Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik visit to the Piwnice Observatory at Nicolaus Copernicus University

6 lip 2026, 15:00 → 7 lip 2026, 15:30 Europe/Warsaw

Radioastronomia/parter-sala sem - Sala seminaryjna (Radioastronomia)

Krzysztof Katarzyński (Instytut Astronomii UMK)

The aim of the meeting is to establish scientific and technical cooperation between leading research units in friendly countries in order to increase the efficiency of scientific research through mutual cooperation and exchange of experiences.

Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik

Institute of Astronomy at NCU

Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

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pon., 6 lipca

15:00 → 15:15 Welcome: a few words of welcome

15:00 Wecome from Dr. hab. Adam Kola, Prof. NCU

Vice-Rector for Research - First Vice-Rector of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

Mówca: Prof. Adam Kola (NCU)

15:10 Welcome from Dr. hab. Krzysztof Katarzyński, Prof. NCU

Director of the Institute of Astronomy at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

Mówca: Prof. Krzysztof Katarzyński (NCU)

15:15 → 17:20 Introduction

15:15 Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik

Mówca: Prof. Günther Hasinger - Chief Scientific Officer (DZA)

15:40 Institute of Astronomy - history, people, instruments, science achievements and future

I will say a few words about the history of the University and Institute, introduce our team, I'll present our instruments and scientific achievements, and finally I'll talk about our plans for the future.

Mówca: Prof. Krzysztof Katarzyński (NCU)

16:05 Regional Networking and Science Communication at the DZA

TBA

Mówca: Dr Stefan Ohm (DZA)

16:30 DSA200 and Lausitz array

TBA

Mówca: Dr Michael Rugel (DZA)

16:55 EVN & JIVE

Introduction to the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (EVN) and the Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIV-ERIC). The presentation will also present the 32-m radio telescope in Toruń, operated by Nicolaus Copernicus University, as a component of the EVN and an important contributor to European and global VLBI research.

Mówca: Prof. Agnieszka Słowikowska (Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC - JIVE)

17:20 → 18:50 Excursion: tour around the Observatory

17:20 Visit to the radio astronomical part of the Observatory

18:05 Visit to the optical part of the Observatory

18:50 → 22:10 Social event: BARBEQUE PARTY

wt., 7 lipca

09:00 → 10:40 Session 1: DZA & NCU

09:00 Space Radio: Radio Astronomy meets Technology and Science Communication

TBA

Mówca: Martin Schwinzerl - Science Communication (DZA)

09:20 Tracing the birth of high-mass stars: insights from methanol maser monitoring and imaging

The 6.7 GHz methanol maser transition is one of the most powerful tracers of high-mass star-forming regions. We present results from an unique, long-term monitoring program carried out with the Toruń 32-m radio telescope, covering a sample of over 250 methanol sources across the Galactic plane. The monitoring campaign has revealed a rich diversity of variability behaviours, including the discovery of a new class of periodic and alternating flares — most notably the simultaneous, anti-correlated variability of methanol and water masers in a single young stellar object, representing a phenomenon with no prior observational counterpart. To investigate the spatial structure and kinematics of selected sources, high-resolution imaging was performed using the European VLBI Network (EVN) at milliarcsecond angular resolution, resolving the maser emission into compact clusters tracing accretion discs and/or outflows. Recent simultaneous observations of 6.035 GHz OH and 6.7 GHz methanol masers using eMERLIN allowed to constrain physical condition in the close environments of forming high-mass stars.

Mówca: Prof. Anna Bartkiewicz (NCU)

09:40 DSRC & Multimesenger spectroscopic scheduling

TBA

Mówca: Dr Kristen Lackeos (DZA)

10:00 Current Status of FRB Observations Using the 32-m Toruń Radio Telescope

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration, high-energy radio pulses originating from extragalactic sources, first discovered in 2007. Their exact origin remains elusive, but leading theories point to highly magnetised neutron stars -- magnetars, or other compact objects undergoing extreme astrophysical processes. The NCU radio telescope in Toruń plays an important role in FRB research through participation in selected projects. The PRECISE initiative contributes to European VLBI Network (EVN) observations, enabling high-resolution localisation of FRB sources by combining data from multiple telescopes across Europe. Additionally, within the HyperFlash project, the telescope collaborates with selected European antennas to monitor active repeating FRBs, focusing on detection and follow-up of burst activity to characterise the statistical and physical properties of selected sources. Additional observations at NCU extend these efforts, including dedicated monitoring of selected repeating FRBs to track variability and activity periods. Furthermore, we conduct searches for low-luminosity FRB-like phenomena in nearby galaxies, such as M82, using targeted surveys.

