Marek Abramowicz, Göteborg University
VR travel grant application
to attend a Cospar Colloquium on
Spectra and Timing
of Compact X-Ray Binaries

17-21 January, 2005, Mumbai (India)


Homepage http: http://www.tifr.res.in/~xrb2005/home.html


My invited lecture:
Difficulties of the QPOs Resonance Model


Detailed motivation for the travel

My invited talk at the Bombay colloquium will describe difficulties and problems with our resonance QPOs model. The model was developed by Wlodek Kluzniak and myself (in collaboration with several colleagues from Europe, USA, Mexico and Japan) to explain double peak, high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the observed X-ray fluxes from astrophysical black hole and neutron sources.

There is a general consensus among astrophysicists that understanding QPOs is of a fundamental importance to black hole and neutron star physics, and that QPOs provide the most practical way to study several aspects of super-strong gravity close to black holes and neutron stars. Many experts consider our resonance model to be the best model proposed to explain the QPOs phenomenon. Its acheivements are known and appreciated, and it is probably for this reason that I was invited to give a talk at this prestigeous international colloquium.

Our model is now mathematically sound and quite mature. It has, however, several profound problems and difficulties. We need to understand the nature of them in order to be able to make further progress. One obvious way is to discuss these problems with top experts, and for this reason I decided to accept the invitation to attend the colloquium in Bombay, as it would be attended by world's leading experts in the subject. I am convinced that this will be practically beneficial for my research.

Personal invitation as a speaker at the conference


Subject: COSPAR Colloquium
From: "Pranab Ghosh"
Date: Tue, August 10, 2004 7:30
To: marek@fy.chalmers.se

Dear Marek,

We are arranging an International COSPAR Colloquium on "Spectra and Timing of Accreting X-ray Binaries" in Bombay, India on January 17-21, 2005, the venue being the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Bombay. I am the Chair of the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics (DAA) at TIFR, and it is my great pleasure to invite you on behalf of COSPAR, TIFR, and DAA to give an invited talk at this colloquium on a topic of your choice.

Our International Science Organizing Committee consists of (in alphabetical order): P. C. Agrawal, P. Ghosh, G. Hasinger, E.P.J. van den Heuvel, W. Hermsen, S. S. Holt, M. van der Klis, S. Kulkarni, J.-P. Lasota, R. K. Manchanda, F. Mirabel, F. Nagase, J. P. Ostriker, A. Parmar, J. Poutanen, K. P. Singh, L. Stella, J. H. Swank, P. Ubertini, M. C. Weisskopf, N. E. White, and A. Zdiarski. The colloquium website is being constructed, and will be online soon, giving various logistic details, invited speakers' list, and so on.

We look forward to welcoming you here. The above time-frame is arguably the best one weather-wise in India. Please tell me whether you will be able to come.

Best wishes,

Pranab

************************************************
Pranab Ghosh
Professor and Chair
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Homi Bhabha Road
Bombay 400 005
INDIA
Phone (Office): (+91-22-)2280-4545 ext 2537/2254
Phone (Residence): (+91-22-)2280-4812
Fax (Office): (+91-22-)2280-4610/4611
email: pranab@tifr.res.in
************************************************

