Faculty of Science to host international astrophysics conference bringing together scientists from around the world

The 8th Intracluster Medium Theory and Computation Workshop will take place from 20 to 24 July at the Brno Observatory and Planetarium. The conference will focus on the physics of the intracluster medium in galaxy clusters and on modern computational methods in astrophysics.

“It may sound surprising, but only about seven percent of the ordinary matter in the Universe is locked up in stars. The rest exists as extremely diffuse plasma spread between galaxies. To understand how the Universe evolves and functions, we need to understand the physics of this intergalactic matter,” says Norbert Werner from the Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, who is organizing the conference.

Around eighty astrophysicists and researchers from leading universities and research institutes – including Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, and several Max Planck Institutes – are expected to attend the event in Brno.

“We felt truly honoured and delighted when our colleagues asked us to host this top-level conference in Brno. It also reflects the fact that, over the past few years, the Faculty of Science has established itself in cutting-edge research on galaxy clusters and the intracluster medium. Hosting the conference will raise the faculty’s international profile, and I believe it may also attract other outstanding scientists to Masaryk University,” Werner says.

The programme will include lectures where participants will discuss turbulence, magnetic fields, cosmic rays, and plasma microphysics in the intracluster medium. Attendees will also hear presentations on the latest numerical simulations and computational techniques used to model these astrophysical phenomena.

“Modern computational methods, which will be one of the key topics of this conference, help us investigate the physical processes governing the evolution of the diffuse plasma between galaxies, as well as the formation and evolution of galaxies themselves. Interestingly, this research also drives further advances in computational methods that may find applications in other fields,” Werner explains.

The conference aims to promote knowledge exchange between theorists, computational modellers, and observers, initiate new collaborations, and identify open scientific questions related to the dynamics and magnetic fields of the largest structures in the Universe.

According to Werner, it would also be valuable if the discussions at the conference contributed to a better understanding of supermassive black holes and the mechanisms by which they prevent the intracluster medium in galaxy clusters from forming stars.