Conferences and Meetings on Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Astrophysics Research Centre, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Slightly over 100 years has passed since Einstein formulated the field equations of General Relativity, revealing a purely classical nonlinear theory of great mathematical richness and profound physical consequences. Nevertheless despite much effort and progress, understanding gravity remains elusive. On the theoretical front, a satisfactory quantum theory of gravity is still lacking, and although great progress has been made in testing the Einstein theory experimentally, we are not sure that its extrapolation to very small and very large scales is the last word. Attempts to incorporate and constrain “modified gravity” in cosmology, with a view toward explaining dark energy and dark matter, has been a very active area of theoretical inquiry. Moreover, by exploiting gravitational lensing, we are able to probe the distribution of mass in the universe directly. On the experimental front, decades of effort to develop gravitational wave detectors capable of detecting the gravitational waves from the coalescence of black holes and neutron star mergers have come to fruition with a first detection, and the years ahead promise to bring us rich data sets, allowing for precise tests of theoretical predictions of gravity in the strong-field regime. This event will include two components held in parallel: a conference, more aimed at specialists from Africa and around the world; and a school designed to present young African researchers with an overview of these exciting developments.

Gravitation, Cosmology, Theory, Experiment

The Australian space research community

The 2020 Assembly will combine the latest in space research findings with activities designed to enrich the global space research community - including helping equip our future leaders, and workshopping with space industry - and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. You will have the opportunity of a lifetime to interact directly with everything that Australia has to offer – our science and innovation, our people, our heritage, and our beautiful environment.

Powered by accretion onto super­massive black holes (SMBH), Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) jets represent the extreme and largest members of a wide family of jet­-powered phenomena including gamma-­ray bursts, X-­ray binaries, young stellar objects, etc.. The beamed radiation from the jets pierces through the Universe and reaches us from billions of years in the past offering a unique opportunity to study the Universe when it was an order of magnitude younger than today. Understanding the micro­- and macro­-physics of jet ­launching and particle acceleration is one of the fundamental goals of modern astrophysics. This session focuses on how SMBHs generate ultra­-relativistic jets and powerful gamma­-ray emission, including various aspects of SMBH lives including accretion, launching, collimation and termination of relativistic jets, AGN feedback, high-energy acceleration and emission processes, and key advances in both theory and observations. Contributions are invited to review theoretical and observation advances, including observing strategies for future missions (SKA, JWST, IXPE, AMEGO, CTA, LISA, LSST, etc.).

The school is designed to offer a comprehensive training to graduate and advanced undergraduate students in observational techniques and tools for follow up of transient events at X-ray, UV, optical, infrared and radio wavelengths. The school sessions are organized by wavelength range and the format includes a short lecture that introduces the topic followed by an interactive workshop where students will be engaged in data analysis using real data from the LIGO, Keck Observatory in Hawaii, Palomar Observatory in California, the VLA in New Mexico and telescopes in the GROWTH global network of observatories.

Cosmic dust is omnipresent, yet kaleidoscopic. As a result, the universe contains various types of cosmic dust and the field of cosmic dust research is manifold. Accordingly, an interdisciplinary research program such as this series of Cosmic Dust meetings is essential in achieving great scientific advances in every discipline of the field. This meeting series aims at establishing a consensus among experts about the evolution of cosmic dust. The primary objective of the meeting is to provide the cosmic dust community with a unique opportunity to develop long-term relationships and possible collaborations through scientific interactions among meeting attendees.

The subject of discussion includes all kinds of cosmic dust: intergalactic dust, interstellar dust, protoplanetary disk dust, debris disk dust, cometary dust, interplanetary dust, circumplanetary dust, stellar nebular condensates, presolar grains, micrometeorites, meteoroids, meteors, regolith particles, and planetary aerosols. Also welcome are dust-related topics, for example, grain surface chemistry of molecules; physicochemical properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); light scattering by non-spherical particles and particulate surfaces; dusty plasmas.

Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland

The idea behind the school is to gather people from different backgrounds, incl. astronomy, geology, biology, physics, journalism and teaching, and provide them with the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary groups on solving scientific problems.The program of the school will include joint lectures - from protoplanetary discs and exoplanets to geologic features of the surfaces of Earth and Mars - and afternoon hands-on sessions in small, interdisciplinary groups. Participants will present posters and flash talks about their work at the beginning of the school. Presentations by groups of students about the results obtained as part of the school are schedules at the final day of the school.

ICISE, Quy Nhon, Vietnam

To continue the SFDE series that were organized in 2016 and 2017 held in ICISE, Quy Nhon, Vietnam, we will get together again in 24-28 August 2020 to discuss the recent progress in star formation. From 22-23, there will be a bootcamp for young students. The conference will highlight the recent advances in all directions in observations, numerical simulations, and theory of star formation in different environments, from individual star to galaxy systems. The idea is to search for a universal picture of star formation across all scales and also identify the characteristics of each individual scale. The conference will cover all aspects of star formation, including core-collapse, turbulence, chemistry, magnetic field, filaments, converging flows and cloud-cloud-collision.

The goal of the conference is to share the different views from different research communities by balancing contributions from different categories and to encourage collaborations between researchers across the Globe. Ample time is set aside to encourage discussions and collaboration. The meeting consists of invited reviews, invited talks, contributed talks, and posters. The conference also aims at fostering close collaboration via smaller size focus group discussion and excursion. There is also a bootcamp training school prior to the conference for local students.

