Description
Note: There are no oral presentations / flash talks for the posters. They have been put into the programme only to have a record of all posters on Indico.
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54. Assessing the Impact of Voluntary STEM Teaching in Schools as a Community Development InitiativeBuyisiwe Sondezi (University of Johannesburg, Physics Department, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, South Africa, 2006)30/09/2026, 16:30Outreach and EducationPoster
There are various factors that contribute to the success of learners in the stream of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Considering that these subjects are deemed difficult to most learners and students, most facilitators are constantly seeking and using various methods of teaching these subjects for better outcomes. However, in some cases, external assistance is...
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Prof. Michael Backes (University of Namibia)30/09/2026, 16:31Active Galactic NucleiPoster
Blazars constitute the most extreme class of active galactic nuclei (AGN), characterized by relativistic plasma jets oriented directly along the line of sight to Earth. Their multi-wavelength emission displays violent variability across broad electromagnetic bands and diverse time scales, providing crucial probes into relativistic jet dynamics, particle acceleration efficiency, and non-thermal...
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Tristan Jade Wilkinson (University of the Witwatersrand)30/09/2026, 16:32Multi-Messenger Astrophysics and Astro-Particle PhysicsPoster
Axion-like particles (ALPs) are potential dark matter candidates which are proposed as a solution to a problem in the current Standard Model of Particle Physics- the lack of an expected violation of Charge Conjugation & Parity (CP) symmetries. ALPs are strong contenders for dark matter candidates as they interact minimally with both “standard” matter and light, and furthermore are low-energy...
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Banele Mthembu (University of KwaZulu-Natal (National Astrophysics & Space Science Programme))30/09/2026, 16:33Active Galactic NucleiPoster
Extended radio galaxies (ERGs) are powerful tracers of galaxy evolution and the interaction between radio jets and their environments. With the sensitivity and resolution of MeerKAT, it is possible to study these radio sources in greater detail than before. This study aims to identify and characterise ERGs in a 1.28 GHz field of the MeerKAT Extended Relics, Giant Halos, and Extragalactic Radio...
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Hambeleleni Davids30/09/2026, 16:34Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaePoster
Globular clusters are established high-energy sources, with their GeV emission generally attributed to unresolved populations of millisecond pulsars (MSPs). However, the physical origin of different components of their broadband spectra remains uncertain. We investigate the emission from 47 Tucanae using a population-scaled, phase-averaged model that combines synchro-curvature radiation from...
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Charles Takalana (IAU-OAD)30/09/2026, 16:35Other High-Energy SourcesContributed Talk
Galaxy clusters offer an unconventional route to the global 21 cm signal. The low-frequency background passing through the hot intracluster medium is inverse Compton-scattered, producing a cluster-localised spectral distortion, the SZE-21cm, that carries the imprint of the global signal. Since it is measured as a difference between a cluster sightline and nearby blank sky, the effect does not...
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Paul Chitembwa (University of Manchester)30/09/2026, 16:36Active Galactic NucleiPoster
Relativistic plasma jets are conduits through which energy, momentum, and angular momentum are transported from the centre of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to vast distances, extending from sub-parsec to megaparsec scale structures such as hotspots and lobes where they terminate, influencing the so-called AGN feedback processes. Although sufficient energy input is available from jets, both how...
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Mehbuba Ahmed Mohammed (Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI), and 10Academy)30/09/2026, 16:37Active Galactic NucleiPoster
The chemical abundance of active galaxies, which host active galactic nuclei (AGN) at their centre, remains poorly studied, most often due to the difficulty of removing the effect of AGN in metallicity measurements. In particular, the chemical abundance of active galaxies in different environments, including clusters and groups of galaxies, is still unknown. In this work, we use a novel HCm...
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Portia Legodi (University of South Africa)30/09/2026, 16:38Other High-Energy SourcesPoster
We present MeerKAT 1.28 GHz radio-continuum results for the Frontier Field cluster Abell S1063 at $z = 0.351$. The observations reveal a giant radio halo extending over $\sim 1.96$ Mpc, with an integrated flux density of $S_{1.28\,\mathrm{GHz}} = 15.43 \pm 2.73~\mathrm{mJy}$. Its large physical extent and comparatively low radio power place it among the relatively underluminous giant radio...
