[ASA] Initial Announcement: MAVIS Workshop, May 7-9th AAO, Sydney

[Richard McDermid]

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to bring to your attention the following workshop – details given below.

On behalf of the organisers,

Richard McDermid
Francois Rigaut

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MAVIS Science and Instrumentation Workshop
7th - 9th May 2018
Australian Astronomical Observatory, Sydney, Australia
Information and Registration: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/-iXoC81Zj6tQVmKDunze0X?domain=mavis-ao.org
<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/-iXoC81Zj6tQVmKDunze0X?domain=mavis-ao.org>
Enquiries: project-scientist at mavis-ao.org<mailto:project-scientist at mavis-ao.org>

Overview
In anticipation of an upcoming call for proposals for a 3rd generation VLT instrument for ESO, Australia is leading the development of ‘MAVIS’ (MCAO Assisted Visible Imager & Spectrograph) - an ambitious concept for a new instrument that will fully exploit ESO’s large investment in the VLT Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) on UT4. MAVIS will provide near-diffraction limited capabilities at optical wavelengths over a field of view of 30'', creating exciting opportunities for high spatial resolution imaging, unique spectroscopic capabilities, and synergies with key future facilities, including E-ELT and JWST. The combined image quality and light gathering power of MAVIS on the AOF will open up new regimes across a broad range of science, from solar system bodies to the highest redshift stellar systems, and everything in between.

To make the most of this important opportunity, we are hosting a workshop on May 7-9th, 2018 at the AAO in Sydney, to gather instrument makers, adaptive optics scientists, and astrophysicists of the Australian and European communities interested in participating in the MAVIS project to discuss its science case, design and performance. The workshop will encompass both science and instrumentation sessions, with a mixture of presentations and structured discussions/activities aimed at informing participants, stimulating ideas, and defining the path towards a set of viable instrument concepts and science goals for MAVIS.

Find out more about MAVIS and follow updates via the project blog here: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/8kaQC91ZkQtxyJpLuEXATY?domain=mavis-ao.org<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/8OJ1C0YZWVF4OnLqf2aH8s?domain=mavis-ao.org>.
Want to get involved? Email MAVIS: project-scientist at mavis-ao.org<mailto:project-scientist at mavis-ao.org>

Registration
Registration for the workshop is free, and is now open through our workshop website (https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/-iXoC81Zj6tQVmKDunze0X?domain=mavis-ao.org), which includes abstract submission. We encourage early registration submissions, to help shape the workshop content. The SOC will begin considering the submitted abstracts after April 6th, with a view to issuing the final program by May 3rd.

Goals of the workshop
- Mature/advance the instrument and science case ideas with the view of writing the proposal
- Exchange and interaction between scientists and instrument builders
- Review the various instrumental concepts (optical design, alternative design ideas)
- Consolidate the science case and prepare the detailed writing of the science case in the proposal.

Program Overview
Over the three days, we will interleave the instrumental/adaptive optics and science sessions to maximise the interaction between these aspects. There will be four sessions per day, each session being 1.5 hour (e.g. 9:00-10:30, 10:45-12:15, 13:45-15:15, 15:30-17:00) giving 12 sessions in total. Below we give an initial breakdown of the workshop content. This will evolve as the SOC finalises the program:

- Science Topics
- Solar System
- The transient Universe
- Star clusters
- Near-field Cosmology
- Resolved stellar populations beyond the local group
- Galaxy transitions over cosmic time
- Probing the highest redshifts

- Instrumentation Topics
- Instrument overview
- System engineering & project management
- AO simulations
- Alternative/additional concepts (segmented, GMCAO, etc)
- Opto-mechanical design
- RTC concepts & Control
- Data reduction issues
- Operational concepts?
- AOF system and operations

Venue
The workshop will be held at the AAO headquarters in North Ryde, Sydney (how to get there<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/R_xeCgZowLHNXv7Ou3KdBP?domain=aao.gov.au>). This location is easily accessible by train (or taxi) from the airport. There is convenient accommodation nearby, and it is also accessible from the Sydney city centre.

Scientific Organising Committe
Richard McDermid (chair) (Macquarie, Australia)
Julia Bryant (USyd, Australia) - TBC
Lorenzo Busoni (INAF Arcetri, Italy)
Simon Ellis (AAO, Australia)
Thierry Fusco (LAM & ONERA, France)
Sarah Martell (UNSW, Australia)
Antonino Milone (INAF Padova, Italy)
Céline Peroux (LAM, France)
Francois Rigaut (ANU, Australia)
Sarah Sweet (Swinburne, Australia)
Eline Tolstoy (Groningen, Netherland)
Valentina Viotto (INAF Padova, Italy)

Local Organising Committee
Simon Ellis (chair) (AAO)
Tiffany Day (Macquarie)
Gayandhi De Silva (AAO/USyd)
Jamie Soon (ANU)
Dan Zucker (Macquarie)
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