Description
Chair: Eli Kasai
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Prof. Buyi Sondezi (Rare Earth-Based Oxides and Nano Group, Department of Physics, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Kingsway Avenue and University Road, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa)02/10/2026, 15:00Outreach and EducationContributed Talk
Friendly learning environments have been widely explored for their potential to enhance students’ understanding of fundamental Physics concepts and improve cognitive achievement. This is particularly significant given the widespread perception of Physics as a challenging subject, especially among first-year university students. During this critical transition period, many students encounter...
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Meryem Guennoun (African Astronomical Society)02/10/2026, 15:13Outreach and EducationContributed Talk
Astronomy has a unique ability to inspire curiosity, strengthen scientific literacy, and engage diverse audiences across cultures and generations. While many outreach initiatives are implemented at local or national levels, coordinating science communication at a continental scale presents both unique opportunities and significant challenges.
The African Astronomical Society (AfAS), as the...
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Dr Monica Barnard (Centre for Space Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa)02/10/2026, 15:26Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaeContributed Talk
We model curvature radiation from primary particles accelerated in a dissipative magnetosphere, within an extended separatrix region leading into the current sheet outside the light cylinder, using the azimuthally-dependent electric field from global magnetospheric simulations. This serves as a step towards a full synchro-curvature treatment of the Vela pulsar's high-energy emission observed...
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Dr Debabrata Deb (Centre for Space Research, North-West University)02/10/2026, 15:39Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaeContributed Talk
Pulsars provide exceptionally stable astrophysical clocks, but precision timing at low radio frequencies is complicated by changes in their observed pulse profiles across the observing band. Such frequency-dependent profile evolution can introduce systematic offsets in measured pulse arrival times if a single frequency-averaged template is used. We investigate how frequency resolution can be...
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Christo Venter02/10/2026, 15:52Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaeContributed Talk
Recent detections of pulsed very-high-energy (VHE) emission from PSR B1706−44, Geminga, the Crab, and Vela by ground-based Cherenkov telescopes have prompted renewed efforts to refine models of high-energy pulsar emission. Of particular interest is the discovery of a distinct TeV spectral component in Vela, separate from its GeV component and unlike the spectral behaviour observed in other...
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Ms Dimakatso Maheso02/10/2026, 16:05Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaeContributed Talk
Radio emission from pulsars is commonly modelled as a core and cone beam, since this decomposition reasonably reproduces the single, double, and multiple-component pulse profiles observed across the pulsar population, unlike a simple single-beam model. This structure is usually modelled within a vacuum dipole magnetic field. However, this is inconsistent with the more modern force-free...
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Luyanda Mazwi (University of Johannesburg (Centre for Astro-Particle Physics))02/10/2026, 16:18Pulsar and Pulsar Wind NebulaeContributed Talk
Intermediate-mass black holes, spanning 10²–10⁵ solar masses, are the missing link between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes, and no unambiguous example is known in the Milky Way. We search for intermediate-mass black holes along 83 southern sightlines, using the MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array 4.5-year data release as an array of independent accelerometers. A free-floating IMBH near a...
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