Mówca: Dr Marcin Gawroński (NCU)

10:20 Simulating antenna voltages

TBA

Mówca: Adrian Schirra (DZA)

10:40 → 11:10 Coffee break

11:10 → 12:30 Session 2: NCU

11:10 From Radio Transients to Compact AGNs: Exploring the Earliest Phases of Radio Activity

Our research focuses on the earliest stages of radio activity in active galactic nuclei (AGN), combining time-domain studies of radio transients with low-frequency imaging of compact radio sources. Using multiwavelength observations, we investigate the physical mechanisms responsible for triggering radio jets, their early evolution, and their interaction with the surrounding interstellar medium. Radio transients provide a unique opportunity to observe the onset of AGN activity almost in real time, while sensitive low-frequency observations with LOFAR and NenuFAR allow us to trace the oldest synchrotron plasma associated with young radio sources. These observations provide valuable insights into the interaction between newly formed jets and their host galaxies, the role of the ambient medium in shaping jet propagation, and the impact of AGN feedback during the earliest phases of radio-source evolution. By combining high-resolution and low-frequency radio observations with optical, infrared, and X-ray data, we aim to build a comprehensive picture of the life cycle of compact AGN, the origin of radio loudness, and the physical processes governing the formation and evolution of radio jets.

Mówca: Prof. Magdalena Kunert-Bajraszewska (NCU)

11:30 From the Star-Forming Main Sequence to Galaxy Growth: A Continuity-Equation View of Stellar-Mass Evolution in JWST COSMOS-Web

The star-forming main sequence provides a compact description of how galaxies build their stellar mass as a function of cosmic time. In this talk, I will present a continuity-equation framework for translating an observed redshift-dependent star-forming main sequence into the predicted evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function. Starting from observed high-redshift stellar mass functions, galaxies are evolved through stellar-mass space according to their main-sequence star formation rates, while accounting for stellar mass recycling, quenching, and merger-driven growth and destruction. The resulting evolved mass functions are then compared with observed measurements at later cosmic times, providing a direct consistency test of whether the adopted main-sequence prescription can reproduce the build-up of the galaxy population.

I will show how different literature main-sequence parametrizations affect the predicted mass growth, and how mock star-formation histories derived from the continuity equation can be compared with standard SED-fitting assumptions. This project forms one component of a broader SONATA Bis programme aimed at using JWST, ALMA, JCMT/SCUBA-2 and ancillary multi-wavelength data to quantify the evolution of star-forming and quiescent galaxies, their dust-obscured star formation, and the cosmic star-formation rate density out to the reionization era.

Mówca: Prof. Maciej Koprowski (NCU)

11:50 Understanding Small Planets: Paving the Path from Kepler/K2 and TESS to PLATO

In this talk, I will present selected results from radial velocity (RV) follow-up campaigns of small transiting planets (1–4 Earth radii) discovered by Kepler/K2 and TESS. These observations were conducted using the TNG/HARPS-N, ESO/HARPS, CAHA/CARMENES, and VLT/ESPRESSO instruments within the framework of the KESPRINT, THIRSTEE, and CARMENES consortia. Precise RV measurements are essential for determining planetary masses and bulk densities, thereby enabling detailed studies of internal structures, formation, evolution, and potential atmospheric compositions by placing these worlds into mass-radius and mass-density diagrams.

The presented results include two systems with small planets around the Fulton radius valley (LTT 3780 and TOI-406), and four keystone sub-Neptunes located directly within the radius gap (K2-313b, TOI-544b, TOI-521b, and TOI-912b). Furthermore, I will discuss four remarkable multi-planet systems from TESS: the G dwarf TOI-1472 and the K dwarf TOI-1438 (each orbited by two sub-Neptunes), a resonant sextuplet of sub-Neptunes transiting the bright, nearby K0 dwarf HD 110067 (TOI-1835), and the young (~700 Myr), active G5 dwarf TOI-1136, which features six confirmed resonant planets and a seventh single transiting candidate. Finally, I will outline how the data, methodologies, and synergy frameworks established by these ongoing campaigns are actively paving the path for the future radial velocity follow-up of small planets to be discovered by the PLATO mission.