Chair;     Phone: [+1-6479141612];     Email: qnguyen@nsc.nagoya-cu.ac.jp

star formation, interstellar medium, galaxy, observation, physics, astronomy, astrophysics, protostars, young planet

The Symposium will bring together solar and stellar physicists investigating the dynamics of convection zones and lower atmospheres. It will be dedicated to observational and theoretical aspects of the hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics of the solar and stellar convection zones and lower atmospheres, both global and local, with the inclusion of numerical simulations as a particular branch of theoretical research.

Email: iaus365@sinp.msu.ru

Convection (solar – on different scales – and stellar), Differential rotation and meridional circulation (both solar and stellar), Global dynamo (in the Sun and stars; solar-cycle observed patterns and predictions), Helioseismology and asteroseismology (both global and local; probing subsurface structure and dynamics), Local processes of magnetic-flux emergence, sunspot and starspot formation (observed patterns of sunspot evolution, small-scale motions, local dynamo)

Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte in der Astronomischen Gesellschaft

In der Geschichte der Wissenschaften allgemein sowie in der Astronomiegeschichte speziell gab es zu allen Zeiten und gibt es bis heute Entdeckungen und Erfindungen, die richtungsweisenden Charakter für den weiteren Verlauf der Forschung besaßen bzw. besitzen. Das meint sowohl unerwartet auftretende neue Phänomene und systematisch angestellte Beobachtungen am Himmel als auch theoretische Ansätze sowie technische Neuerungen. Dabei ging es den Astronomen und den Instrumentenbauern um die gezielte Suche nach Erklärung eines Phänomens oder um die Bestätigung einer Theorie, aber es konnten auch durch Zufall neue Phänomene erst entdeckt werden, die dann einer Erklärung harrten und eine neue Theorie oder einen neuen Instrumentenkomplex provozierten. In der Wissenschaftsgeschichtsforschung spricht man dann von den Entscheidungen für Alternativen (Bifurkationen) oder im Falle der Falsifizierung einer Theorie von einem Experimentum crucis. Solche Marksteine in der Geschichte der Astronomie sind exemplarisch die bekannten Beispiele der Erstveröffentlichung des heliozentrischen Weltbildes im Jahr 1543, die Erfindung des Fernrohrs (1609) oder die Entdeckung der 3-Kelvin-Strahlung (1965), aber auch zahlreiche weniger im öffentlichen Bewußtsein seiende wie z.B. die Erscheinung und Beobachtung der Supernova von 1572, die Erfindung des Mikrometers mit den verschiedenen Varianten ab 1609 oder die Anwendung der Spektralanalyse bei dem Licht der Sterne seit 1859. Das Kolloquium bietet Raum, solchen Marksteinen gebündelt nachzugehen und damit Material für weitere wissenschaftstheoretische und philosophische Überlegungen bereitzustellen. Hierbei sind von besonderem Interesse die individuellen Motivationen der handelnden Personen sowie die weltanschaulichen, religiösen und gesellschaftlichen Kontexte, aber auch die allgemeinen technischen und speziellen astro-technischen Rahmenbedingungen, die seit dem späten 20. Jahrhundert die computergestützten Anlagen einschließen.

Working Group History of Science and Technology, Hamburg Observatory, University of Hamburg;     Phone: [+49-40-42838-5262];     Email: gudrun.wolfschmidt@uni-hamburg.de

Astronomiegeschichte, Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Geschichte der wissenschaftlichen / astronomischen Instrumente, Ideengeschichte, Beobachtungstechnik, Meß- und Auswertungstechnik,

The event is the ninth in a series of meetings gathering scientists working on astroparticle physics, cosmology, gravitation, nuclear physics, and related fields. As in previous years, the IWARA2020 meeting sessions will consist of invited and contributed talks, poster sessions.

Phone: [+52 1 55 2736 3988];     Email: hess@nucleares.unam.mx

IWARA2020 will cover recent developments in the following topics: New phenomena and new states of matter in the Universe, General relativity, gravitation, cosmology, New directions for general relativity: past, present and future of general relativity, FRW cosmologies, Cosmic microwave background radiation, First stars, hypernovae, and faint supernovae in the early Universe, Quantum gravity and quantum cosmology, Gravity and the unification of fundamental interactions, Supersymmetry and Inflation, String theory, White dwarfs, neutron stars and pulsars, Black hole physics and astrophysics, Gamma-ray emission in the Universe, High energy cosmic rays, Gravitational waves, Dark energy and dark matter, Strange matter and strange stars, Antimatter in the Universe, High-energy cosmic neutrinos, Blazars, Quantum chromodynamics, nuclear and particle physics and new states of matter in the Universe, Heavy ion collisions and the formation of the quark-gluon plasma in heavy ion collisions and in the first instants of the Universe, Strong magnetic fields in the Universe, strong magnetic fields in compact stars and in galaxies, ultra-strong magnetic fields in neutron star mergers, quark stars and magnetars, strong magnetic fields and the cosmic microwave background, Laboratories, observatories, telescopes and other experimental and observational facilities that will define the future directions of astrophysics, astronomy, cosmology, nuclear and astroparticle physics as well as the future of physics at the energy frontiers, and topics related to these.

