Focus on:
All days
27 May 2013
28 May 2013
29 May 2013
Indico style
Indico style - inline minutes
Indico style - numbered
Indico style - numbered + minutes
Indico Weeks View
Back to Conference View
Choose Timezone
Use the event/category timezone
Specify a timezone
Africa/Abidjan
Africa/Accra
Africa/Addis_Ababa
Africa/Algiers
Africa/Asmara
Africa/Bamako
Africa/Bangui
Africa/Banjul
Africa/Bissau
Africa/Blantyre
Africa/Brazzaville
Africa/Bujumbura
Africa/Cairo
Africa/Casablanca
Africa/Ceuta
Africa/Conakry
Africa/Dakar
Africa/Dar_es_Salaam
Africa/Djibouti
Africa/Douala
Africa/El_Aaiun
Africa/Freetown
Africa/Gaborone
Africa/Harare
Africa/Johannesburg
Africa/Juba
Africa/Kampala
Africa/Khartoum
Africa/Kigali
Africa/Kinshasa
Africa/Lagos
Africa/Libreville
Africa/Lome
Africa/Luanda
Africa/Lubumbashi
Africa/Lusaka
Africa/Malabo
Africa/Maputo
Africa/Maseru
Africa/Mbabane
Africa/Mogadishu
Africa/Monrovia
Africa/Nairobi
Africa/Ndjamena
Africa/Niamey
Africa/Nouakchott
Africa/Ouagadougou
Africa/Porto-Novo
Africa/Sao_Tome
Africa/Tripoli
Africa/Tunis
Africa/Windhoek
America/Adak
America/Anchorage
America/Anguilla
America/Antigua
America/Araguaina
America/Argentina/Buenos_Aires
America/Argentina/Catamarca
America/Argentina/Cordoba
America/Argentina/Jujuy
America/Argentina/La_Rioja
America/Argentina/Mendoza
America/Argentina/Rio_Gallegos
America/Argentina/Salta
America/Argentina/San_Juan
America/Argentina/San_Luis
America/Argentina/Tucuman
America/Argentina/Ushuaia
America/Aruba
America/Asuncion
America/Atikokan
America/Bahia
America/Bahia_Banderas
America/Barbados
America/Belem
America/Belize
America/Blanc-Sablon
America/Boa_Vista
America/Bogota
America/Boise
America/Cambridge_Bay
America/Campo_Grande
America/Cancun
America/Caracas
America/Cayenne
America/Cayman
America/Chicago
America/Chihuahua
America/Ciudad_Juarez
America/Costa_Rica
America/Creston
America/Cuiaba
America/Curacao
America/Danmarkshavn
America/Dawson
America/Dawson_Creek
America/Denver
America/Detroit
America/Dominica
America/Edmonton
America/Eirunepe
America/El_Salvador
America/Fort_Nelson
America/Fortaleza
America/Glace_Bay
America/Goose_Bay
America/Grand_Turk
America/Grenada
America/Guadeloupe
America/Guatemala
America/Guayaquil
America/Guyana
America/Halifax
America/Havana
America/Hermosillo
America/Indiana/Indianapolis
America/Indiana/Knox
America/Indiana/Marengo
America/Indiana/Petersburg
America/Indiana/Tell_City
America/Indiana/Vevay
America/Indiana/Vincennes
America/Indiana/Winamac
America/Inuvik
America/Iqaluit
America/Jamaica
America/Juneau
America/Kentucky/Louisville
America/Kentucky/Monticello
America/Kralendijk
America/La_Paz
America/Lima
America/Los_Angeles
America/Lower_Princes
America/Maceio
America/Managua
America/Manaus
America/Marigot
America/Martinique
America/Matamoros
America/Mazatlan
America/Menominee
America/Merida
America/Metlakatla
America/Mexico_City
America/Miquelon
America/Moncton
America/Monterrey
America/Montevideo
America/Montserrat
America/Nassau
America/New_York
America/Nome
America/Noronha
America/North_Dakota/Beulah
America/North_Dakota/Center
America/North_Dakota/New_Salem
America/Nuuk
America/Ojinaga
America/Panama
America/Paramaribo
America/Phoenix
America/Port-au-Prince
America/Port_of_Spain
America/Porto_Velho
America/Puerto_Rico
