Theory

The Institute has a strong group of astrophysicists and physicists working on problems related to the complex phenomena in the exterior and interior of the sun and stars, the solar system, the stellar evolution, the interstellar medium, the galaxies and those related to the origin of the universe. Only an outline is given here

Work connected with the sun and the stars is mainly concerned with the star formation, transport of energy produced in their interiors,formation of lines in their spectra and their evolution, the determination of chemical elements etc. Here due regard is paid to various physical effects such as reflection, scattering, polarization, advection and aberration etc.

The research in plasma astrophysics takes a critical look at the magnetohydrodynamic processes, supernova remnants and the radio bursts of the sun. The studies of the interstellar medium concentrate on planetary nebulae, dust in the stellar environs and the space in between stars, the vast regions of ionized hydrogen and giant molecular clouds in our galaxy etc.

Variability in the light of stars whether regular or irregular, and their explosive nature form an important aspect of the studies. As powerful sources of radiation whether radio, optical, x-rays or gamma rays, extensive work on pulsars, black holes, quasars and active nuclei of galaxies is undertaken. The stellar system studies range from star clusters to clusters of galaxies and their collsions. This apart the data on galaxies obtained through the satellites is analysed, numerical simulations of their dynamics are carried out and models are constructed of the central engines of the most energetic objects in the Universe, the quasars. These studies compliment the work being done on the early phases of the evolutionary models of the Universe and the likely presence of invisible, i.e., the so-called dark matter and its nature. These works are basically particle physics oriented and try to reconstruct the early expansion of the Universe in the light of extensive developments in experimental particle physics.

There is a group of physicists pursuing the study of low energy consequences of unification of the fundamental forces at high energies. The thrust is on theoretical as well as experimental aspects. Theoretical work is mainly on the parity and time reversal violation

Last updated on: February 20, 2024