Curriculum vitae
Name: Marek A. Abramowicz
9 June 1945, Chelm, Poland
Citizenship: Polish, Swedish
Married to: Henryka Kozicka
Daughter: Weronika Abramowicz
Son: Tomasz Abramowicz
Undergraduate studies:
University of Wroclaw
astronomy, mathematics, Master 1968
Graduate studies:
Warsaw University
theoretical physics, Ph.D. 1974
Supervisor: Andrzej Trautman
Habilitation:
Göteborg University 2000
Present position (permanent):
Professor of Astrophysics and Chair
Göteborg University
Past professorships:
SISSA, Trieste
University of Catania
Nordita, Copenhagen
I am Professor of Astrophysics (Chair) at Göteborg University and Chalmers University of Technology. In 1974 I earned my Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Warsaw University. After that I worked for several years at Stanford University and University of Texas at Austin. Later, for more than a decade, I collaborated closely with Dennis Sciama, first at Oxford University and then at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste. For twenty years I was a member of the Academic Board at the Salam's International Centre of Theoretical Physics in Trieste. In 1990-1994 I was professor of astrophysics at Nordita, the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen. My interests include accretion discs theory, active galactic nuclei, neutron stars, black holes, nature of inertial forces and quantum effects in strong gravity. I supervised more than ten doctorates, and published more than 150 research articles.
List of publications 1999-2004
  1. I.V. Igumenshchev, A.F. Illarionov and M.A. Abramowicz
    Hard X-Ray-emitting Black Hole Fed by Accretion of Low Angular Momentum Matter
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 517, 55L (1999)
  2. M.A. Abramowicz
    Gravitational radiation in optical geometry applied to super-compact stars
    Physics Reports, 311, 325 (1999)
  3. I.V. Igumenshchev and M.A. Abramowicz
    Rotating accretion flows around black holes: convection and variability
    Monthly Notices of the Royal astronomical Society, 103, 309 (1999)
  4. V. Karas, B. Czerny, Abrassart and M.A. Abramowicz
    A cloud model of active galactic nuclei: the iron Ka line diagnostics
    Monthly Notices of the Royal astronomical Society, 318, 547 (2000)
  5. I.V. Igumenshchev and M.A. Abramowicz
    Two-dimensional Models of Hydrodynamical Accretion Flows into Black Holes
    The Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series, 130, 463 (2000)
  6. R. Narayan, I.V. Igumenshchev and M.A. Abramowicz
    Self-similar Accretion Flows with Convection
    The Astrophysical Journal, 539, 798 (2000)
  7. I.V. Igumenshchev, M.A. Abramowicz and R. Narayan
    Numerical Simulations of Convective Accretion Flows in Three Dimensions
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 537, 27L (2000)
  8. M.A. Abramowicz, J.-P. Lasota and I.V. Igumenshchev
    On the absence of winds in advection-dominated accretion flows
    Monthly Notices of the Royal astronomical Society, 314 775 (2000)
  9. M.A. Abramowicz, G. Björnsson and I.V. Igumenshchev
    Accretion Disks Phase Transitions: 2-D or Not 2-D?
    Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 52, 295 (2000)
  10. S. Sonego, J. Almergren M.A. Abramowicz
    Optical geometry for gravitational collapse and Hawking radiation
    Physical Review D, 62, 4010 (2000)
  11. M.A. Abramowicz, W. Kluzniak, J.-P. Lasota
    The centrifugal force reversal and X-ray bursts
    Astronomy and Astrophysics, 374, L16 (2001)
  12. M.A. Abramowicz, I.V. Igumenshchev
    How Dim Could Accreting Black Holes Be?
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters 554, 53L (2001)
  13. M.A. Abramowicz, W. Kluzniak
    A precise determination of black hole spin in GRO J1655-40
    Astronomy and Astrophysics, 374, L19 (2001)
  14. W. Kluzniak and M.A. Abramowicz
    Strong field gravity and orbital resonance in black holes and neutron stars --- kHz quasi periodic oscillations
    Acta Physica Polonica B, B32, 3605 (2001)
  15. M.A. Abramowicz, L. Rezzolla, S. Yoshida
    General relativistic Rossby-Haurwitz waves of a slowly and differentially rotating fluid shell
    Classical and Quantum Gravity, 19, 191 (2002)
  16. M.A. Abramowicz, I.V. Igumenshchev, E. Quataert, R. Narayan
    On the Radial Structure of Radiatively Inefficient Accretion Flows with Convection
    The Astrophysical Journal 565, 1101 (2002)
  17. R. Narayan, E. Quataert, I.V. Igumenshchev, M.A. Abramowicz
    The Magnetohydrodynamics of Convection-dominated Accretion Flows
    The Astrophysical Journal 577, 295 (2002)
  18. M.A. Abramowicz, I. Bengtsson, V. Karas, K. Rosquist
    Poincare ball embeddings of the optical geometry
    Classical and Quantum Gravity 19, 3963 (2002)
  19. M.A. Abramowicz, G.J.E Almergren, W.Kluzniak, A.V Thampan and F. Wallinder
    Holonomy invariance, orbital resonances and kilohertz QPOs
    Classical and Quantum Gravity 19, L57 (2002)
  20. M.A. Abramowicz, W.Kluzniak, and J.-P. Lasota
    No observational proof of the black-hole event-horizon
    Astronomy and Astrophysics 396, L31 (2002)
  21. M.A. Abramowicz, and W.Kluzniak
    Epicyclic Orbital Oscillations in Newton's and Einstein's Dynamics
    General Gravity and Gravitation 31, 69 (2003)
  22. M.A. Abramowicz, V. Karas, W. Kluzniak, W.H. Lee, P. Rebusco
    Non-Linear Resonance in Nearly Geodesic Motion in Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries
    Publication of Astronomical Society of Japan 55, 467 (2003)
  23. M.A. Abramowicz, T. Bulik, M. Bursa, W. Kluzniak
    Evidence for a 2:3 resonance in Sco X-1 kHz QPOs
    Astronomy \& Astrophysics Letters 404, 21 (2003)
  24. M.A. Abramowicz
    Book Review: Black Hole Gravitohydromagnetics. By Brian Punsly. 395p. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 2001
    General Relativity and Gravitation 35, 113 (2003)
  25. I.V. Igumenshchev, R. Narayan, M.A. Abramowicz
    Three-dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Radiatively Inefficient Accretion Flows
    The Astrophysical Journal 592, 104 (2003)
  26. R. Narayan, I.V. Igumenshchev, M.A. Abramowicz
    Magnetically Arrested Disk: an Energetically Efficient Accretion Flow
    Publications of Astronomical Society of Japan Letters 55, 55 (2003)
  27. W.H. Lee, M.A. Abramowicz, W. Kluzniak
    Resonance in Forced Oscillations of an Accretion Disk and Kilohertz Quasi-periodic Oscillations
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters 603, 93 (2004)
  28. W. Kluzniak, M.A. Abramowicz, S. Kato, W.H. Lee, N. Stergioulas
    Nonlinear Resonance in the Accretion Disk of a Millisecond Pulsar
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters 603, 89 (2004)
  29. M.A. Abramowicz, W. Kluzniak, J.E. McClintock, R.A. Remillard
    The Importance of Discovering a 3:2 Twin-Peak Quasi-periodic Oscillation in an Ultraluminous X-Ray Source, or How to Solve the Puzzle of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters 609, L63 (2004)
  30. M.A. Abramowicz
    Book Review: Gravitation: Following the Prague Inspiration.
    General Gravity and Gravitation, 36, 1507 (2004)
  31. J. Horák, M.A. Abramowicz, V. Karas, W. Kluzniak
    Of NBOs and kHz QPOs: a Low-Frequency Modulation in Resonant Oscillations of Relativistic Accretion Disks
    Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 56, 819 (2004)
  32. M.A. Abramowicz, W. Kluzniak
    Interpreting black hole QPOs
    American Institute of Physics, 714, 21 (2004)
  33. M. Bursa, M.A. Abramowicz, V. Karas, W. Kluzniak
    The upper kHz QPO: a gravitationally lensed vertical oscillation
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 617, out in print in December (2004)
6. A short description for the purpose of the conference