America/Punta_Arenas
America/Rankin_Inlet
America/Recife
America/Regina
America/Resolute
America/Rio_Branco
America/Santarem
America/Santiago
America/Santo_Domingo
America/Sao_Paulo
America/Scoresbysund
America/Sitka
America/St_Barthelemy
America/St_Johns
America/St_Kitts
America/St_Lucia
America/St_Thomas
America/St_Vincent
America/Swift_Current
America/Tegucigalpa
America/Thule
America/Tijuana
America/Toronto
America/Tortola
America/Vancouver
America/Whitehorse
America/Winnipeg
America/Yakutat
Antarctica/Casey
Antarctica/Davis
Antarctica/DumontDUrville
Antarctica/Macquarie
Antarctica/Mawson
Antarctica/McMurdo
Antarctica/Palmer
Antarctica/Rothera
Antarctica/Syowa
Antarctica/Troll
Antarctica/Vostok
Arctic/Longyearbyen
Asia/Aden
Asia/Almaty
Asia/Amman
Asia/Anadyr
Asia/Aqtau
Asia/Aqtobe
Asia/Ashgabat
Asia/Atyrau
Asia/Baghdad
Asia/Bahrain
Asia/Baku
Asia/Bangkok
Asia/Barnaul
Asia/Beirut
Asia/Bishkek
Asia/Brunei
Asia/Chita
Asia/Choibalsan
Asia/Colombo
Asia/Damascus
Asia/Dhaka
Asia/Dili
Asia/Dubai
Asia/Dushanbe
Asia/Famagusta
Asia/Gaza
Asia/Hebron
Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh
Asia/Hong_Kong
Asia/Hovd
Asia/Irkutsk
Asia/Jakarta
Asia/Jayapura
Asia/Jerusalem
Asia/Kabul
Asia/Kamchatka
Asia/Karachi
Asia/Kathmandu
Asia/Khandyga
Asia/Kolkata
Asia/Krasnoyarsk
Asia/Kuala_Lumpur
Asia/Kuching
Asia/Kuwait
Asia/Macau
Asia/Magadan
Asia/Makassar
Asia/Manila
Asia/Muscat
Asia/Nicosia
Asia/Novokuznetsk
Asia/Novosibirsk
Asia/Omsk
Asia/Oral
Asia/Phnom_Penh
Asia/Pontianak
Asia/Pyongyang
Asia/Qatar
Asia/Qostanay
Asia/Qyzylorda
Asia/Riyadh
Asia/Sakhalin
Asia/Samarkand
Asia/Seoul
Asia/Shanghai
Asia/Singapore
Asia/Srednekolymsk
Asia/Taipei
Asia/Tashkent
Asia/Tbilisi
Asia/Tehran
Asia/Thimphu
Asia/Tokyo
Asia/Tomsk
Asia/Ulaanbaatar
Asia/Urumqi
Asia/Ust-Nera
Asia/Vientiane
Asia/Vladivostok
Asia/Yakutsk
Asia/Yangon
Asia/Yekaterinburg
Asia/Yerevan
Atlantic/Azores
Atlantic/Bermuda
Atlantic/Canary
Atlantic/Cape_Verde
Atlantic/Faroe
Atlantic/Madeira
Atlantic/Reykjavik
Atlantic/South_Georgia
Atlantic/St_Helena
Atlantic/Stanley
Australia/Adelaide
Australia/Brisbane
Australia/Broken_Hill
Australia/Darwin
Australia/Eucla
Australia/Hobart
Australia/Lindeman
Australia/Lord_Howe
Australia/Melbourne
Australia/Perth
Australia/Sydney
Canada/Atlantic
Canada/Central
Canada/Eastern
Canada/Mountain
Canada/Newfoundland
Canada/Pacific
Europe/Amsterdam
Europe/Andorra
Europe/Astrakhan
Europe/Athens
Europe/Belgrade
Europe/Berlin
Europe/Bratislava
Europe/Brussels
Europe/Bucharest
Europe/Budapest
Europe/Busingen
Europe/Chisinau
Europe/Copenhagen
Europe/Dublin
Europe/Gibraltar
Europe/Guernsey
Europe/Helsinki
Europe/Isle_of_Man
Europe/Istanbul
Europe/Jersey
Europe/Kaliningrad
Europe/Kirov
Europe/Kyiv
Europe/Lisbon
Europe/Ljubljana
Europe/London
Europe/Luxembourg
Europe/Madrid
Europe/Malta
Europe/Mariehamn
Europe/Minsk
Europe/Monaco
Europe/Moscow
Europe/Oslo
Europe/Paris
Europe/Podgorica
Europe/Prague
Europe/Riga
Europe/Rome
Europe/Samara
Europe/San_Marino
Europe/Sarajevo
Europe/Saratov
Europe/Simferopol
Europe/Skopje
Europe/Sofia
Europe/Stockholm
Europe/Tallinn
Europe/Tirane
Europe/Ulyanovsk
Europe/Vaduz
Europe/Vatican
Europe/Vienna
Europe/Vilnius
Europe/Volgograd
Europe/Warsaw
Europe/Zagreb
Europe/Zurich
GMT
Indian/Antananarivo
Indian/Chagos
Indian/Christmas
