Joint Letter Against the War in Ukraine of the Russian Scholars Working in Finland

WE, Russian scientists and researchers, working in Finnish universities stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian colleagues, their families, Ukraine, and all the people who oppose the war. We declare a strong protest against the war with Ukraine. We call to end this war immediately!

We find no justification for the invasion and utterly condemn this unprovoked military assault. We reject Vladimir Putin’s distorted historical revisionism, myths and cynical lies that deny the right to self-determination of the Ukrainian nation and justify Russia’s imperialism. We condemn the Kremlin’s horrific misinformation campaign as well as Putin’s misrepresentation of Holocaust history to justify the war.

No to war in Ukraine! Putin’s war against Ukraine must be stopped!

Read the full statement here

Statement of MAGIC scientists in solidarity with Ukraine

Read the full statement here

About me

I’m an astrophysicist at University of Oulu. The focus of my research to date has been on the study of the physics of accretion disсs and the evolution of close interacting binary stars such as cataclysmic variables (CVs) and low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In my research, I have mostly been basing on observations, but also I am interested in the observational techniques, methodology development and astrophysical modelling. My tools are spectroscopy, high-speed photometry, and time series analysis techniques. In addition, though I have previously worked mostly in the optical, I have also recently started in a new direction, in which I try to tackle similar problems associated with the interpretation of X-ray, UV and infrared data.

Current and Recent Students

• 2021: Iikka Mäntynen (MSc, now a PhD student in University of Turku), Jussi Hedemäki (MSc)
• 2022: Aleksi Mattila (MSc)
• 2023: Aki Ruokanen (MSc), Miikka Siitonen (MSc), Paula Kvist (Msc)

Research Interests

• Interacting binary stars (Cataclysmic variables and Low Mass X-ray Binaries)
• Accretion discs
• Time series analysis
• Image processing, data analysis
• Computational astrophysics

Recent Research Highlights

February 15, 2017: A study of the highly-evolved post period-minimum dwarf nova SSS J122221.7−311525.

November 2, 2014: A low-mass black hole in SWIFT J1753.5-0127.