Topics to be discussed at the colloquium:
=Quasi-Periodic Oscillations & Period Evolution
=Transients, Outbursts & Thermonuclear Bursts
=Continuum & Line Emission, Cyclotron Features
=Evolution of Compact Binaries
=Microquasars & Jet-Disk Connections
=Accretion Disks in Compact Binaries
=Multiwavelength Studies of Compact Binaries
=Binary Radio Pulsars & Neutron-Star Masses
=Intermediate-Mass Black Holes
=The Double-Pulsar System J0737-3039
=Binaries in Globular Clusters
=Binaries in External Galaxies & Star Clusters
=Future Space Missions

Invited speakers include several world's top experts in my research field. I plan to actively interact with most of them. Detailed discussions with a few experts listed below, will be particularly beneficial to my research:  D. Barret, T. Belloni, A. Fabian,  M. van der Klis, T. Maccarone, R. Mushotzky, T. Strohmayer, R. Sunyaev, N. White, R. Wijnands.

7. Participation in conferences


2003

1. Black Holes in the Universe
International summer school
Cargèse, Corsica (France) May 12-24, 2003
http://www-dapnia.cea.fr/Phys/Sap/Conferences/cargese2003/circular1.shtml

I had an 8 hour series of lectures "Accretion around black holes", and was a member of the School scientific committee (other members: Eric Gourgoulhon, Jean-Marie Hameury, Jacques Paul, Rachid Sunyaev).

2. Nordita Master Class in Physics,
Den Nordiske Lejrskole, Hillerød (Denmark) 3-10 August, 2003
http://www.nordita.dk/conference/MasterClass2003/

I had a 5 hour series of lectures "Theory of accretion disks around black holes"

3. Tenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), July 20-26, 2003
http://www.cbpf.br/mg10/WelcomeNew.html
I had two invited lectures at two parallel sessions: "QPOs Resonance Theory" (20min), "Numerical simulations of accretion disks" (20min), and was a repporteur at another session (30min).

4. The 25th Anniversary of the Copernicus Centre
Warsaw (Poland), September 20-25
I had an invited lecture "Active Galactic Nuclei" (1hr).

5. 5th RagTime Workshop
Opava (Czech Republic), 13-15 October, 2003
http://uf.fpf.slu.cz/rag/time5/
I had an invited lecture "The Ultra Luminous X-ray sources: intermediate mass black holes?" (1hr).

6. X-Ray Timing 2003: Rossi and Beyond
CfA, Harvard (U.S.A.), November 3-5, 2003
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/xrt2003/
I had an invited lecture "Interpreting black hole QPOs" (30min)


2004

1. QPOs in strong gravity
Wojnowice Castle (Poland), February 22-28, 2004
http://fy.chalmers.se/~number44/conferences04/wojnowice2004/index.html

I have myself organized this Workshop. It was attended by three senior participants (M.A. Abramowicz, V. Karas, W. Kluzniak) and four graduate students. Three papers have been completed during the Worshop. One is already printed (position 31 in the publication list), two other accepted for publications: astro-ph/0406586, astro-ph/0401464. The Workshop was supported by my VR research grant.

2.Nordita Days on Slim Disks
Nordita, Copenhagen, March 11-14, 2004
http://www.nordita.dk/~brandenb/get-together/meetings/slimdisks04.html

I have organized this Nordita Workshop together with Axel Brandenburg of Nordita

3. Growing Black Holes:
Accretion in a Cosmological Context
Max-Planck-Institute, Garching (near Munich), June 21-25, 2004
http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/~bh-grow/

I had an invited lecture: "Super-Eddington accretion". The text of my lecture is at http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0411185

My participation at this conference was supported by a VR travel grant.

4. From X-ray Binaries to Quasars:
Black Hole Accretion on All Mass Scales
University of Amsterdam, July 13-16

I had an invited lecture: "The 1/M scaling".

My participation at this conference was supported by a VR travel grant.