High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields,    Nuclear Physics

For decades scientific researchers have wondered how the solar system formed and evolved. This active field of research is populated with cosmochemists, planetary scientists, geologists, geophysicists and astronomers, among others, who all try to unravel what happened over 4.5 billion years ago. Yet despite all these international efforts the nature of the formation and evolution of the young solar system and the proclivity of the terrestrial planets to support a (long-term) biosphere remains obscure. It makes sense at this time to synthesis what we know, highlight key points of agreement and contention, and to provide recommendations for scientific progress.

Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare and Departments of Physics of Bari and Lecce, Italy

NOW 2020 is the 11th workshop of a series started in 1998 in Amsterdam and held since 2000 in the Apulian region of Italy. The aim of the workshop is: to discuss Neutrino Oscillation Physics, in particular current experimental data and their theoretical interpretation; to outline future investigations of neutrino masses and mixings; and to explore the links with various research fields in Astroparticle Physics and Cosmology.

Email: now2020@ba.infn.it

Neutrino Physics, Astroparticle Physics, Cosmology

High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields,    Nuclear Physics

Participation by invitation only

Neutrino Physics ; Astroparticle Physics ; Cosmology

Institute of High Energy Physics (HEPHY) Vienna

There are several open questions in Physics today each of which touches the fields of both Particle Physics and Astroparticle/Cosmology. For example, only 5% of the Universe is described by the Standard Model of particle physics. A far larger contribution comes from the elusive Dark Matter whose existence has been inferred from Astroparticle measurements, and for which a large variety of models have been built by the theory community. Dark Matter is searched for in dedicated direct and indirect detection experiments but also in high-energy collisions at the LHC. Other subjects, such as the baryogenesis is still an open question related both to leptogenesis and CP violation and the matter content of today’s Universe. The knowledge of the neutrino sector has greatly increased over the past decades, but the question of the hierarchy is not yet solved and would need both accelerator/astroparticle and cosmological measurements to be fully understood. The physics of inflation which will be better constrained in the coming years would also need skills from both fields to be fully explored. Is a simple extension of the Standard Model sufficient or do we need more? In many fields the “single experiment” measurements have given way to more global views of our models: electroweak fits, exploring the parameter space of models beyond the Standard Model taking into account measurements and limits on new signatures.

The IPA2020 conference will bring together experimentalists and theorists to discuss the topics mentioned above with an emphasis on exchange between the different but correlated fields.

In this conference we plan to review the latest observational status concerning AGN in dwarfs, as well as to cover the prospects of other methods in identifying them, for example using dynamical measurements. Likewise, we will review and discuss theoretical models for the origin of black hole seeds, and how they might be a different population than that of black holes in normal galaxies, as well as models for the growth and feedback of such black holes onto the surrounding galaxy. Finally, we will discuss the fundamental properties of dwarfs as predicted by hierarchical galaxy formation in the LCDM model, paying attention to the interplay between galaxy and black hole growth modulated by feedback effects.

Status of observations of AGN in dwarf galaxies (growth, variability, feedback), Theoretical models for black hole formation in dwarfs, Black hole seeds and dwarf connection

Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge, UK

The goal of this conference is to bring together an international community of researchers in observational and theoretical astrophysics, to work towards a solution to one of the most important problems in modern extra-galactic astronomy: why do galaxies stop forming stars?

Universita' di Padova

The discovery of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters (GCs) represents one of the most important results of the research in the field of stellar astrophysics. The last two decades witnessed a growing number of studies which, by reversing our vision of simple stellar systems compatible with an isochrone, unveiled the complex nature of the GCs . High-precision photometry color-magnitude diagrams revealed that GCs are composed of two or more discrete stellar groups with specific chemical compositions: one with abundances typical of halo field stars, the other(s) with enhanced light-elements as nitrogen and sodium. A sub-group of clusters also exhibits variations in heavy-elements and iron. Several scenarios of formation and evolution of multiple stellar populations have been proposed so far but none of them fulfills at once all the numerous observational constraints. Important questions, therefore, are still open: How did GCs form in the early Universe? What is their role in the assembly of the Galaxy? Did they significantly contribute to the reionization of the Universe? The aim of this conference is to connect observation and theory to review the state-of-the-art on multiple populations in GCs and discuss the developments of GC studies in the next future.

Organizers;     Phone: [+390498278259];     Email: anna.marino@unipd.it, antonino.milone@unipd.it

Star clusters, multiple stellar populations, Galaxy formation, chemical abundances, kinematics

Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO), Armenia

This will be the 7th school of the series of Byurakan International Summer Schools (BISS) founded in 2006 and being held once every 2 years, one of the most important and regular astronomical summer/winter schools in the world. According to the analysis of the IAU Division C (Education, Outreach and Heritage), BISS is among the top-3 astronomical schools in the world (together with IAU ISYAs and Vatican schools, VOSS), as well as the NEON/OPTICON schools are among the best ones.

GMTO Corporation

Black holes are among the most extraordinary objects in the Universe. Pivotal new results include the detection of gravitational radiation from merging black holes and the imaging of event horizon scale regions. These discoveries have revolutionized the field while demonstrating how much remains to be learned about black hole demographics, formation and evolution, and interactions with their environment. This conference will focus on dynamics as a way to probe and learn about black holes across all mass scales, and topics will include the environment around Sgr A*, black hole mass measurements, demographics, rates for gravitational wave events, accretion disk dynamics around single and binary black holes, and tidal disruption events. Experts across this wide range of subfields will be brought together to canvass observational and theoretical progress, highlight key unanswered questions, and motivate future directions, particularly in the era of extremely large telescopes.

