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Recent Results of the MPE Infrared/Submillimeter Group

This composite image shows the positions of the gas cloud in 2002, 2007, and 2011 marked in colour.
The cross indicates the position of the black hole in the galactic centre.
Image: MPE
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Galactic Black Hole disrupts Gas Cloud
Over the next few years, astronomers will be able to observe first-hand how the super massive black
hole at the centre of our Milky Way is being fed: an international team of astronomers led by the
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics has found a gas cloud that is falling towards
the black hole in the galactic centre. While some distortion due to the huge gravitational pull
of the black hole can already be seen, the gas cloud will be completely disrupted and ultimately
swallowed by the black hole, resulting in largely increased X-ray emission. The observations and
analysis are described in a Nature paper, published online on 14 December 2011.
For more information see
MPE Press Release.
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(Dec 14, 2011)
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This illustration shows an Ultra-Luminous InfraRed Galaxy (ULIRG) that exhibits massive outflows of
molecular gas.
Image: MPE
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Caught in the act: Herschel detects gigantic storms sweeping entire galaxies clean
With observations from the PACS instrument on board the ESA Herschel space observatory, an
international team of scientists led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
have found gigantic storms of molecular gas gusting in the centres of many galaxies. Some of
these massive outflows reach velocities of more than 1000 kilometres per second, i.e. thousands
of times faster than in terrestrial hurricanes. The observations show that the more active galaxies
contain stronger winds, which can blow away the entire gas reservoir in a galaxy, thereby inhibiting
both further star formation and the growth of the central black hole. This finding is the first
conclusive evidence for the importance of galactic winds in the evolution of galaxies.
For more information see
MPE Press Release.
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(May 09, 2011)
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This image of the GOODS-S field with the Herschel PACS instrument demonstrates that the weak cosmic infrared radiation is produced mainly by individual galaxies.
Image: MPE
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Herschel Space Telescope: Successful first year for German researchers
One year after the launch of ESA's Herschel space telescope, German scientists have reason to celebrate: The instruments' performance and first results have exceeded all expectations. Initial observations with the largest telescope currently in space, which was designed primarily to study the coldest matter in our Universe, have led to new insights into the formation of stars, the properties of dust in distant galaxies and the presence of molecules in interstellar clouds.
For more information see
MPE Press Release.
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(May 06, 2010)
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Star forming region in the Milky Way
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Making the invisible visible
The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) partners in Germany, the U.S.A. and Italy are pleased to announce that the first of two new innovative near-infrared cameras/spectrographs for the LBT is now available to astronomers for scientific observations at the telescope on Mt. Graham in south-eastern Arizona. After more than a decade of design, manufacturing and testing, the new instrument, dubbed LUCIFER 1, provides a powerful tool to gain spectacular insights into the universe, from the Milky Way up to extremely distant galaxies. LUCIFER 1 has been built by a consortium of German institutes and will be followed by an identical twin instrument that will be delivered to the telescope in early 2011.
For more information see
MPE Press Release.
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(April 21, 2010)
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(April 14, 2010)
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MPE Highlight:

IRAM

Galaxy EGS 1305123
Copyright: MPE/IRAM
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Young galaxies gorge on gas
Scientists find explanation for higher star formation rate in young galaxies
Stars form from giant gas clouds in galaxies - the star formation rate however has changed over cosmic timescales. In the
young universe many more stars were born. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics, together
with an international team of astronomers have found a plausible explanation: a few billion years after the Big Bang, normal
star forming galaxies contained five to ten times more cold gas than today, providing more "food" to fuel the star formation
process.
(Nature, February 11, 2010)
[
more ]
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(February 10, 2010)
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MPE Press Release:

IRAS 4B in NGC 1333 in the radio
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Pin-pointing water in space
For the first time, scientists succeeded in localising large amounts of water in a disk around a
young star
Water is regarded as a key ingredient for life - and water exists plenty in the universe. Now scientists
have found the precious element in a disk around a young star, similar to our Sun. This disk, supposedly
the birth place for future planets, contains a hundred times more than all oceans on Earth. The
astronomical observations obtained with the IRAM interferometer appear very promising to solve the
mystery around the origin of water in our solar system
[
more ]
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(February 8, 2010)
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MPE Highlight and Press Release:

Herschel-PACS images of the 'GOODS-N' field in the constellation of
Ursa Major at far-infrared wavelengths of 100 and 160 µm.
Image: MPE
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Herschel Space Telescope uncovers the sources of the Cosmic Infrared
Background
A weak cosmic infrared radiation field that reaches Earth from all
directions contains not yet deciphered messages about the evolution of
galaxies. Using first observations with the PACS Instrument on board
ESA's Herschel Space Telescope, scientists from the Max Planck Institute
for Extraterrestrial Physics and other institutions have for the first
time resolved more than half of this radiation into its constituting
sources. Observations with Herschel open the road towards understanding
the properties of these galaxies, and trace the dusty side of galaxy
evolution.
[
more ]
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(December 16, 2009)
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Hα velocity fields
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SINS: Gas kinematics and star formation of 100 high redshift galaxies with SINFONI
Our data resolve the emission line distributions and kinematics (primarily Hα) on scales of ~1-5 kpc.
About 1/3 of the galaxies are rotation-dominated yet turbulent disks, 1/3 are more compact dispersion dominated
objects, and 1/3 are clear mergers (illustrated with the Hα velocity fields of 30 of the 103
sources below). The data imply comparable current and past-averaged SFRs, high gas mass fractions
of ~30% and baryonic mass fractions of ~60%-80% within ~10kpc. The high z disks are more
turbulent and gas-rich than their z~0 counterparts, often showing luminous massive (~107.5-109.5Mo)
kpc-sized "clumps", as expected for Toomre-unstable gas-rich disks. A picture emerges in which the
gas reservoirs of the galaxies are constantly replenished, fueling intense star formation over a
substantial part of their stellar lifetimes and ~10 dynamical timescales. This suggests steady gas
accretion via cold flows or rapid series of minor mergers (as opposed to violent dissipative major
mergers) is at play, heating the disks without destroying the highly ordered gas motions.
For more information see
SINS web pages.
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(December 1, 2009)
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MPE Highlight:
(October 14, 2009)
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(June 19, 2009)
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Gas Streamers in NGC1068
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Gas Streamers in NGC 1068
Although a prototypical Seyfert 2, NGC 1068 is in fact rather unusual.
The H2 emission in the central 250pc originates in an expanding
off-centre shell with particularly bright and massive clumps
around the north east side.
Filaments of gas extend from the ring at a radius of about 30pc to
the AGN on both sides.
Modelling the morphology and kinematics of the
filaments has shown that the only way to simultaneously account for
both constraints is if they trace gas that is falling almost
directly in towards the AGN.
These models indicate that the infall timescale is about 1.3Myr.
One of the filaments lies across the front of the AGN, suggesting that
inelastic collisions may allow the gas to settle on scales of a few
parsecs.
For more information see
MPE AGN Web Pages.
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(January 20, 2009)
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MPE Highlight:
The central 25 arcseconds of our Milky Way.
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Unprecedented 16-Year Long Study Tracks Stars Orbiting
Milky Way Black Hole
In a 16-year long study, using several of ESO's flagship telescopes,
a team of German astronomers has produced the most detailed view ever
of the surroundings of the monster lurking at our Galaxy's heart —
a supermassive black hole. The research has unravelled the hidden
secrets of this tumultuous region by mapping the orbits of almost
30 stars, a five-fold increase over previous studies. One of the
stars has now completed a full orbit around the black hole.
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(December 10, 2008)
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© Infrared and Submillimeter Astronomy Group at MPE
last update:
14/12/2011, editor of this page: Thomas Ott
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