Key/recent publications

• Neustroev V.V. & Mantynen I.: “A brown dwarf donor and an optically thin accretion disc with a complex stream impact region in the period-bouncer candidate BW Sculptoris”, 2023, MNRAS, 523, 6114 (Open access).
• Neustroev V. & Zharikov S.: “Voracious vortices in cataclysmic variables. II. Evidence for the expansion of accretion disc material beyond the Roche lobe of the accretor in HT Cassiopeia during its 2017 superoutburst”, 2020, A&A, 642, A100 (14 pages) [arXiv:1908.10867]
• Subebekova G., … Neustroev V., et al.: “Structure of accretion flows in the nova-like cataclysmic variable RW Tri”, 2020, MNRAS, V. 497, pp.1475-1487 (13 pages)
• Mennickent R. E., … Neustroev V., et al.: “On the long-cycle variability of the Algol OGLE-LMC-DPV-065 and its stellar, orbital, and disc parameters”, 2019, MNRAS, V. 487, pp. 4169-4180 (12 pages)
• Hernandez Santisteban J. V., Echevarria J., Zharikov S., Neustroev V., et al.: “From outburst to quiescence: spectroscopic evolution of V1838 Aql imbedded in a bow-shock nebula”, 2019, MNRAS, V. 486, pp. 2631-2642 (12 pages)
• Neustroev V., et al.: “Superhumps linked to X-ray emission. The superoutbursts of SSS J122221.7-311525 and GW Lib”, 2018, A&A, V.611, A13 (12 pages)
• Wakamatsu Y., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “ASASSN-16eg: New candidate for a long-period WZ Sge-type dwarf nova”, 2017, PASJ, V. 69, id.89 (9 pages)
• Hernandez M. S., Zharikov S., Neustroev V., Tovmassian G.: “Structure of accretion flows in nova-like cataclysmic variables: RW Sextantis and 1RXS J064434.5+334451”, 2017, MNRAS, V.470, pp. 1960-1970 (11 pages)
• Neustroev V., et al.: “The remarkable outburst of the highly evolved post-period-minimum dwarf nova SSS J122221.7−311525”, 2017, MNRAS, V.467, pp. 597-618 (22 pages)
• Namekata K., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “Superoutburst of WZ Sge-type dwarf nova below the period minimum: ASASSN-15po”, 2017, PASJ, V. 69, id.2 (9 pages)
• Neustroev V., Zharikov S., Borisov N.: “Voracious vortexes in cataclysmic variables – A multi-epoch tomographic study of HT Cassiopeia”, 2016, A&A, V. 586, A10 (15 pages) [arXiv:1506.04753]
• Neustroev V., Veledina A., Poutanen J., Zharikov S., Tsygankov S., Sjoberg G., Kajava J. J. E.: “Spectroscopic evidence for a low-mass black hole in SWIFT J1753.5-0127”, 2014, MNRAS, V. 445, pp. 2424-2439 [arXiv:1409.4423]
• Neustroev V.V., Tovmassian G.H., Zharikov S.V., Sjoberg G.: “Steps towards a solution of the FS Aurigae puzzle – II. Confirmation of the intermediate polar status”, 2013, MNRAS, V. 432, pp. 2596-2614
• Acharya B.S., Actis M., Aghajani T., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “Introducing the CTA concept”, 2013, Astroparticle Physics, V. 43, pp. 3-18
• Feroci, M., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT)”, 2012, Experimental Astronomy, V. 34, pp. 415-444
• Neustroev V., Suleimanov V., et al.: “Dark spot, Spiral waves and the SW Sex behaviour: it is all about UX Ursae Majoris”, 2011, MNRAS, V. 410, pp. 963-977
• Aviles, A., Zharikov, S., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “SDSS J123813.73 – 033933.0: A Cataclysmic Variable Evolved Beyond the Period Minimum”, 2010, ApJ, V. 711, pp. 389-398.
• Zharikov S.V., Tovmassian G.H., Neustroev V., et al.: “Cyclic brightening in the short-period WZ Sge-type cataclysmic variable SDSS J080434.20+510349.2”, 2008, A&A, V. 486, pp. 505-509.
• Tovmassian G.H., Zharikov S.V., Neustroev V.V., Evidence of Precession of the White Dwarf in Cataclysmic Variables, 2007, ApJ, 655, 466
• Golden A., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “High speed phase-resolved 2-d UBV photometry of the Crab pulsar”, 2000, A&A, V.363, pp.617-628
• Shearer A., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “Possible pulsed optical emission from Geminga”, 1998, A&A., V.335, L21-L24
• Shearer A., …, Neustroev V., et al.: “Pulsed Optical Emission from PSR 0656+14”, 1997, Aph.J., V. 487, L181-L184

Key/recent MAGIC publications

• Acciari V.A., …, Neustroev V., et al. (MAGIC Collaboration): “Bounds on Lorentz Invariance Violation from MAGIC Observation of GRB 190114C”, 2020, Physical Review Letters, 125, id.021301
• Acciari V.A., …, Neustroev V., et al. (MAGIC Collaboration): “Teraelectronvolt emission from the γ-ray burst GRB 190114C”, 2019, Nature, 575, 455
• Acciari V.A., …, Neustroev V., et al. (MAGIC Collaboration): “Observation of inverse Compton emission from a long γ-ray burst”, 2019, Nature, 575, 459
• Acciari V.A., …, Neustroev V., et al. (MAGIC Collaboration): “Deep observations of the globular cluster M15 with the MAGIC telescopes”, 2019, MNRAS, 484, 2876
• Acciari V.A., …, Neustroev V., et al. (MAGIC Collaboration): “Discovery of TeV gamma-ray emission from the neighbourhood of the supernova remnant G24.7+0.6 by MAGIC”, 2019, MNRAS, 483, 4578
• Ahnen M.L., …, Neustroev V., et al. (MAGIC Collaboration): “MAGIC and Fermi-LAT gamma-ray results on unassociated HAWC sources”, 2019, MNRAS,
• IceCube Collaboration, Aartsen M.~G., Ackermann M., et al.: “Multimessenger observations of a flaring blazar coincident with high-energy neutrino
  IceCube-170922A”, 2018, Science, 361, eaat1378
• Ansoldi S., …, Neustroev V., et al. (MAGIC Collaboration): “The Blazar TXS 0506+056 Associated with a High-energy Neutrino: Insights into Extragalactic Jets and Cosmic-Ray Acceleration”, 2018, ApJ, 863, L10