Phone: [6262040500];     Email: registration@gmto.org

Black holes, tidal disruption events, accretion, galactic dynamics, extragalactic dynamics, black hole demographics, black hole multiplicity, black hole formation

The International Symposium Astronomical Surveys and Big Data 2 (ASBD-2) will take place on 14-18 September 2020 in the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO), Armenia. This will be the 2nd such meeting; we had a very successful meeting ASBD in 2015 with participation of astronomers and computer scientists. We combined astronomers and computer scientists with heavy involvement of astronomical surveys, catalogs, archives, databases and VOs. In addition, on 18 Sep 2020, we expect the Official Award Ceremony of Viktor Ambartsumian International Science Prize 2020.

This is a meeting to celebrate the life-time work and contributions to astronomy of Jan Palouš. Among other topics that have always interested Jan is the gas cycle in galaxies, in particular how star formation influences their evolution. With the advance of new instruments and computational capacities in the recent years, there have been many unexpected observational discoveries and sophisticated simulations. This brings a desire to think anew about these topics, and try to connect these sometimes conflicting findings with the greater picture of star formation as a key element in the evolution of the Universe. The goal of the meeting is to gather researchers actively working in the field, to present and discuss the up-to-date advances and discoveries, as well as identify the important questions and initiate discussions on their solution strategies.

ESO – European Southern Observatory

Multi-messenger astronomy - the combination of electromagnetic light with gravitational waves or neutrinos - has come of age. The detection of gravitational waves and a kilonova from a merging neutron star binary, and the identification of a flaring blazar in coincidence with a high energy neutrino mark the beginning of an era where the detections of sources beyond the electromagnetic spectrum will become increasingly common. The facilities of both ESO and ESA are central to efforts to identify the counterparts of sources initially located by either gravitational wave or neutrino observatories, and have made pivotal contributions to these first steps into multi-messenger astronomy. This workshop will celebrate these contributions, summarize the results gathered during the third LIGO/VIRGO observing run, and explore the long term possibilities enabled by LISA, E-ELT, Athena and more.

emergent spacetime, matter, and symmetries; ; quantum foundations; ; key experiments; ; quantum information and AI for physics; ; quantum gravity / cosmology and high-energy physics

Numerical simulations have become even more important as detailed comparisons between theories and observations are now possible at a deeper level in most fields of astrophysics. The aim of this series of meetings is to bring (but not limited to) East-Asian numerical astrophysicists together and provide chances to learn each other's work and explore possible collaborations among them. The scope of the meeting will encompass all major astronomical research fields that involve numerical simulations, including (but not limited to) cosmology, astronomical hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, radiative transfer, particle acceleration, and planetary / stellar / galactic dynamics. In addition, there will also be a focus on computer science applications directed toward astrophysics including numerical methods, simulation data analysis, high performance computing, and optimization for use on large scale computer clusters. Participants from outside of the East Asia are warmly welcome as well.

Computational Physics and Numerical Simulation,    Scientific Computing

This kick-off workshop will seek to provide an overview of both the state-of-the-art and open challenges drawing from multiple themes (theory, analysis of the equations, computation, and data analysis) within the broad context of Einstein's general relativity theory.

University of Arizona, Department of Astronomy

This is a special symposium in honor of Marc Aaronson, who was a postdoc at Steward Observatory starting in 1977 and an Associate Professor starting in 1983. His astronomical research focused on many of the most important problems of observational cosmology: the cosmic distance scale, the age of the Universe, the large-scale motion of matter, and the distribution of invisible mass in the Universe.

China Institute of Atomic Energy

Nuclei in the Cosmos is the most important international meeting in the field of nuclear astrophysics. It brings together nuclear experimentalists, nuclear theorists, astronomers, theoretical astrophysicists, cosmochemists, and others interested in the scientific questions at the interface of nuclear physics and astrophysics.

European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)

Euclid is a high profile ESA mission to be launched mid 2022 aimed at characterizing with unprecedented accuracy the properties of Dark Energy by mapping the evolution of the large-scale structures of the Universe over the past 10 billions years. Euclid will have a major impact on galaxy formation from cosmic dawn to the present time. At lower redshift, Euclid will provide the equivalent of SDSS-quality images of redshift 0.1 galaxies out to redshift 0.7, for detailed morphological studies. Realizing the full potential of these programmes requires, however, follow-up spectroscopic observations of the photometrically selected samples. The workshop will address ESA/ESO synergies.

Instituto de Física Teórica (UAM-CSIC)

The aim of the workshop is to bring together experts on the topic of Primordial Non-Gaussianities (PNG), with special focus on Large Scale Structure probes in the era of stage-IV experiments. We will also foster discussion about lightcone effects (aka GR effects), observational systematics, the role of upcoming CMB experiments, Gravitational Waves, Multitracers and about the origin of PNG.

