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab751, NASA ADS

UVIT-HST-Gaia-VISTA study of Kron 3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud: a cluster with an extended red clump in ultraviolet

Nayak, P. K., ... Cioni, M.-R. L., Bell, C. P. M., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 4, 5291 – Published June 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab385, NASA ADS

The GALAH+ survey: Third data release

Buder, S., ... Buck, T., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab1242, NASA ADS

The in-situ formation of molecular and warm ionised gas triggered by hot galactic outflows

Girichidis, P., Naab, T., Walch, S., Berlok, T.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab1203, NASA ADS

Gaia Early Data Release 3. The Gaia Catalogue of Nearby Stars

Gaia Collaboration, ... Janßen, K., ... Cioni, M.-R. L., ... Enke, H., ... Mints, A., ...
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 649, A6 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039498, NASA ADS

Gaia Early Data Release 3. The astrometric solution

Lindegren, L., ... Cioni, M.-R. L., ... Janßen, K., ... Mints, A., ...
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 649, A2 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039709, NASA ADS

Gaia Early Data Release 3. Summary of the contents and survey properties

Gaia Collaboration, ... Janßen, K., ... Cioni, M.-R. L., ... Enke, H., ... Mints, A., ...
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 649, A1 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657, NASA ADS

Gaia Early Data Release 3. Acceleration of the Solar System from Gaia astrometry

Gaia Collaboration, ... Janßen, K., ... Enke, H., ... Mints, A., ...
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 649, A9 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039734, NASA ADS

Gaia Early Data Release 3. The Galactic anticentre

Gaia Collaboration, ... Janßen, K., ... Cioni, M.-R. L., ... Enke, H., ... Mints, A., ...
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 649, A8 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039714, NASA ADS

Gaia Early Data Release 3. Structure and properties of the Magellanic Clouds

Gaia Collaboration, ... Cioni, M.-R. L., ... Janßen, K., ... Enke, H., ... Mints, A., ...
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 649, A7 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039588, NASA ADS

The pristine dwarf-galaxy survey - III. Revealing the nature of the Milky Way globular cluster Sagittarius II

Longeard, N., ... Starkenburg, E., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 2, 2754 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab604, NASA ADS
AIP sections/groups: The Early Milky Way

Astraeus I: the interplay between galaxy formation and reionization

Hutter, A., ... Gottlöber, S., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 3, 3698 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab602, NASA ADS

Connecting turbulent velocities and magnetic fields in galaxy cluster simulations with active galactic nuclei jets

Ehlert, K., Weinberger, R., Pfrommer, C., Springel, V.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 1, 1327 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab551, NASA ADS

High-resolution imaging follow-up of doubly imaged quasars

Shajib, A. J., ... Wisotzki, L.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 2, 1557 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab532, NASA ADS
AIP sections/groups: Galaxies and Quasars

Pair lines of sight observations of multiphase gas bearing O VI in a galaxy environment

Anshul, P., Narayanan, A., Muzahid, S., Beckett, A., Morris, S. L.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 3, 3243 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab396, NASA ADS

A finite volume method for two-moment cosmic ray hydrodynamics on a moving mesh

Thomas, T., Pfrommer, C., Pakmor, R.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 2, 2242 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab397, NASA ADS

Double X/Peanut structures in barred galaxies - insights from an N-body simulation

Ciambur, B. C., Fragkoudi, F., Khoperskov, S., Di Matteo, P., Combes, F.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 503, 2, 2203 – Published May 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/staa3814, NASA ADS
AIP sections/groups: Milky Way and the Local Volume

The Size and Pervasiveness of Lyα-UV Spatial Offsets in Star-Forming Galaxies at z ∼ 6

Lemaux, B. C., ... Schmidt, K. B., ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society – Published April 2021
doi:10.1093/mnras/stab924, NASA ADS
AIP sections/groups: Galaxies and Quasars

From Global to Spatially Resolved in Low-Redshift Galaxies

Sánchez, S. F., Walcher, C. J., ...
Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica, 57, 3 – Published April 2021
doi:10.22201/ia.01851101p.2021.57.01.01, NASA ADS

Validation of Global EUV Wave MHD Simulations and Observational Techniques

Downs, C., Warmuth, A., ...
The Astrophysical Journal, 911, 2, 118 – Published April 2021
doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abea78, NASA ADS
AIP sections/groups: Solar Physics

The Stars of the HETDEX Survey. I. Radial Velocities and Metal-poor Stars from Low-resolution Stellar Spectra

Hawkins, K., ... Kelz, A., ... Starkenburg, E., Steinmetz, M., ...
The Astrophysical Journal, 911, 2, 108 – Published April 2021
doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abe9bd, NASA ADS

Reaching the Oldest Stars beyond the Local Group: Ancient Star Formation in UGC 4483

Sacchi, E. et al.
The Astrophysical Journal, 911, 1, 62 – Published April 2021
doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abea16, NASA ADS
AIP sections/groups: Milky Way and the Local Volume

Cepheids with Giant Companions. I. Revealing a Numerous Population of Double-lined Binary Cepheids

Pilecki, B., ... Storm, J.
The Astrophysical Journal, 910, 2, 118 – Published April 2021
doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abe7e9, NASA ADS

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

 

Events and dates at AIP

Potsdam Days of the Sciences
03.05.2021 – 09.05.2021
Public Event

This year, the Potsdam Day of the Sciences is taking place online as the Potsdam Days of the Sciences.

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Colloquium: Silva Järvinen (AIP)
06.05.2021, 14:30 – 15:30
Scientific

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Colloquium: David Homan
20.05.2021, 14:30 – 15:30
Scientific
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Virtual Babelsberg Starry Night
20.05.2021, 18:00 – 19:00
Public Event

Talk (in German): Dark matter and the dance of the dwarf galaxies (Marcel Pawlowski)

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Jamboree
27.05.2021, 14:30 – 15:30
Scientific
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Colloquium by Charlie Conroy (Harvard)
03.06.2021, 14:30 – 15:30
Scientific
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Public Event
Scientific
Internal Event
Holidays

Conferences

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Dynamics of Solar and Stellar Convection Zones and Atmospheres (IAU Symposium 365)

Aug. 9, 2021 – Aug. 13, 2021
[Website]