SFB1491 - Cosmic Interacting Matters
We are pleased to invite you to the public lecture
“Die unsichtbare Macht im All – Magnetfelder in Zwerggalaxien” (in German).
Sam Taziaux will take you on a journey through space, exploring the magnetic fields of the Universe and how they shape galaxies. The lecture focuses in particular on dwarf galaxies, the smallest and most common type of galaxies, which nevertheless play a key role in the formation and evolution of larger cosmic structures.
When: 20.05.26 at 20:00
Where: Planetarium Bochum
For registration and further information, please have a look at the Planetarium’s homepage.
We are pleased to invite you to the public lecture “Der Wind der fernen Sonne(n)" (in German).
Jens Kleimann will be speaking about the heliosphere and stellar winds of both the Sun and other stars (including binaries) from a modeller's perspective, and also touch upon galactic winds
When 22.04.26 at 20:00
Where Planetarium Bochum
For registration and further information, please have a look at the Planetarium’s homepage.
Picture:
Artist's rendering of a colliding wind binary
Congratualtions to our spokesperson Julia Tjus!
On January 21, 2026, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) officially accepted her as an international member of the Physics class. The election took place on January 14, and in addition to Tjus, the KVA accepted eight other new members.
The Swedish Academy of Sciences has only 175 places for international members, all of whom are elected for life. A place therefore only becomes available when an international member dies. “Personally, I consider this a very special distinction and honor,” says Julia Tjus. “Apart from the fact that the chance of being accepted is minimal, it also offers the opportunity to help shape things like the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physics.”
SFB1491 wishes all members and collaborators a successful 2026!
Congratulations to Michael Stein who has been awarded the SFB1491 Paper of the Year 2025 Award for his outstanding work on understanding the morphology of galactic magnetic fields and their role in cosmic-ray transport.
Understanding the morphology of magnetic fields in galaxies and their impact on galactic cosmic ray transport is one of the key goals of CRC 1491. Observations of nearby edge-on galaxies at radio frequencies reveal a rather peculiar X shaped polarisation structure.
In his paper, Michael presents the first quantitative analysis of this X shape and relates its opening angle to the star-formation activity in the galactic disc.
This research was published under the title „CHANG-ES: XXXIV. Magnetic field structure in edge-on galaxies: Characterising large-scale magnetic fields in galactic halos„ in Astronomy & Astrophysics, in collaboration with all members of Project A4 and Michael as the lead author.