LOC/SOC rep;     Email: santiago.avila@uam.es

INAF-Observatory of Cagliari

"The 9th Microquasar Workshop: Celebrating over 50 years of discovery" will be held in Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy, on 21-25 September 2020. It is the ninth in a series of conferences mainly devoted to microquasars but also covering relativistic jet sources in a broader context. It will also be an occasion to celebrate the 50 years since the discovery of variable radio emission from X-ray binaries. The workshop aims to present and discuss the latest results related to X-ray binaries, in particular accretion/ejection physics (multi-wavelength observations and theory/simulations), the properties, mechanisms and interplays of the accretion disk, disk winds, jets, accretion/ejection at all scales, and comparison with the various accretions (BH, NS, CV). The formation, evolution and merging of compact objects in binaries will also be addressed. In the context of recent missions devoted to transient sources, new facilities will be discussed (such as NICER, HXMT, MeerKAT, ASKAP, etc), in addition to new tools and diagnostics based on X-ray timing.

Email: loc-microquasar.oaca@inaf.it

As many of you know, Sydney Leach died on December 24th 2019, at the age of 95. He was active to the very end. Sydney was a pillar of modern chemical physics and, through his many and lasting contributions, has been a major influence in placing ‘photophysique moléculaire’ squarely on the map of post-war science. Many of us, hearing of the sad news of his death, immediately felt that a meeting to commemorate Sydney’s life-long contribution would be very appropriate. Such a meeting is planned for September 22nd-25th of this year, to take place at Orsay at the Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay.

The workshop is organized by the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Tatranska Lomnica.

The workshop will provide a cross-disciplinary knowledge exchange on physics of the small bodies in the Solar system revealing a comet-like activity, new cometary missions (Comet Interceptor, Destiny+) and related ground-based observational campaigns.

Institute of Mathematics, Czech Academy of Sciences

According to the modern cosmological paradigm, about 2/3 of the energy of the Universe is in the dark form and about 5/6 of the matter is invisible. However, numerous recent attempts to detect independently the dark-matter particles failed, and a number of other problems with the existence of dark energy and dark matter (such as the anomalous friction in the dark-matter halos of galaxies, etc.) become now more and more obvious. All these troubles raise the question if the "dark" substance is merely a result of excessive extrapolations involved in the theoretical analysis? So, it is timely to gather specialists from various branches of astronomy and astrophysics to discuss these issues.

Mathematical aspects of the extrapolations used in cosmology, Arguments for and against dark matter, and revisiting the foundations of physics, Alternative models for dark matter and dark energy, A systematic discord in the value of the Hubble constant derived by different methods, Theoretical possibility and observational evidence for small-scale cosmological effects, Complementary redshifts of non-cosmological nature, Quantum effects on the early universe and their observational imprints at the present time

During the conference, we will make a journey through space and time, starting from interstellar clouds and then moving to cloud filaments and dense cores on the verge of star formation, to protostars and their embedded disks, to planet-forming disks to exoplanet and finally landing in our Solar System, while delving into laboratory facilities and theoretical calculations and simulations. Each evening, before dinner, there will be a general talk on each topic of the conference (the “aperitive talk”), to allow all communities to understand better the “big picture” and to facilitate finding links across disciplines, which always provide fertile ground in our journey towards understanding our astrochemical origins.

A conference to gather an overview of the status and future prospects of astrophysics and cosmology with a multimessanger approach. The conference will feature only plenary sessions on the following topics: astrophysics with electromagnetic waves, astrophysics with gravitational waves, astroparticle physics and neutrino astrophysics, nuclear astrophysics, cosmology.

The key topic of the IU conference series is: “What is the role of information in the Universe and its description?”. In an epoch where scientists need to handle Big Data and simulations, find highly organized systems in nature and grapple with the role of information in physics and other sciences, this appears to be one of the more fundamental questions that needs to be answered in order to understand the world around us. The Information Universe conference intends to unite various approaches, addressing the fundamental role of information both in nature (in vivo) and in data analysis, theory and computer modelling (in vitro). The conference will approach the key role of information from the point of view of several disciplines: e.g. cosmology, physics, mathematics, life sciences, computer science (including quantum computing) and neuroscience.

Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen

A multi-disciplinary conference on the role of information in our universe. Including sessions on: (1) The ΛCDM tension, Euclid and the Dark Universe (2) Emergent gravity and space-time (3) Quantum computing, neuromorphic computing and machine learning (4) Complexity and chaos in nature and computers. The organizers understand that registering for an international conference is quite a step in these corona virus dominated days. They therefore encourage you to register, without any payment obligation. They can then inform you by e-mail about the status of affairs.

Phone: [+31 50 363 4036];     Email: informationuniverse@rug.nl

Cosmology, ΛCDM tension, Euclid and the Dark Universe, Emergent gravity and space-time, Quantum computing, Neuromorphic computing, Machine learning, Complexity and chaos

Complex Systems, Chaos and Self-Organisation,    Information Theory, Foundations of Computer Science

International Astronomical Union (IAU)

A proper understanding of stellar evolution and of the chemical make-up of the building blocks in the Universe near and far cannot be achieved without a detailed understanding of the wind physics during the late stages of stellar evolution as a function of the cosmic environment and hence metallicity. The goal of this IAU Symposium 366 is to propel our understanding of stellar wind physics across stellar mass by bringing together the scientific communities which often focus on either the low-mass or the massive stars. This cross-disciplinary approach will fuel new scientific ideas and insights and will facilitate for new collaborations to grow across communities.

