Our Research
The fourth division (BP4) of The Fundamental Research Department (Departament Badań Podstawowych) deals with research in astrophysics and astronomy, mainly their observational aspects. The BP4 division is located in Warsaw at 7 Pasteura street.
The research conducted at the Astrophysics Laboratory includes:
- Cosmology: CMB, large structures of the Universe, dark matter, non-standard cosmology and gravitational lensing
- Gravitational waves: Multi-messenger astronomy, new tools for cosmology
- Physics of galaxies: Formation and evolution of galaxies, AGN, quasars and gamma-ray burst
- Interstellar medium: Star formation, neutron stars and white dwarfs
The BP4 division is also involved in several international projects. Check our Scientific Projects page for more information.
Seminars
Upcoming seminars for all of NCBJ can be found here.
The seminar archive for NCBJ can be found here.
Latest News
Scroll down for the latest news about the research done by our division or click here.
Conference Participation
BP4 participate in may national and intersectional conferences. We share our cutting edge research and enthusiasm with other astronomers across the world. Below are pictures from our trips across the globe.
Latest News
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SONATA BIS, SONATA and four times HARMONY
In the latest edition of the National Science Center’s grant competitions, six scientists from the NCBJ have been successful. The most valuable achievement is in the SONATA BIS 7 competition. Dr Kamila Kowalska from the Theoretical Physics Division will receive almost 2.5 million PLN for her research on „Extensions of Standard Model with vector-like fermions.”
![Lokalizacja źródła fali grawitacyjnej zaobserwowanej jako GW170814 (źródło: współprace naukowe LIGO i VIRGO)](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/prasa/gw170814.jpg?itok=TIg69QAv)
First detection of a gravitational wave by Advanced VIRGO
First simultaneous detection of a gravitational wave by the two US-based interferometers and the Advanced VIRGO European interferometer was announced during the meeting of Ministers of Science from the G7 countries. The observation made possible to roughly locate source of the emission, which marks a new era in astrophysics. PolGraw, a team of scientists from 8 research institutions in Poland, is a member of the VIRGIO collaboration.
![Fale grawitacyjne zarejestrowane po raz trzeci! Odkrycie potwierdza istnienie nowej populacji czarnych dziur - Źródło - Virgo Collaboration Fale grawitacyjne zarejestrowane po raz trzeci! Odkrycie potwierdza istnienie nowej populacji czarnych dziur - Źródło - Virgo Collaboration](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/prasa/figure_bh_collide.jpg?itok=sZTeYZ9k)
3rd observation of gravitational waves has proved existence of unexpected black holes
The Advanced LIGO research consortium (in which some NCBJ scientists participate) has reported the 3rd instance of direct observation of gravitational waves. The logged waves were emitted just before two black holes merged into a single spinning larger hole of a mass 49 times larger than the mass of our Sun and about 3 billion light years away the Earth.
![Widok z lotu ptaka na miejsce eksperymentu Virgo, fot. Virgo Collaboration Widok z lotu ptaka na miejsce eksperymentu Virgo, fot. Virgo Collaboration](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/prasa/widok_z_lotu_ptaka_na_miejsce_eksperymentu_virgo_fot._virgo_collaboration.jpg?itok=gnmcLWPL)
Advanced Virgo is ready
Objective of the Advanced Virgo project officially concluded on February 20, 2017 in European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) in Pisa (Italy) was to modernise the Virgo interferometer. Polish scientists participated in the project. It is hoped that the Advanced Virgo detector will significantly advance research on gravitational waves, so far the largest discovery in physics of the 21st century.
![Największa trójwymiarowa mapa Wszechświata sprzed 7 mld lat Największa trójwymiarowa mapa Wszechświata sprzed 7 mld lat](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/prasa/mapa_wszechswiata.jpg?itok=LIMwQYHv)
The largest 3D map of the Universe as it was 7 billion years ago
An international team of astronomers (composed also of some Polish scientists) running the VIPERS (VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey) project has just presented the largest 3D map of the Universe as it was 7 billion years ago, and made available the data, on which the map was based.
![Początek hackathonu, narada. Paweł Posielężny (MIM UW), Adam Zadrożny (NCBJ), Arkadiusz Ćwiek (NCBJ), fot: Kuba Mozolewski, Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji Początek hackathonu, narada. Paweł Posielężny (MIM UW), Adam Zadrożny (NCBJ), Arkadiusz Ćwiek (NCBJ), fot: Kuba Mozolewski, Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/prasa/hackaton_2.jpg?itok=jsb_63bt)
NCBJ researchers in a programming contest organized by Ministry of Digital Affairs
17 teams participated in Hackathon, a programing contest organized for the first time by Ministry of Digital Affairs on premises of National Library in Warsaw. 90 contest runners included 2 astrophysicist from NCBJ: Adam Zadrożny and Arkadiusz Ćwiek. Contest runners’ task was to develop software applications designed to facilitate everyday life of ordinary people by making use of data openly published by various institutions in the Internet.