Reminder: Feb. 9 -- deadline to submit abstracts for Scientific Event E1.18 “Infrared Astronomy: Star Formation and Interstellar Processes Over Many Scales” at the COSPAR Assembly in Pasadena, California
The SOFIA Science Center will host “Infrared Astronomy: Star Formation and Interstellar Processes Over Many Scales” (E1.18) at the 42nd Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Scientific Assembly in Pasadena (California, USA) on July 14-22, 2018. This event is a one-day workshop (the exact date has not been set by the conference organizers).
Please submit your abstracts on galactic and extra-galactic star formation and interstellar matter via the COSPAR web page:
https://www.cospar-assembly.org
.
The deadline for abstracts is February 9.
We look forward to seeing you and having an active discussion on infrared astronomy as well as current and future infrared observing facilities.
Scientific Description:
This is an opportunity to gather the infrared community to discuss the current status of our understanding of star formation and interstellar processes on galactic and extragalactic scales. This meeting will provide an overview of current research and will shape future observations with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
Main topics include:
- Molecular cloud structures, dynamics, and evolution
- Star formation and feedback on cloud and galactic scales
- Dust origin, composition, and processing
- Chemical processes in the various phases of the ISM
- The roles of turbulence and magnetic fields for cloud dynamics and star formation
- Cooling and heating of the ISM and its energy budget
- ISM in extreme environments, e.g., star bursts and active galactic nuclei (AGNs)
- Impact and evolution of shocks in star formation and the ISM
The infrared Herschel and Spitzer Infrared Space Observatories have advanced our fundamental understanding of star formation and interstellar processes in the Milky Way and other galaxies. The images and spectra have revealed star bursts, turbulent clouds, intricate networks of filamentary structures, pre-stellar cores, and young stars. The archives of the Herschel and Spitzer Observatories are still treasure troves to be mined for new insights.
Today SOFIA continues the scientific exploration traditions of the Herschel and Spitzer Observatories, allowing researchers to make new observations of the interstellar medium (ISM) while offering state-of-the-art instrumentation. SOFIA provides the highest spectral resolution from mid-infrared wavelengths to terahertz frequencies, enabling, for example, detailed studies of gas dynamics. SOFIA’s on-going instrumentation program will continue to add new capabilities, such as the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-plus (HAWC+), a wide-field, far-infrared polarimeter to enable the investigation of magnetic fields and dust alignment on cloud scales, and the forthcoming High Resolution Mid-Infrared Spectrometer (HIRMES) covering the 25 – 122 µm spectral range that will enable detailed studies of the composition, thermal structure, and kinematics of protoplanetary disks, and will enable a wide range of Galactic studies.
Soon the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will deliver near and mid-infrared data at unprecedented spatial resolutions and sensitivities. Observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and ground-based near-infrared and millimeter complete the multi-wavelength picture necessary to understand the matter cycle in galaxies.
This meeting will gather the infrared community to discuss the current status of our understanding of star-formation and interstellar processes on galactic and extragalactic scales, providing an overview of current research while shaping the direction of future SOFIA observations.
Confirmed Speakers:
Richard Klein (UC, Berkeley): Star Formation and Magnetic Fields
Darren Dowell (JPL): SOFIA HAWC+ Science Highlights
Kimberly Ennico Smith (SOFIA Project Scientist): SOFIA Instruments and Science