Theory of stellar outflows: low mass & massive stars Observing stellar outflows: low mass & massive stars Numerical models for stellar outflows: low mass & massive stars Binarity Enrichment of the interstellar medium by stellar winds Astrochemistry Current and new observing facilities

INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte

This conference will cover all the topics related to the classical nova phenomenology and related systems, and will include a series of lecture-style talks held by experts in the respective fields anticipating the main conference. The reason for this structure consists in providing to all the attending researcher the right tools and background to follow the multi-disciplinary approach to the phenomenology of nova systems.

Email: nova2020.info@gmail.com

NRNU MEPhI

The 5th International Conference on Particle Physics and Astrophysics (ICPPA-2020) will be held in Moscow, Russia, (from the 5th to the 9th of October). The conference is organized by National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI”. The aim of the Conference is to share scientific knowledge, to promote contacts between scientists and to develop new ideas in fundamental research. We will bring together experts and young scientists working in experimental and theoretical areas of nuclear physics, particle physics (including astroparticle physics), and cosmology. Most recent results from the modern experiments in these areas and advanced detector technology development will be presented and discussed.

Organizing Committee;     Email: icppa2020@mephi.ru

particle physics, astrophysics, nuclear physics, astroparticle physics, cosmology, high energy physics

High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields,    Nuclear Physics

NIAPP – Munich Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics

This program addresses the questions of how starbursting complexes, gaseous high-redshift clumps, giant molecular clouds, and young massive star clusters are formed, what are their physical properties, and what is their impact on galaxy evolution. Current observations and simulations allow us to directly compare how star formation proceeds at low and high redshift, down to the small spatial scales of star clusters.

Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The history of ICPDP started in 1996 in Goa (India) as a response to growing interest in the topics of dusty plasmas, when the liquid and crystalline plasma was discovered. We continue a series of International Conferences on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas which take place every three years at different locations around the world (Goa, India 1996; Hakone, Japan 1999; Durban, South Africa 2002; Orleans, France 2005; Azores, Portugal 2008, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany 2011, New Delhi, India 2014, Prague, Czech Republic 2017). The conference provides a unique opportunity for disseminating the present status of dusty plasma physics worldwide and especially to young researchers. Ninth ICPDP conference is hosted by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Science (IKI), Moscow, Russia. IKI acronym comes from Russian “Institut Kosmicheskih Issledovanyi”, which is Space Research Institute, and is used in English as is. IKI designs and builds scientific instruments for space experiments, acts as principal organization for various scientific space projects and missions, and uses the data of space probes to deepen our understanding of space and Earth. At present a significant topic of research at IKI is the space dust and dusty plasmas.

Email: popel@iki.rssi.ru

laboratory dusty plasmas, liquid and solid-like structures as well as phase transitions in plasmas, microgravity research, waves and instabilities in dusty plasmas, dusty plasmas in Earth’s environments, dusty plasmas in the Solar System, dusty plasmas in astrophysics and cosmology, dusty plasma applications including dusty plasmas for nanotechnology, etc.

Plasma and Gas-discharge Physics, Nuclear Fusion,    Complex Systems, Chaos and Self-Organisation

Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS)

We are pleased to announce the 9th KIAS Workshop on Cosmology and Structure Formation, to be held from 2nd November to 6th November 2020 at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), Seoul. This workshop aims to bring together the world-wide researchers for open and active discussions about recent challenging issues on cosmology and structure formation. The workshop program is made including theoretical cosmology, cosmological observations, computational astrophysics, galaxy formation and evolution, gravitational lensing, and the artificial intelligence application to various astrophysical problems. The conference will be held on campus at KIAS in a vibrant suburb of Seoul close to the city center. We also utilize the online conference platform (Zoom) to enable participation from those who have travel restrictions. In the registration form, you can choose whether you will attend the conference on-site or through Zoom. Registration is now open, and the deadline for submission of contributed talks is 9th September 2020. Further information can be found on the conference web page.

Email: cosmology2020@kias.re.kr

Cosmology - Large-Scale Structures in the Universe - Computational Techniques in Cosmology - Early Universe - Evolution of Galaxies

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.

The 30th annual international Astronomical Data Analysis Software & Systems (ADASS) conference will be held November 8-12, 2020 in Granada, Spain. The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) meeting will follow ADASS on November 13-15. We look forward to seeing you there!

A multi-disciplinary international meeting on the topic of magnetically influenced accretion and outflows throughout the Universe

compact binaries with accreting white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes, disk/jet connections, AGN and blazars, proto-stellar systems, YSOs & planets, GRBs, kilonovae and associated objects, Computer simulations of magnetically controlled accretion

Lorentz Center

"Astro3D" an Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence

n this conference we aim to link Galactic and Extragalactic research, both of which bring unique perspectives to understanding how disk galaxies formed. The recent wealth of detailed Milky Way measurements from GALAH, APOGEE, LAMOST, and Gaia, combined with results from spatially resolved spectroscopic surveys such as SAMI, MaNGA, and with VLT­-MUSE, make this the ideal time to link Galactic and extragalactic research. Crucial in this discussion are the recent results from large cosmological and Milky Way zoom in simulations that shows that the Galaxy might not be the ideal template for understanding disk formation as previously thought.

INI – Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Like many other stars and planets, the Earth and the Sun possess magnetic fields built by dynamo action. Unlike the magnetism of most other astrophysical objects, though, the Solar and terrestrial fields have been closely studied for generations, yielding a wide variety of observational constraints that continue to challenge theory and defy prediction. Both analytical theory and numerical simulations have cumulatively yielded significant insight into how both objects build their magnetism, but a comprehensive understanding of this process has remained elusive. This meeting will aim to scrutinise and assess the results of such modelling efforts by comparison to the vast and ongoing array of observations of both the Earth and the Sun.

