A quarterly bulletin of the KHAGOL Editor : Inter-University Centre for Ajit Kembhavi Astronomy and Astrophysics ([email protected]) (An autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission) Editorial Assistant : Manjiri Mahabal Available online at http://ojs.iucaa.ernet.in/ No. 96 October 2013 ([email protected]) Jayant@75 C O N T E N T S Jayant@75 1 GWPAW - Updates 2 Welcome /Farewell 2, 3, 4 Seminars 3 Our Dynamic Sun 4 Workshop on Astronomy and Astrophysics 5 Workshop on Astronomical Techniques and Science with Virtual Observatories 5 JES-IUCAA workshop on Astronomy and Physics for Science Communicators 6 Announcement 6 Visitors, Visitors Expected 7 Know Thy Birds - 3 8 Professor Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, and the last session of the meeting Founder Director of IUCAA, completed was devoted to the theme “Science 75 years of age on July 19, 2013. To and Society”, which has been very celebrate this milestone, a meeting close to Professor Narlikar’s heart. The was organized at IUCAA during July only scientific talk in this session was 18-19, 2013. by Professor Narlikar, who gave a very The first two sessions of the meeting impassional and interesting lecture on were devoted to the main areas of How well do we know our universe? Professor Narlikar’s scientific work on The others who spoke on various cosmology and gravitation. There topics connected to the theme were were lectures delivered by some of his S. M. Chitre, Govind Swarup, former students, and senior and young N. Mukunda, S. K. Pandey and colleagues from various institutions R. Ramachandran. and universities. The speakers in these The scientific meeting was followed by sessions were Narayan Banerjee, a very well attended public meeting in Dawood Kothawala, S. Mukherjee, Chandrasekhar Auditorium, IUCAA. Mohammad Sami, T. R. Seshadri, Talks covering Professor Narlikar’s life Sanjeev Dhurandhar, Pankaj Joshi, and times, his influence on the Tarun Souradeep, D. Narasimha, and intellectual life of the country and the Kandaswamy Subramanian. The third, setting up of IUCAA by him were given October Khagol 1 2013 IJmoc by S. M. Chitre, Anil Kakodkar, Charles Prakash Tupe and Ketaki Dave, who Correa , and N. K. Dadhich. Short talks represented Jyotirvidya Parisanstha of were given by Arvind Paranjpye, Pune. Professor Narlikar and Smt. Mangala Narlikar were felicitated during the meeting, after which Professor Narlikar gave a brief talk, wherein he said that he was not fond of the Big-Bang Theory and Chitale’s Bakarwadi, for which Pune is so famous. Gravitational Wave Physics and Astronomy Workshop - UPDATES As announced earlier, the next Gravitational Wave Physics prominence: Blocks of time will be set aside for poster and Astronomy Workshop (GWPAW) will be hosted by IUCAA viewing. Additionally, every contribution that is selected for a during December 17 – 20, 2013. This workshop is one of the poster will be allotted 90 seconds of talk-time in the main special events being hosted by IUCAA to mark 25 years of its session. existence. The registration fee is INR 8,000 until November 1 which is The organizers have put together an exciting programme, also the final registration as well as the abstract submission which focuses on what physics and astrophysics can be deadline. Information about accommodation options, along derived from gravitational wave observations in the era of with deadlines on special rates for hotels, travel, and other advanced detectors, and what data analysis challenges must workshop related matters can be found at the above be addressed to facilitate that process. The programme mentioned website. includes the following list of topics: * Advanced Gravitational Wave Detectors Welcome to … * Gravitational Wave (GW) Source * Electro-magnetic (EM) or particle counterparts of GW Sumanta Chakraborty, Kabir Chakravarti, Shaikh Shabbir sources Isak, Nikhil Mukund K., Labani Mallick, Sk Javed Rana * Prospects for joint GW - EM/particle observations and Shakti Rathod, who have joined as Research Scholars. * GW waveform simulations * Data analysis challenges in the advanced detector era … Farewell to * GW detector-characterization challenges in the advanced detector era Surajit Paul, who has joined the Department of Physics, * Tests of general relativity University of Pune as DST-INSPIRE Faculty We invite contributions for talks and posters in the above Sujoy Kumar Modak, who has joined UNAM, Mexico, as a areas to supplement talks by the invited speakers. An up-to- Post-doctoral Fellow date list of invited speakers is being maintained in the Nishant Kumar Singh, who has joined NORDITA, Stockholm, programme section of the workshop website as a Post-doctoral Fellow. <http://www.iucaa.ernet.in/~gwpaw>. Posters will be given 2 Khagol October IJmoc 2013 Welcome to the Seminars Listed below are the seminars given at IUCAA during July - IUCAA Family October 2013. IUCAA is happy to announce the selection of the Twenty- 04.07.2013 Sujoy Kumar Modak on Classicality and fourth Batch (2013) of Visiting Associates. The Visiting particle creation in our Universe. Associateship is for a tenure of three years, beginning August 2013. 