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Thulo Letsele (Centre for Space Research)30/09/2026, 16:39Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaePoster
In spider pulsar binaries, the energetic pulsar wind continuously ablates the low-mass companion star, driving a complex intrabinary shock and producing a dense local plasma-filled environment. This interaction region acts as a unique laboratory for high-energy astrophysics, yet its precise geometry and local properties remain challenging to constrain. In this work, we present a theoretical...
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B. van SOELEN (Department of Physics University of the Free State Bloemfontein 9301 South Africa), Suvas Chaudhary (University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.)30/09/2026, 16:401Active Galactic NucleiPoster
Radio galaxies are important laboratories for studying the physics of active galactic nuclei and their relativistic jets. In this study, I will investigate the multi-epoch hard X-ray emission from two nearby radio galaxies, NGC 1275 and Centaurus A. We present a multi-epoch study of the hard X-ray emission from the nearby radio galaxies Centaurus A and NGC 1275 using NuSTAR observations. The...
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Mahike Kilian Kilian (University of the Free State)30/09/2026, 16:41X-Ray and Gamma-Ray BinariesPoster
Gamma-ray binaries are a rare class of high-mass binary systems in which the non-thermal energy spectrum peaks in the gamma-ray regime. PSR B1259-63/LS2883 falls under this rare class and is one of the only three sources where the compact object has been identified as a young pulsar. This system has a 3.4 year orbital period and consists of a 48 ms pulsar and an O9.5 Ve star. The non-thermal...
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Jacques Redelinghuys (University of the Free State)30/09/2026, 16:42Active Galactic NucleiPoster
The synchrotron radiation from blazars is produced by populations of relativistic electrons within their jets. This radiation is intrinsically polarized. However, the observed polarization depends strongly on the geometry and physical conditions of the emitting region. It may also be affected by emission from other components, such as contributions from the host galaxy. Thus, connecting the...
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Buyisiwe Sondezi (University of Johannesburg, Physics Department, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, South Africa, 2006)30/09/2026, 16:43Outreach and EducationPoster
Despite the progress in technology that allows many undergraduate experiments in the physical sciences to be simulated, these digital models cannot fully replace the learning benefits of real laboratory work. Hands-on laboratory experiences remain a part of undergraduate science education. They help students build skills, think scientifically, solve problems, and understand the uncertainties...
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Drianca Reddy30/09/2026, 16:44Active Galactic NucleiPoster
The Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of emission produced by blazars, a sub-class of radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), typically exhibits a double-peaked spectrum. The lower-energy peak is attributed to synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons. The origin of the higher-energy peak remains debated and has been modelled by both leptonic and hadronic processes. In this study, we...
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Buyi Sondezi (University of Johannesburg, Chemical Sciences, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006)30/09/2026, 16:45Outreach and EducationPoster
Grounded by constructivism, the study explored students’ understanding of fundamental electrical concepts through hands-on activities involving series and parallel circuits. The study used a pre-post test design to evaluate their conceptual understanding of current, resistance, voltage and the effects of changes in circuits. The evaluation also assessed students’ perceptions of which...
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Andries Mathiba (University of Cape Town)30/09/2026, 16:46X-Ray and Gamma-Ray BinariesPoster
Be X-ray binaries (BeXBs) consist of a compact object, in nearly all known cases a neutron star, in orbit around a massive Oe/Be companion that hosts a quasi-Keplerian equatorial decretion disc. This disc is the reservoir from which the compact object accretes, and its geometry, density and dynamical state set the conditions for X-ray outburst triggering, amplitude and recurrence. Despite...
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Spencer Tendai Madzime30/09/2026, 16:47Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaePoster
We present a search for transient gamma-ray activity from the rapidly rotating, highly magnetized white dwarf ZTF J1901+1458 using Fermi-LAT data. We investigate the temporal behaviour of the source by analysing individual time intervals and identify several candidate episodes with test statistics corresponding approximately to the (3\sigma) significance regime. The candidate intervals show...
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