Astronomy & Astrophysics Division
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Deputy Head 1 : Prof. Santosh Vadawale Deputy Head 2 : Prof. Sachindra Naik OverviewThe research in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Division involves investigations across the optical, infrared, X-ray, and radio wavelength bands to address some of the outstanding problems related to galactic and extragalactic cosmic phenomena, such as star formation, stellar evolution, the interstellar medium, binary stars, exoplanets, pulsars, active galactic nuclei, and giant radio galaxies. The Sun and the physics of Interplanetary Space are also being studied using numerical simulations and spacecraft observations.
The research activities in Optical and Infrared Astronomy optimally utilise the capabilities of two moderate-size (1.2m and 2.5m) and two small-size (43cm and 50cm) in-house telescopes with state-of-the-art instruments. Occasionally, observations are also made using larger telescopes at other national and international observatories. The radio astronomy programs utilise the national facility Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). The X-ray Astronomy group's interests include understanding X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and various extragalactic sources, in addition to observing the nearest star, the Sun. The group is also extensively involved in designing and building instruments for X-ray and gamma-ray observations. Some of the key research areas of the division include,
Facilities1.2 m telescopePRL has been successfully operating its 1.2-m telescope at Mt. Abu Observatory since late 1994, generating significant scientific contributions in the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The telescope has been used extensively for observing comets, novae, exoplanets and AGN. In 2008, PRL initiated its exoplanet science program for the first time in India with the development of a high-resolution spectrograph PARAS (PRL Advanced Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search, R ≃ 67000), which is mounted on the 1.2 m telescope. The other back-end instruments include NICMOS, Near-Infrared Camera and Spectrograph, Imaging Fabry-Perot Spectrometer, Optical Polarimeter and Mt-abu Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera. Notably, the first exoplanet from India was discovered using the PARAS spectrograph on 1.2m telescope. The observations from this telescope has resulted in several Ph.D. thesis and a large number of publications in refereed journals. Mount Abu Observatory has recently commissioned a state-of-the-art 2.5-meter telescope, jointly developed by PRL and Belgium's Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS). This advanced technological marvel is the second-largest steerable telescope in the country. It is uniquely designed for PRL's exoplanetary research and special target-of-opportunity missions. The telescope operates across 370-4000 nm wavelength range. It features a primary mirror of 2500 mm diameter and 120 mm thickness and a secondary mirror measuring 820 mm diameter with 85 mm thickness, both in a hyperbolic configuration. The telescope uses a Ritchey-Chretien design on an alt-azimuth mount, with 9 m length and 6.5 m maximum diameter. With 20 m focal length, F/8 focal ratio, and 25 arcmin field of view it has slew rate of 2°/sec and guide rate of 10 arcsec/sec. There are one main port and two side ports for housing back-end instruments. Currently, two key instruments are installed on this telescope: the Faint Object Camera (FOC) and the PRL Advanced Radial-velocity All-sky Search-2 (PARAS2). PARAS2 is a high-resolution spectrograph with a resolution of 110000, mainly used for detecting exoplanets, but it also serves many other astronomical purposes. This instrument recently played a crucial role in discovering a new sub-Saturn-sized planet. The peer-reviewed publications from the Mount Abu telescopes are regularly updated in this page. The Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) onboard Chandrayaan2 is an X-ray spectrometer. Its unprecedented sensitivity and spectral resolution make it one of the best X-ray spectrometers observing the Sun. So far, it has produced exciting results about the quiet X-ray Sun and its elemental abundances. More details about the XSM instrument can be found in its webpage. Ph.D. Courses Offered
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