Indian/Cocos
Indian/Comoro
Indian/Kerguelen
Indian/Mahe
Indian/Maldives
Indian/Mauritius
Indian/Mayotte
Indian/Reunion
Pacific/Apia
Pacific/Auckland
Pacific/Bougainville
Pacific/Chatham
Pacific/Chuuk
Pacific/Easter
Pacific/Efate
Pacific/Fakaofo
Pacific/Fiji
Pacific/Funafuti
Pacific/Galapagos
Pacific/Gambier
Pacific/Guadalcanal
Pacific/Guam
Pacific/Honolulu
Pacific/Kanton
Pacific/Kiritimati
Pacific/Kosrae
Pacific/Kwajalein
Pacific/Majuro
Pacific/Marquesas
Pacific/Midway
Pacific/Nauru
Pacific/Niue
Pacific/Norfolk
Pacific/Noumea
Pacific/Pago_Pago
Pacific/Palau
Pacific/Pitcairn
Pacific/Pohnpei
Pacific/Port_Moresby
Pacific/Rarotonga
Pacific/Saipan
Pacific/Tahiti
Pacific/Tarawa
Pacific/Tongatapu
Pacific/Wake
Pacific/Wallis
US/Alaska
US/Arizona
US/Central
US/Eastern
US/Hawaii
US/Mountain
US/Pacific
UTC
Save
Europe/Stockholm
English (United Kingdom)
Deutsch (Deutschland)
English (United Kingdom)
English (United States)
Español (España)
Français (France)
Italiano (Italia)
Polski (Polska)
Português (Brasil)
Türkçe (Türkiye)
Čeština (Česko)
Монгол (Монгол)
Українська (Україна)
中文 (中国)
Login
Workshop for Science Writers. Astrophysics and Cosmology
from
Monday, 27 May 2013 (08:00)
to
Wednesday, 29 May 2013 (18:00)
Monday, 27 May 2013
10:00
The Expanding Universe and the Cosmological Constant
-
John Barrow
The Expanding Universe and the Cosmological Constant
John Barrow
10:00 - 10:45
Room: 122:026
An introduction to the expanding universe and those questions that everyone asks about it –What is it expanding into? Are we at the centre of the expansion? What is expanding? We will then introduce the ‘cosmological constant’ and its effects on the expansion of the universe, see why was it invented by Einstein, and discover how it can be made to appear inevitably in Newton’s theory of gravity. Particle physics provided a new interpretation of the cosmological constant as the vacuum energy of the universe. We will then see why this meant that almost no one believed it existed before it was discovered.
10:45
COFFEE BREAK
COFFEE BREAK
10:45 - 11:15
Room: 122:026
11:15
Why the Cosmological Constant turned into Dark Energy
-
John Barrow
Why the Cosmological Constant turned into Dark Energy
John Barrow
11:15 - 12:00
Room: 122:026
We will begin with a brief introduction to the hot early stages of the universe and the background radiation and the differences between decelerating and accelerating universes. This leads to definition of ‘inflation’ which will look like the appearance of a temporary cosmological constant in the very early universe. We will look at some of its unusual consequences. We show how the concept of ‘dark energy’ generalises the simple idea of a cosmological constant and some of the candidates for it. We then summarise the different pieces of observational evidence for dark energy, including the simple anthropic bound, and the prospects for future discoveries. Finally, we draw together the big unexplained features of the dark energy, look at some attempts to resolve them, and conclude by seeing what dark energy may mean for the far future of the universe.
12:00
Q&A
-
George Musser
Sabine Hossenfelder
Q&A
George Musser
Sabine Hossenfelder
12:00 - 12:30
Room: 122:026
Question and answer session to the topics of this morning's lectures.