04.07.2013 Surajit Paul on Nature of energy and density New Visiting Associates evolution in a forming galaxy cluster. Debbijoy Bhattacharya, Manipal University 11.07.2013 Luke Chamandy on How to build magnetic Raghavendra Chaubey, BHU, Varanasi arms with large-scale dynamos. Atri Deshamukhya, Assam University S. Dev, HNBG Central University, Uttarakhand 11.07.2013 Dipanjan Mukherjee on Probing magnetic fields on accreting neutron stars. Sukanta Dutta, University of Delhi Rupjyoti Gogoi, Tezpur University 12.07.2013 Shruti Tripathi on Study of spectral variations Sk. Monowar Hossein, Aliah University, Kolkata in Iras 18325-5926. Ngangbam Ibohal, Manipur University L.N. Katkar, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 16.07.2013 Jnan Maharana on Duality symmetry and excited stringy states. Dawood Kothawala, IIT Madras, Chennai Rajesh S.R., S.D. College, Alappuzha 16.07.2013 Sibasish Laha on A study of the warm L. Sriramkumar, IIT Madras absorbers in Seyfert galaxies. 22.07.2013 Soumen Basak on A needlet Ilc analysis of Extension of term to the Twenty-first WMAP 9-year data. batch of Visiting Associates 23.07.2013 Vinay Kashyap on Avalanche of flares. Farooq Ahmad, University of Kashmir, Srinagar G. Ambika, IISER-Pune 24.07.2013 Vikram Khaire on Cosmic UV background and Tanwi Bandyopadhyay, Shri Shikshayatan College, Kolkata its implications. Narayan Banerjee, IISER-Kolkata Pavan Chakraborty, Indian Institute of Information 24.07.2013 M. Vivek on Time variability studies of low Technology, Allahabad ionization broad absorption line quasars Subenoy Chakraborty, Jadavpur University 12.08.2013 Vikram Soni on Magnetars : Maximum stars; B. C. Chauhan, Cental University of Himachal Pradesh, A laboratory for new physics Dharamshala Himadri Sekhar Das, Assam University, Silchar 20.08.2013 Shiva Kumar Malpaka on Inverse cascade of Sushant G. Ghosh, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi magnetic helicity in forced and decaying 3d- Mhd turbulence K.P. Harikrishnan, The Cochin College, Kochi K. Indulekha, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 22.08.2013 Ruta Kale on Diffuse radio emission in galaxy Sanjay Jhingan, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi clusters: Ongoing radio surveys and new S.N.A. Jaffrey, University College of Science, Udaipur detections Kanti R. Jotania, The M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodra 19.09.2013 Anvar Shukurov on Realistic models of the M. M. Kalam, Aliah University, Kokata Interstellar medium driven by supernova Nagendra Kumar, M.M.H. College, Gaziabad explosions B.S. Kushvah, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad Pran Nath Pandita, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong 20.09.2013 Helen Mason on The coronal iron ions: A Madhav K. Patil, SRT Marathwada University, Nanded journey from the visible to the X-rays Anirudh Pradhan, Hindu Post-Graduate College, Zamania 26.09.2013 Yogesh Mann on Tomographic studies of Harinder Pal Singh, University of Delhi pulsar radio emission cones Biplab Raychaudhuri, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan Anjan Ananda Sen, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 27.09.2013 Richard Green on The quasar luminosity Anirban Saha, West Bengal State University, Barasat function – Then and now P.K. Samal, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar 27.09.2013 Philip Hinz on Direct imaging of debris disks Paniveni Udayshankar, NIE Institute of Technology, Mysore and exoplanets: Probing atmospheres and Anisul Ain Usmani, Aligarh Muslim University system architectures October Khagol 3 2013 IJmoc Welcome ... Girijesh Gupta Mandar Patil Girjesh Gupta did his Ph.D. from Indian Mandar Patil did his Ph.D. at the Tata Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore as Institute of Fundamental Research, part of Joint Astronomy Programme Mumbai working under the guidance of (JAP) of Indian Institute of Science, Pankaj Joshi. He has joined IUCAA as a Bangalore, and worked under the Post-Doctoral Fellow. guidance of Dipankar Banerjee. After During his Ph.D. he has investigated the finishing Ph.D., he joined Max Planck process of high energy collisions of Institute for Solar System Research, particles in the curved spacetime geometries. He has showed Lindau, Germany, as a Post-Doctoral fellow. Recently, he has that under specific conditions, it would be possible to have joined IUCAA as a Non-IUCAA-funded Post-Doctoral Fellow ultra-high energy collisions of particles around naked under the INSPIRE Faculty Scheme of the Department of singularities, black holes as well as in the regular spacetimes Science and Technology (DST). offering a unique probe of particle physics and quantum During his Ph.D., he has investigated the nature of gravity. He has also investigated gravitational lensing and propagating MHD waves in different parts of the solar accretion from the perspective of distinguishing naked atmosphere. Based on his analysis, he has found that inter- singularities from black holes. plume regions in the polar Sun are preferred channels for the His present research interests include various aspects of acceleration of fast solar wind. He has also reported the general relativity, gravitational waves and cosmology.