The Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) is a research institute located in
Garching, just north of
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. It is one of many scientific
research institutes belonging to the
Max Planck Society.
The MPA is widely considered to be one of the leading institutions in the world for
theoretical astrophysics research. According to
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational media conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it is headquartered at the Bay Adelaide Centre.
Thomson Reuters was created by the Thomson Corp ...
, from 1999-2009 the Max Planck Society as a whole published more papers and accumulated more citations in the fields of
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
and
space science than any other research organization in the world.
History
The
Max Planck Society was founded on 26 February 1948. It effectively replaced the
Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science, which was dissolved after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. The society is named after
Max Planck, one of the founders of
quantum theory.
The MPA was founded as the
Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in 1958 and split into the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and the
Max Planck Institute for Physics
The Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) is a physics institute in Munich, Germany that specializes in high energy physics and astroparticle physics. It is part of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft and is also known as the Werner Heisenberg Inst ...
in 1991. In 1995, the
numerical relativity group moved to the
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Organization
The MPA is one of several Max Planck Institutes that specialize in
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...
and
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
. Others are the
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics is a Max Planck Institute, located in Garching, near Munich, Germany.
In 1991 the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics split up into the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial P ...
in Garching (located next-door to the MPA), the
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, the
Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, the
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen, and the
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (a.k.a. Albert Einstein Institute) in Golm.
The institute is located next-door to the MPI for Extraterrestrial Physics, as well as the headquarters of the
European Southern Observatory. It also enjoys close working relationships with the
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and
Technical University Munich.
At any given time, the institute employs approximately 50 scientists, instructs over 30
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
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* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
students, and hosts about 20 visiting scientists (some 60 visitors stay for longer than 2 weeks in any given year).
As of 2021, the four directors of the MPA are
Selma de Mink
Selma de Mink is a Dutch astrophysicist specializing in evolution of stars, stellar binary systems and compact objects, including black holes. She is a scientific director at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching near Munich, G ...
,
Guinevere Kauffmann,
Eiichiro Komatsu, and
Volker Springel.
Previous directors include
Ludwig Biermann (1958 – 75),
Rudolf Kippenhahn (1975 – 91),
Simon White (1994 – 2019),
Rashid Sunyaev (1995 – 2018),
Wolfgang Hillebrandt (1997 – 2009) and
Martin Asplund (2007 – 2011).
Science
Focusing on theoretical investigations, the MPA covers a wide range of topics in
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
. These include:
*
Cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
, in particular
galaxy formation and evolution,
reionization, and the
cosmic microwave background
In Big Bang cosmology the cosmic microwave background (CMB, CMBR) is electromagnetic radiation that is a remnant from an early stage of the universe, also known as "relic radiation". The CMB is faint cosmic background radiation filling all spac ...
;
*
High-energy astronomy and astrophysics, including
supermassive black holes,
galaxy clusters
A galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 1014 to 1015 solar masses. They are the second- ...
,
active galactic nuclei and
quasars,
X-ray binaries
X-ray binaries are a class of binary stars that are luminous in X-rays.
The X-rays are produced by matter falling from one component, called the ''donor'' (usually a relatively normal star), to the other component, called the ''accretor'', which ...
, and
accretion discs;
*
Stellar physics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
, including
stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star changes over the course of time. Depending on the mass of the star, its lifetime can range from a few million years for the most massive to trillions of years for the least massive, which is cons ...
and stellar explosions such as
supernovae and
gamma-ray bursts
In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the most energetic and luminous electromagnetic events since the Big Bang. Bursts can last from ten millis ...
.
Public outreach
The MPA works to explain astrophysical concepts and disseminate its findings to the public. These activities include popular science articles written by MPA scientists, events hosting school groups, events open to the general public, and monthly research highlights written for a general audience.
Graduate program
The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astrophysics is a graduate program offering a PhD in
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
. The school is a cooperation with the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Technical University Munich.
External links
Homepage of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
Homepage of the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astrophysics
References
{{Authority control
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
Astrophysics institutes
1958 establishments in West Germany
Garching bei München