FACULTY OF Physics and Astronomy

PROF. DR. RALF-JÜRGEN DETTMAR, ASTRONOMIC INSTITUTE

Research projects at the chair of astronomy focus on studying the physics of the magnetized interstellar medium and its role in the evolution of galaxies. Emission line spectroscopy at optical and X-ray wavelengths is used to characterize the properties of the diffuse gas in galactic halos while radio-continuum polarization studies of the non-thermal synchrotron emission allow to describe properties of galactic magnetic fields such as field strength and structure. The combination of the methods provides inside into the physical condition of galactic halos ad-dressing the large scale circulation of matter between star-forming galactic disks and the so-called “circumgalactic medium”. In this context, one station of the international LOw Frequency ARray radiotelesope (LOFAR) is operated together with FZ Jülich.

Keywords: plasma-astrophysics, plasma diagnostics, emission line spectroscopy, radio polarimetry, interstellar medi-um physics, galactic magnetic fields, LOFAR

Webpage: Astronomical Institute