ENIGMA
Exploring the Nature of the Inter- and Circum-galactic Media
PhD Positions
PhD positions are available through the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS). Applications are possible every year in the fall. For more information please visit the IMPRS-HD web site.
Master Thesis Projects
Master thesis projects in the ENIGMA group are often available. They typically require some experience with programming (C++, C, IDL, or Python). For more information contact Joe Hennawi.
NEWS
- Discovery of the first quasar quartet: Published in May 2015, the discovery of the first Quasar Quartet by a team of astronomers led by Joe Hennawi from MPIA was ranked number four in Astronomy Magazine’s top 10 Space Stories of 2015. For more information please have a look at the MPIA press release.
- From Wall to Web 2016: The ENIGMA group is happy to announce this year's IGM conference 'From Wall to Web'. This six day conference will take place July 24 – 29, 2016 at the Harnack-Haus in Berlin, Germany. For more information please check the conference webpage.
- Illuminating the Dark Ages: Quasars and Galaxies in the Reionization Epoch: The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy is happy to announce the 5th annual MPIA summer conference, Illuminating the Dark Ages: Quasars and Galaxies in the Reionization Epoch. This 5 day conference will take place June 27 - July 1, 2016, at the Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany. For more information please check the conference webpage.
- Discovery of the first quadruple quasar: Using the W.M. Keck observatory in Hawaii, the ENIGMA group of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy has discovered the first quadruple quasar: four rare active black holes situated in close proximity to one another. The quartet resides in one of the most massive structures ever discovered in the distant universe, and is surrounded by a giant nebula of cool dense gas. For more information please have a look at the MPIA press release.
- 'CT Scan' of Distant Universe Reveals Cosmic Web in 3D: The ENIGMA group from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy has created the first three-dimensional map of the 'adolescent' Universe, just 3 billion years after the Big Bang.This map, millions of light years across, provides a tantalizing glimpse of large structures in the 'cosmic web', which forms the backbone of cosmic structure. For more information please have a look at the MPIA press release.
- Intergalactic Matters 2014: This weeklong workshop takes place June 16–20, 2014, at the MPIA in Heidelberg, Germany. It aims to bring together experts in the study of the IGM/CGM to discuss recent developments in the field. For more information please visit the conference web site.
- Black Hole Powers 'Cosmic Flashlight' Illuminating the Cosmic Web: Researchers from the University of California at Santa Cruz and the ENIGMA group at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have captured an image of the cosmic web for the first time: they exploited the intense radiation generated by a supermassive black hole, which, like a flashlight, illuminates the cosmic web, revealing its structure. For more information please see the MPIA press release.
- Observation of Distant Galaxy Powered by Primordial Cosmic Fuel: Researchers from the ENIGMA group have detected cold streams of primordial hydrogen, vestigial matter left over from the Big Bang, fueling a distant star-forming galaxy in the early Universe. Profuse flows of gas onto galaxies are believed to be crucial for explaining an era 10 billion years ago, when galaxies were copiously forming stars. For more information and details on this discovery, please have a look at the MPIA press release.