[ASA] First Announcement: Fundamental Physics with the SKA

Tue Jun 28 05:38:55 AEST 2016

** FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT:
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** FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS WITH THE SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY
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(Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement. Please circulate to interested colleagues.)

1st-5th May 2017, Flic-en-Flac, Mauritius

SUMMARY:
- A conference on the SKA as a tool to probe fundamental physics
- WWW site: skatelescope.ca/physics
- Registration opens August 2016
- Sign up at  http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=9c55fc88a2&e=ad08f36210  to receive further announcements
- Send questions to physics at skatelescope.ca (mailto:physics at skatelescope.ca)

RATIONALE:
The  Square Kilometre Array (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=501e12d72c&e=ad08f36210)  (SKA) will be the world’s largest and most powerful radio telescope. When the SKA begins operations early in the next decade, it will deliver spectacular new data sets that are expected to transform our understanding of physics, astronomy and cosmology.

To fully realise the potential of the SKA as a machine for fundamental physics, the SKA organisation seeks to engage the theoretical physics community in the science case and design considerations for the full array. To initiate this discussion, we will be holding a focused workshop in May 2017, in which we aim to bring together radio astronomers and theorists to jointly consider ways in which the SKA can test and explore fundamental physics.

Topics to be covered will include:
• Cosmology and Dark Energy
• Cosmic Dawn and Reionisation
• Dark Matter and Astroparticle Physics
• Gravity and gravitational radiation

Within each topic, we will have a series of invited presentations setting out the outstanding problems that the SKA can potentially address (with the first of these talks also including an explanation of the SKA’s capabilities in this area). This will be followed by shorter presentations and extensive discussion, through which we hope to establish preliminary feasibility of SKA experiments and measurements in each area.

The intended outcomes of this meeting will be:

• an overall matrix that matches physics problems to SKA capabilities;

• a discussion paper based on this matrix (to be posted on arXiv.org and submitted as an SKA memo), which will summarise the prospects and priorities for fundamental physics with the SKA;

• identification of new collaborative research projects in which astronomers and physicists can work together to perform the required simulations, calculations and forecasts.

The workshop will be held in Flic-en-Flac, Mauritius. Mauritius has a long history in radio astronomy, and is one of the African partner countries that will co-host components of the full SKA. Mauritius’ capital city, Port Louis, is served by frequent direct flights from many countries (including Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom), with one-stop connections from most other major international gateways. Flic-en-Flac is a 1-hour drive from SSR Airport in Port Louis.

We aim to make this a productive and welcoming meeting for all. This will be a family friendly event, with childcare and family accommodation provided. All attendees must agree to adhere to the SKA Organisation’s meeting code of conduct (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=fce57dbfe0&e=ad08f36210)  upon registering.

INVITED SPEAKERS (initial list, all confirmed):
David Bacon (UK)
Rennan Barkana (Israel)
Celine Boehm (UK)
Phillip Bull (USA)
Tzu-Ching Chang (Taiwan)
Tamara Davis (Australia)
Michael Kramer (Germany)
Julien Larena (South Africa)
Samaya Nissanke (Netherlands)
Frans Pretorius (USA)
Jonathan Pritchard (UK)
Joe Silk (UK)

Scientific Organising Committee:
Jenni Adams (New Zealand)
John Beacom (USA)
Luc Blanchet (France)
Carlo Burigana (Italy)
Heino Falcke (Netherlands / Germany)
Pedro Ferreira (UK)
Bryan Gaensler (Canada, co-chair)
Leon Koopmans (Netherlands)
Roy Maartens (South Africa)
Edvard Mörtsell (Sweden)
Tirthankar Roy (India)
Eva Silverstein (USA)
Ingrid Stairs (Canada)
Cathryn Trott (Australia)
Amanda Weltman (South Africa, co-chair)
Renxin Xu (China)

Local Organising Committee:
Girish Beeharry (University of Mauritius)
Mono Bunwaree (University of Mauritius)
Bryan Gaensler (University of Toronto)
Nalini Heeralall-Issur (University of Mauritius)
Zoë Jaremus (University of Toronto)
Satish Ramchurn (University of Mauritius)
Radhakhrishna Somanah (University of Mauritius)
Amanda Weltman (University of Cape Town)

First Announcement : June, 2016
Registration and Abstracts Open : 1st August, 2016
Early Registration Deadline : 15th November, 2016
Abstract Deadline :  20th January, 2017
Final Registration Deadline : 20th January, 2017
Final Program :  28th February, 2017

We acknowledge generous support and sponsorship from the following organisations:
* • Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=2396e36829&e=ad08f36210)
* • Square Kilometre Array Organisation (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=1d56a2b59f&e=ad08f36210)
* • ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=5efe02a13c&e=ad08f36210)
* • International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=bd7b65ffc7&e=ad08f36210)
* • National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=683f52382c&e=ad08f36210)
* • Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA) (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=ed7a31a8ca&e=ad08f36210)
* • NRF/DST South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) (http://utoronto.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=1012fe6c196afc61b4a9655d0&id=6c4f328881&e=ad08f36210)

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