The focus of our research is the evolution of galaxies, from their formation phases to the understanding of their current structure and dynamics. An important aspect is the physics of the interstellar medium in spiral galaxies, including the large-scale, star-formation-driven exchange of matter between the disk and the halo. To this end, observations of the various types of interstellar matter—from million-degree-hot, thin plasma to cosmic rays—are conducted and analyzed at the relevant international observatories. These include radio telescopes in New Mexico (USA), South Africa, and Australia, as well as optical observatories in Chile and Spain, and the space observatories XMM/Newton,
Hubble, and James Webb.

The investigations of interstellar matter are supplemented by studies of the distribution of stars in spiral galaxies. A combination of the resulting mass distribution of stars in galaxies with the motion of the gas obtained from spectroscopic observations will then also allow conclusions to be drawn about the distribution of the still enigmatic dark matter in galaxies. By analyzing the polarization properties of radio radiation from galaxies, for example, the large-scale structure of magnetic fields in galaxies has been deciphered in recent years. This work is being continued in collaboration with other research groups within the framework of the Ruhr Astroparticle and Plasma Physics (RAPP) Center, including SFB1491. To
enable further observations of this kind in previously inaccessible wavelength ranges or with unprecedented precision, the group has also been involved in the development of new
instruments and telescopes. These included, among others, a spectrograph on what is currently the world’s largest optical telescope, the Large Binocular
Telescope (LBT) in Arizona and the completely new LOFAR radio telescope centred in the Netherlands.