Mówca: Dr Grzegorz Nowak (NCU)

12:10 Exoplanets from Toruń: past, present and future.

I will present our exoplanet search project, that resulted in detection of 30 exoplanets, mostly around evolved stars, so far. I will briefly present status of the project, our forthcoming results as well as our plans for the future.

Mówca: Prof. Andrzej Niedzielski (NCU)

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch break

14:00 → 15:00 Session 3: NCU

14:00 Cosmic ray-driven dynamo, galactic winds and synchrotron radio-emission of Milky Way-type galaxies.

A case of the successful Polish-German collaboration in theoretical astrophysics.

Recent studies of the magnetized interstellar medium indicate that cosmic rays accelerated in supernova remnants play a crucial role in driving galactic winds and amplifying galactic magnetic fields. Cosmic rays have a strong dynamical impact on the interstellar medium.

The model, developed through Polish-German collaboration and presented in a series of over a dozen publications, has demonstrated high effectiveness in generating magnetic fields in galaxies through the action of cosmic rays. Similarly, in subsequent studies, we demonstrated the important role of cosmic rays in driving galactic winds.

Current research focuses on comparing computational models with observations of synchrotron emission, gamma-ray radiation, and the isotopic composition and energy spectra of secondary cosmic rays recorded by the AMS-02 particle detectors on the International Space Station (ISS). The work, carried out by international teams involving scientists from Poland, Germany, and other European countries, aims to gain a better understanding of the interactions between cosmic rays and the classical components of the interstellar medium.

Mówca: Prof. Michał Hanasz (NCU)

14:20 Hunting for stellar-mass black holes: spectroscopic classification of microlensing events and other transients.

Sky surveys, like Gaia, ZTF, OGLE, ASAS-SN and recent LSST, continuously monitor the sky, detecting various transient phenomena such as gravitational microlensing events that can reveal compact objects, including isolated stellar-mass black holes, neutron stars or white dwarfs. Combining photometric, spectroscopic and astrometric data with intensive ground-based follow-up is essential for accurately modeling these events.

To support this effort, we operate a network of small- and medium-sized optical telescopes within the OPTICON Alliance activity. Observations are automatically processed using our dedicated platform, Black Hole TOM (BHTOM, bhtom.space). We also perform spectroscopic follow-up of selected targets to distinguish genuine microlensing events from other transients and variable stars. The spectra enable efficient candidate classification and provide source-star properties that improve microlensing modeling.

I will present the current status of our search for stellar-mass black holes, recent examples of promising Gaia microlensing events, and the results of our spectroscopic classification campaign. I will also highlight the capabilities of the BHTOM platform and discuss how these efforts prepare us for the much larger number of Galactic transients expected from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory/LSST survey.

Mówca: Dr Paweł Zieliński (NCU)

14:40 Towards an accurate inhomogeneous model of the Universe

The current standard cosmological model, the LCDM model,replaced the more rough big bang model in the 1990s. This model is precise, but is rejected by the lack of structure above the 10 Gpc/h scale, by the local few hundred megaparsec measurements of the expansion rate, and by the dipole in the 1 Gpc/h scale galaxy distribution. Using the upcoming surveys on Rubin/LSST and 4MOST, the UMK cosmology group plans to help obtain evidence for a more accurate cosmological model beyond LCDM. In particular, detection on the few-hundred Mpc scale of the dipoles and quadrupoles of the cosmographic parameters of the luminosity-distance-redshift relation should be possible, leading to an inhomogeneous model of the Universe that is more accurate than LCDM. This will in turn allow extracting a gigaparsec-scale map of the matter distribution map from the 4MOST Cosmological Redshift Survey, which will be completed by 2031, in a way that is more accurate than a map inferred by using LCDM.

Mówca: Prof. Boud Roukema (NCU)

15:00 → 15:30 Summary: conclusions from the meeting