Venue
Nordita, Stockholm, Sweden
Background
The Cosmic Dawn is the era when the first stars and galaxies formed and which set in motion a series of fundamental changes in our Universe. This Nordita program is dedicated to studies of these early galaxies and how they changed the matter between them, the intergalactic medium, from cold and neutral to hot and ionized in a process called reionization. The program considers both the properties of the galaxies and the properties of the intergalactic medium. This allows us to address how on the one hand studies of galaxies can answer questions about the evolution of the intergalactic medium, both before and during reionization, and how on the other hand studies of the intergalactic medium can improve our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies. In this context, the program will address the implications of the latest observations, such as by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and various 21-cm experiments, expectations for future observations, as well as the latest developments in modelling the processes during the Cosmic Dawn and the use of these in interpreting the observational results.
The program is designed according to the following four themes:
1. When & how did reionization take place? Evolution of the mean ionized fraction; evolution of ionized bubble sizes; evolution of neutral islands; measuring these quantities.
2. Sources & sinks of reionization: Production & escape of ionizing photons; absorption of ionizing photons in the intergalactic medium; absorption of ionizing photons at large and small scales.
3. Physical properties of high redshift galaxies. What have we learned from JWST, ALMA, etc.? What can we learn from low redshift analogues? What do simulations tell us?
4. What happened before reionization really started? Early star formation; Pop III stars; early X-ray sources; cosmology.
These themes form the focus of the different weeks of the program loosely following the schedule:
Week 1 (10 - 14 June) - Theme 2 & 3
Week 2 (17 - 21 June) - Theme 1 & 2
Week 3 (24 - 28 June) - Conference at the Royal Academy of Sciences (all themes)
Week 4 (1 - 5 July) - Theme 3 & 4
During the program (weeks 1, 2 and 4) only two talks per day are scheduled leaving plenty of time for collaboration and discussion. The conference (week 3) will consist of five days of talks. The conference venue allows for 100 participants, the program venue for 20 - 30 participants.
Relation between Conference and Program
The conference is embedded in the program which means that the registration is shared. However, the conference has its own website with information about abstract submission, the venue, etc.
Important dates
Conference abstract submission deadline - March 11th (submit through the conference web page)
Abstract assessment - by March 29th
Applications/Registration deadline - April 14th
Applications assessment results, including financial support decisions - by April 30th
Individual accommodation confirmations to relevant participants - by May 10th
Welcome letter with practical information and directions - by June 5th
Accommodation
Nordita can provide a limited number of rooms in the Stockholm apartment hotel, BizApartments, free of charge for invited speakers and for some selected participants, after application evaluation (see Financial support section below). These hotel apartments are designed for long-stay accommodation with fully-equipped kitchens and standard amenities. For more details, see here. Subject to availability, it is also possible to arrange a larger apartment (for families) upon request.
Please specify the type of accommodation you would like in the application form, including if you will make your own arrangements. Any special requests should be made using the comments section of the application form.
Financial support
Nordita can cover travel and accommodation expenses for invited speakers and, partly or fully, for a limited number of further participants. If you would like to apply for financial support, please contact one of the event organizers, briefly motivating your request. We encourage participants to use their own travel grants if possible, to facilitate support for participants with reduced financial possibilities.
Application/Registration
The joint application form for all program weeks, including the embedded conference, is found in the menu on the left under "Application" or at this link.
If you would like to participate, please register/apply by April 14th (anywhere on Earth). In particular if you require accommodation, travel or visa support, it is critical that you apply by this deadline.
After this deadline review of applications will begin and results communicated within three weeks. Later applications are considered on a rolling basis, subject to remaining capacity.
CAUTION! Occasionally scammers contact participants claiming to assist you with accommodation and travel arrangements etc.
Please be vigilant and do not share information with them! Also, please notify the organizers if you are in any doubt about the legitimacy of an approach, and never hesitate to contact us with any further questions.
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