12:30
LUNCH BREAK
LUNCH BREAK
12:30 - 14:00
Room: 122:026
14:00
The CMB Bonanza, Part I
-
Stefan Hofmann
The CMB Bonanza, Part I
Stefan Hofmann
14:00 - 14:45
Room: 122:026
The lectures aim at explaining the basic mechanisms at work in the origin of the cosmic microwave background and at a global characterization of our Universe in accordance with the relic microwave background.
14:45
The CMB Bonanza, Part II
-
Stefan Hofmann
(
Nordita
)
The CMB Bonanza, Part II
Stefan Hofmann
(
Nordita
)
14:45 - 15:30
Room: 122:026
The lectures aim at explaining the basic mechanisms at work in the origin of the cosmic microwave background and at a global characterization of our Universe in accordance with the relic microwave background.
15:30
Q&A
-
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
Q&A
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
15:30 - 16:00
Room: 122:026
Question and answer session to topics of this afternoon's lectures.
16:00
COFFEE BREAK
COFFEE BREAK
16:00 - 16:30
Room: 122:026
16:30
Gravitational Waves: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
-
Patrick Sutton
Gravitational Waves: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
Patrick Sutton
16:30 - 17:15
Room: 122:026
Gravitational waves -- ripples in the fabric of spacetime - - were one of the first major predictions of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, and are the last to be directly measured. These waves are produced by some of the most violent phenomena in the universe, such as collisions of black holes, the explosive deaths of massive stars, and the big bang itself. Gravitational waves could provide novel probes of matter and gravity under extreme conditions, but they are so fantastically weak that they have so far eluded direct observation. A worldwide effort to detect gravitational waves has been building over several decades, and is approaching culmination with the upcoming operation of a new generation of detectors that are expected to finally catch these elusive signals. I will review the physics of gravitational waves, experimental efforts to detect them, and the scientific potential of this new window on the universe.
17:15
Q&A
-
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
Q&A
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
17:15 - 17:45
Room: 122:026
Question and answer session to today's topics.
18:00
RECEPTION
RECEPTION
18:00 - 19:00
Room: 122:026
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
10:00
Gravitational Lensing Boot Camp
-
Robert Nemiroff
Gravitational Lensing Boot Camp
Robert Nemiroff
10:00 - 10:45
Room: 122:026
What is gravitational lensing, what has it told us about the universe, and what more can it tell us about the universe? Lenses such as black holes, stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and the universe as a whole will be covered. Concepts such as Einstein rings, photon spheres, image pair creation events, and shear will be defined and briefly discussed. The intersection of gravitational lensing with current research frontiers will be reviewed including how microlensing is being used to search for extra-solar planets, how radio telescopes are being used to probe galaxy-center black holes, and how weak lensing is being used to probe galaxy evolution in the early universe. Possible lensing signals in continuing and upcoming missions such as Planck, DES, LSST, Euclid, and WFIRST will be reviewed. Relevant parts of the lecturer's own research will also be briefly mentioned.
10:45
COFFEE BREAK
COFFEE BREAK
10:45 - 11:15
Room: 122:026
11:15
Gamma Ray Burst Boot Camp
Gamma Ray Burst Boot Camp
11:15 - 12:00
Room: 122:026
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the furthest explosions known. As such they are valuable probes of energetic explosions and fluctuating beacons seen through nearly the entire intervening universe. Although almost every physical mechanism behind GRBs is debated, leading theories will be reviewed including expansion physics and candidate progenitor objects. The phenomenology of GRBs will be reviewed including prompt emission, afterglows, common light curve features, and candidate standard candles. Searches for GRB coincidences with detectors sensitive to neutrinos, gravitational radiation, cosmic rays, and extremely high energy photons will be reviewed. Searches for gravitational lensing by intervening dark matter and Lorentz invariance violations by intervening quantum foam will be reviewed, as will possible effects GRBs could have on the Earth. Relevant parts of the lecturer's own research will also be briefly mentioned.
12:00
Q&A
-
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
Q&A
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
12:00 - 12:30
Room: 122:026
Question and answers to this morning's lectures.
12:30
LUNCH BREAK
LUNCH BREAK
12:30 - 14:00
Room: 122:026
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
10:00
Finding Exoplanets
-
Ray Jayawardhana
Finding Exoplanets
Ray Jayawardhana
10:00 - 10:45
Room: 122:026
Two decades ago, we knew of only one planetary system: our own. Since then, astronomers have found nearly a thousand confirmed planets and thousands more planet candidates around other stars. These discoveries --most of which have been made by measuring the subtle effects that planets induce on stars-- have revealed a remarkable diversity of worlds, from close-in super-Earths to far out super-Jupiters, blurring the very definition of what constitutes a "planet". They have challenged our preconceptions about the origins and architectures of planetary systems many times over. Now we stand on the verge of identifying the first crop of terrestrial worlds in the habitable zone where rocky planets could sustain liquid water on the surface. Our picture is far from complete, however, and more surprises are likely in store. I will review the emerging view of the planet population, highlight the strengths and limitations of different search techniques and discuss future prospects for extending their reach.
