Abstract

The main areas of space activity in Poland comprise: plasma physics, planetary science and solar physics. Polish scientists and engineers have taken part in developing more than 60 space instruments, many of them using radio waves to investigate phenomena in space plasmas. The recent experiments of his kind include Kompas and Demeter, but a number of new ones, like Obstanovka, Taranis, ASIM or Radioastron, are prepared. The experimental work is supported with theoretical investigations dedicated to ionosphere, magnetosphere and interplanetary medium.

Last year the LOFAR consortium of Polish institutes has been established and soon a similar one dedicated to LOIS will be formed.

Radio astronomers in Poland have developed an excellent tool to carry out their research: a 32 m radio telescope in Piwnice near Torun that is a part of VLBI network and is used to study various kinds of astrophysical objects such as quasars, radio galaxies, pulsars, interstellar masers, solar and extra-solar planetary systems.

Astrophysicists are involved in several international projects, like HESS and CTA, but have also prepared a national project "Pi of the sky" in which a network of wide angle small telescopes is used to observe gamma ray bursts. They take part in ESA space missions: Integral, Herschel, and are involved in defining XEUS.

The presentation (PDF)