Geophysics and Geology,    Plasma and Gas-discharge Physics, Nuclear Fusion

Nationa University of Rio Negro

The primary goal of this Symposium is to give perhaps for the first time a global vision of Education and Heritage in the frame of the goals of the IAU, taking into account the Plan 2020-2030 and to propose an eventual ‘next steps’ road map and a global astronomy education agenda for the next decade, while honouring the education from the past.

In this sense, we would foster inclusiveness in the advancement of astronomy and facilitate the advancement of the next generation of astronomers and scientists, through encouragement of the use of new methods of learning and best practices (including distance education: Moocs) in pedagogy at university level, as well as the use of astronomy for teaching and education at school level, which are part of the definitions of the proposed Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE), which also pursuits the establishment of a Network of Astronomy Education Contacts (NAECs) to provide accessible materials and astronomy literacy guidelines globally. The invited speakers are international leaders in discipline-based education in astronomy and the planetary science, but also in communication, history, inclusion and protection of world’s heritage, including the dark sky.

As with most other sciences, astronomy is being fundamentally transformed by the Information and Computation Technology (ICT) revolution. The data volume is growing exponentially, can be accessed remotely and the observations can be performed even without a real knowledge of a telescope. The new approaches to the data permits the development of new tools, techniques and resources for data analysis and produce discoveries which probably never would be reached with traditional astronomy data analysis period.

Local Organizing Committee;     Email: iaus367@unrn.edu.ar

State-of-the-art of astronomy education in countries/continents in the framework of the 2020-2030 IAU plan, Meta-analysis of astronomy education research on contents/school grade levels/focus on education cross studies, Literacy in Astronomy, Innovations in education methodologies and instrumentation, Research into the value and influence of astronomy education in other disciplines, Big Data in education and Open Astronomy, Astronomy as an interdisciplinary approach to science education in all levels, Inclusive education in Astronomy, Use of Astronomy Education Research experiments and results by teachers and in informal education activities (museum, planetarium, etc), Cultural Astronomy and heritage and education: from Stonehenge to the Space telescopes.

Didactics of Scientific Disciplines,    History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP)

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) can be viewed as an atmosphere that surrounds a galaxy and sustains star formation within it. Much of what we know about the CGM has come from absorption-line spectroscopy, mainly in the UV band, of gas at temperatures below the galaxy's virial temperature. A comparable amount of hotter gas, closer to the virial temperature, may also be present but has been harder to detect. If it is there, then the properties of the cooler clouds and the hotter ambient medium are likely to be complementary, deeply interwoven, and physically complex. It follows that the physics of cosmic rays, magnetic fields, turbulent mixing layers, conductive interfaces, and shocks may then play a leading role in setting the fate of the multiphase CGM. This conference will examine the evidence for a virial-temperature component along with the observations capable of revealing its properties and its relationship to the cooler components. Probes that complement UV absorption-line observations will be emphasized, including X-ray emission and absorption, UV and optical emission, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich probes, Fast Radio Bursts, and signposts of non-thermal particle acceleration.

Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS)

What could be a bigger source of "big data" than the entire Universe? Researchers in statistics and computer science are developing new methods to analyse the "big data" that companies and governments want to understand. To test out these methods they need big datasets that everyone can share - and new astronomical telescopes just happen to be gearing up to generate observations of billions of stars and galaxies that fit the bill. Insights from statistics will help astrophysicists to get the most out of these observations. The Astrostatistics 2021 workshop will bring together statisticians and astrophysicists to learn the technical languages of the two fields and identify how to work together to combine the excitement of space with big data.

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    Probability and Statistics, Game Theory

Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP)

Astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic all-sky surveys provide the first complete, unbiased view of the Galactic population of the most abundant type of stellar remnants: white dwarfs. This wealth of observational data provides an array of opportunities to use white dwarfs as probes of a wide range of astrophysics, including the formation and evolution of stars and planets, the star formation rate of the Galaxy, and the populations of low-frequency gravitational wave sources and progenitors of thermonuclear supernovae. These applications require improved models of these electron-degenerate stars, which in turn rely on developments in the relevant input physics, including equations of state and opacities. This conference will provide a joint platform for experts in the observational and theoretical study of white dwarfs, scientists working on the underlying fundamental physics, and astronomers using white dwarfs as diagnostic tools to gain a panoramic overview of the state-of-the-art, to identify remaining limitations of the current models, and to explore novel scientific opportunities arising from the new data.

UC Santa Barbara, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics

Astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic all-sky surveys provide the first complete, unbiased view of the Galactic population of the most abundant type of stellar remnants: white dwarfs. This wealth of observational data provides an array of opportunities to use white dwarfs as probes of a wide range of astrophysics, including the formation and evolution of stars and planets, the star formation rate of the Galaxy, and the populations of low-frequency gravitational wave sources and progenitors of thermonuclear supernovae. These applications require improved models of these electron-degenerate stars, which in turn rely on developments in the relevant input physics, including equations of state and opacities. This conference will provide a joint platform for experts in the observational and theoretical study of white dwarfs, scientists working on the underlying fundamental physics, and astronomers using white dwarfs as diagnostic tools to gain a panoramic overview of the state-of-the-art, to identify remaining limitations of the current models, and to explore novel scientific opportunities arising from the new data.