10:45
COFFEE BREAK
COFFEE BREAK
10:45 - 11:15
Room: 122:026
11:15
Characterizing Exoplanets
-
Ray Jayawardhana
Characterizing Exoplanets
Ray Jayawardhana
11:15 - 12:00
Room: 122:026
Remote sensing of distant worlds, across tens or even hundreds of light-years, to pin down their characteristics ain't no easy task. The whopping brightness contrast between the glaring suns and their faint planetary embers makes it particularly difficult. Yet, despite daunting hurdles, astronomers have begun measuring physical properties of alien worlds in earnest: in other words, the era of "comparative exoplanetology" is here. Planets caught in transit and those imaged directly are best suited for detailed characterization. I will review how we can determine not only the masses and orbital parameters of exoplanets but in some cases also learn about their bulk composition, day- and night-side temperatures, and upper atmospheres. I will discuss how we might adopt similar techniques to target terrestrial planets with a view to assessing their habitability and to search for biosignatures.
12:00
Q&A
-
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
Q&A
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
12:00 - 12:30
Room: 122:026
Question and answers to this morning's lectures.
12:30
LUNCH BREAK
LUNCH BREAK
12:30 - 14:00
Room: 122:026
14:00
The Search for Dark Matter
-
Green Anne
The Search for Dark Matter
Green Anne
14:00 - 15:00
Room: 122:026
Most of the matter in the Universe is invisible. This dark matter is also exotic, made of new elementary particles. I will briefly describe the observational evidence for dark matter, on scales ranging from individual galaxies to the entire Universe. One of the best dark matter candidates are WIMPs, Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. I will describe how WIMPs arise in particle physics models designed to unify the fundamental forces and are generically produced in the early Universe with the required abundance. WIMPs can be detected directly, via their rare interactions with conventional matter, or indirectly, via the gamma-rays and anti-matter produced when they annihilate. WIMPs can also be produced at particle colliders such as the LHC. I will conclude by describing the principles, current status and future prospects of these experiments.
15:00
The Sun's Enduring Mysteries
-
Axel Brandenburg
(
Nordita
)
The Sun's Enduring Mysteries
Axel Brandenburg
(
Nordita
)
15:00 - 16:00
Room: 122:026
The realization that stars like the Sun are giant gas balls is less than 100 years old, and for much of this time, astrophysicists have remained deeply perplexed about our nearest star. For example, in the Sixties, our simple physical understanding was challenged, because it led to estimates for the rate of neutrinos that exceeded measurements by a factor of 3. This controversy took decades to put to rest. A crucial tool has been helioseismology, which allows scientists to peer beneath the Sun's surface and create a map of its interior structure. In solving one mystery, however, these measurements only created others. For instance, the Sun's surface was long known to rotate non-uniformly: faster at the equator and about 30% slower at the poles. Helioseismology was able to provide information about the Sun's internal angular velocity as well. Curiously, the lines of constant angular velocity do not lie on cylinders, as was predicted by simulations, but are spoke-like. This puzzles scientists, as there is still no good agreement between measurements and simulations. In addition, helioseismology provides crucial measurements about internal flow speeds and their temporal variation during the 11-year solar cycle. Theory and simulations suggest turbulent flow speeds of about 100 m/s, but new helioseismic measurements suggest much smaller values. Something must clearly be wrong somewhere. Theorists are also puzzled by what generates magnetic fields in the Sun. Understanding this is crucial for being able to predict space weather. This is now a major concern to airlines, who routinely reroute transcontinental flights to lower latitudes during times of strong magnetic storms.
16:00
COFFEE BREAK
COFFEE BREAK
16:00 - 16:30
Room: 122:026
16:30
Q&A
-
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
Q&A
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
16:30 - 17:00
Room: 122:026
Question and Answers to today's lectures.
17:00
Closing Discussion
-
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
Closing Discussion
Sabine Hossenfelder
George Musser
(
Scientific American
)
17:00 - 17:45
Room: 122:026
18:00
BBQ
BBQ
18:00 - 20:00
Room: 122:026