European Geosciences Union (EGU)

The EGU General Assembly 2021 will bring together geoscientists from all over the world to one meeting covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary and space sciences. The EGU aims to provide a forum where scientists, especially early career researchers, can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all fields of geoscience. The EGU is looking forward to cordially welcoming you at its General Assembly.

Nuclear level density Gamma-ray strength function Phase transitions in mesoscopic systems Applications in astrophysics and reactor physics

Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (IASM) in Hangzhou, China, and the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) in Banff, Canada

In this 5-day workshop, we shall bring the fields leaders, both theoretical and observational, together across the boundaries of several different fields, to discuss the important issues about black hole physics and gravitational wave astronomy in particular, and quantum field theory and quantum gravity in general. The workshop is very timely and important, and has been already received strong support from various leaders of the fields.

Konkoly Observatory

Radioactive nuclei play a significant role in many current astrophysical pursuits, from the origin of the elements to the driving of emissions from supernovae (56Ni) and kilonovae (r-process radioactivity). Radioactive nuclei are crucial for direct studies of galactic enrichment (7Be, 26Al, 44Ti, 60Fe, 99Tc, 244Pu) and stellar explosions (56Ni, 44Ti). Stars and their explosions, galaxies and their evolving interstellar medium, and the origin of the solar system are among the targeted astrophysical objects. Stardust, meteorites, ocean floor deposits, cosmic-rays, and gamma-ray spectroscopy provide a rich variety of astronomy to exploit the inherent power of radioactivity. Investigation tools range from numerical models, astronomical instrumentation, and laboratory experiments to derive material compositions and nuclear reaction rates. The aim of the conference is to bring together researchers from all these different fields to promote interaction through the common ground of radioactivity.

This international school will offer an overview of the observational constraints, the interpretative tools and the theoretical frameworks used for studying the interstellar medium in galaxies from the epoch of reionization to the Milky Way. Furthermore, it aims to build a synergy between the Galactic ISM and extragalactic communities. Time will be devoted to discussion between participants and lecturers, with the hope of kick-starting original projects.

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Ireland

This conference will celebrate the career of Lee Hartmann, who has made enormous contributions to our field during his productive life. For over 3 decades Lee has been a leading pioneer in characterizing the physics of molecular clouds, stars and planet formation. His scientific breadth and impact can be seen in his studies on molecular cloud formation and cloud lifetimes. This has led to a change in our paradigm of star formation towards more rapid evolution. He has been among the first to recognize the importance of accretion and magnetic fields in the phenomena observed in young stars, and has led ground-breaking efforts characterizing these effects. As a tribute to Lee, but also recognizing that we stand on the threshold of a new era with the arrival of JWST, E-ELT and SKA, it is appropriate to take stock of the most fascinating developments in our field, emphasizing those areas where Lee has made significant contributions.

Phone: [+353 (0)1 440 6656];     Email: cloudstodiscs@dias.ie

star formation, protostars, accretion discs, jets, outflows, molecular clouds, magnetic fields, HII regions

Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO, Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics)

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    Mathematical Physics

University of Genova and INFN-Sezione di Genova

A conference to gather an overview of the status and future prospects of astrophysics and cosmology with a multimessenger approach. The conference will feature only plenary sessions on the following topics: astrophysics with electromagnetic waves, astrophysics with gravitational waves, astroparticle physics and neutrino astrophysics, nuclear astrophysics, cosmology. The conference was originally planned for 2020 and moved to 2021 because of the Covid-19 emergency situation.

McGill University

McGill’s Space Research Conference will bring major sectors of the international space and aerospace communities together for two days to examine space issues from multiple perspectives–including engineering, healthcare, law and space science–all with an eye on the future. Over the coming decades, as the aerospace sector shifts its focus towards enabling space travel, an integrated space and aerospace ecosystem is expected to emerge. McGill’s Bicentennial provides a perfect platform for the conference’s theme, What Is Our Future in Space?, as participants will journey far beyond 2021 to focus on critical space issues 25, 50 and even 100 years in the future. Join McGill’s astronauts and the world’s top academic researchers, business pioneers, and government leaders in space and aerospace for two days of cross-industry exchange in Montreal.

Casa Matemática Oaxaca (CMO) in Mexico, and the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) in Banff, Canada

Gravitational-waves are a new way to explore the sky and uncover the Universe’s deepest mysteries. Although the first detection of these "ripples of space-time" is only a few years old, scientists can now harness the potential of gravitational waves in testing Einstein’s General Relativity theory under extreme conditions, helping to understand the origin of matter, and measuring the evolution of the Universe. Researchers from all around the world are gathering in Oaxaca to discuss recent progress in, and the future of gravitational-wave science. The workshop "Detection and analysis of gravitational waves in the era of multi-messenger astronomy: From mathematical modelling to machine learning", provides a forum, unique in its genre, for discussing new mathematical methods in modelling, detecting, and analyzing gravitational waves, as well as their integration with machine learning, or artificial intelligence.

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM)

The goal of this workshop is to connect statisticians and GW astrophysicists to discuss the current state-of-the-art approaches for parameter estimation in CBC and other GW sources alike and to identify the open issues to improve the status regarding low-latency searches.

Part of the Long Program Mathematical and Computational Challenges in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astronomy