[mmaimcal] 2nd Princeton - PUC workshop

[Min Yun]

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>From fcourbin at ideafix.astro.puc.cl Thu Jan 27 16:50 MST 2000
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 20:49:46 -0600
From: Frederic Courbin <fcourbin at ideafix.astro.puc.cl>
To: myun at zia.aoc.NRAO.EDU
Subject: 2nd Princeton - PUC workshop


       Second Princeton - PUC Joint Workshop on Astrophysics

               DARK MATTER AND GRAVITATIONAL LENSING 

             To be held in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 

                         July 19-22, 2000 


                First Circular and Registration Form 

Sponsors: explora EN ATACAMA
          Fundacion Andes 
          European Southern Observatory
          Las Campanas Observatory
          National Radio Astronomy Observatory



PURPOSE

Each year, Princeton University and the Universidad Catolica de Chile
organise a joint workshop on a selected topic. This year, the topic of
the meeting will be "Dark matter and gravitational lensing"

Most of the best observational facilities developed to assess
cosmological problems are currently built in Chile. Optical telescopes
such as VLT are now offered to the astronomical community, and many
other large telescopes will start operations within the next 2
years. Followed later by the millimeter array ALMA, these tools cover
a large wavelength range, offering new possibilities to investigate
the origin of dark matter through a wide range of physical
processes. Gravitational lensing, strong or weak, is a natural tool
that is used to study dark matter. Thanks to the improved performances
of the new instruments, it is now possible to use it in its weaker
effects to map the dark matter accross galaxy clusters or even to
detect Large Scale Structures.  More locally, microlensing helps to
map the distribution and understand the nature of dark matter in our
own galaxy.  Comparison with dark matter halos derived at higher
redshift is even becoming possible via galaxy-galaxy lensing studies.

This meeting intends to bring together Chilean and foreign astronomers
working in Chile, plus a small number of participants from abroad (up
to a total of about 45 people), with some 15 experts from around the
world to discuss recent advances in the study of dark matter and on
how to attack the problem under the new view angle made accessible by
the most recent observational developments.


PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

We are planning a four-day meeting. The format would be Invited Talks
in the morning, and Topical Discussions and Poster sessions in the
evenings. A list of subjects to cover is:

      Galactic microlensing 
      Galaxy-galaxy lensing 
      Mass-to-light ratios of clusters and single galaxies 
      Distribution of dark matter in galaxy halos 
      Weak lensing by Large Scale Structures 
      Lens models and quasar time delays 
      Use of future instrumentation as dark matter tools (ALMA, NGST) 


INVITED SPEAKERS (preliminary list)

- Charles Alcock, LLNL, USA 
- Roger Blandford, Caltech, USA 
- Tereasa Brainerd, Boston University, USA 
- Tom Broadhurst, ESO, Germany 
- Emilio Falco, Harvard, USA 
- Jean-Paul Kneib, Toulouse, France 
- Chris Kochanek, Harvard, USA (*) 
- Julio Navarro, University of Victoria, Canada 
- Prasenjit Saha, Queen Mary and Westfield College, UK 
- Penny Sackett, RUG, the Netherlands (*) 
- Paul Schechter, MIT, USA (*) 
- Jean Surdej, Liege, Belgium
- Ed Turner, Princeton, USA 
- David Valls-Gabaud, Toulouse, France 

(*) To be confirmed. 


SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

- D. Alloin, ESO, Chile 
- C. Alcock, LLNL, USA 
- F. Courbin, PUC, Chile 
- D. Garcia Lambas, Cordoba, Argentina
- J. Gunn, Princeton, USA 
- B. Paczynski, Princeton University, USA 
- M. Phillips, LCO, Chile
- H. Quintana, PUC, Chile 
- G. Meylan, ESO, Germany 
- D. Minniti, PUC, Chile 
- G. Soucail, Toulouse, France 
- M. Strauss, Princeton University, USA 
- E. Turner, Princeton University, USA 
- D. Valls-Gabaud, Toulouse, France 
- S. D. M. White, MPA, Germany 


LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

- L. Barrera, Univ. Catolica del Norte 
- F. Barrientos, PUC 
- A. Clocchiatti, PUC 
- F. Courbin, PUC 
- G. Galaz, CTIO 
- D. Geisler, Concepcion 
- L. Infante, PUC 
- C. Lidman, ESO 
- S. Lopez, U Chile 
- H. Quintana, PUC 
- G. Mallen-Ornelas, PUC 
- D. Minniti, PUC 
- H. Muriel, OAC, Argentina 
- C. M. de Oliveira, Brasil 
- A. Reisenegger, PUC 
- P. Tissera, IAFE, Argentina


WORKSHOP FORMAT - REGISTRATION - NO PROCEEDINGS 

The workshop will be organized around several invited talks per day
and topical discussion sessions led by a chairperson during the
evenings. Invited talks will be around 45 minutes long, with plenty of
time for questions and discussion.  Special time slots will be
reserved, as well, for poster sessions. The afternoon hours of some
days, between the invited talks and the discussion sessions, will be
free from workshop activities. All contributions will be in the form
of posters.  More information about the meeting and San Pedro can be
found at: http://www.astro.puc.cl/~workshop/2000/index.html

Interested persons are encouraged to fill-in the on-line registration
form available at http://www.astro.puc.cl/~workshop/2000/reg.html NOT
LATER THAN MAY 15 TH.

Due to space limitations, by May 20th participants will be told if any
selection was needed.

A fee of US$150 is due on the registration day at the workshop, only
in cash (we can not handle credit cards). We hope to be able to waive
this fee for students who request it.

LOCATION AND ACCOMMODATIONS 

San Pedro de Atacama is one of the most touristic places in the north
of Chile.  It is a small village situated about 100 km from Calama,
(closest airport). At an altitude of 2400m, it is right in the middle
of the Atacama desert, just downhill the altiplano at the boarder
between Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, where the future millimeter
interferometer ALMA will be built.

The weather in San Pedro is excellent all year long, sometimes quite
warm in summer, but never unbearable in winter (i.e., July). It is a
dry place in any case. Indeed, it is located in the driest desert of
the world.  Temperatures in July are very pleasant during the day
(about 20-25 centigrade), but are much colder at night, sometimes
close to freezing.  It is therefore desirable to bring both warm
clothes as well as summer clothes .

The meeting, coffee breaks and final banquet will take place in the
conference room of the "Lodge Explora".  Most of the afternoons will
be free so that one can plan short trips to the many different sites
around the village (see Outdoor activities ).

ACCOMMODATIONS IN SAN PEDRO 

There are many possible places to lodge in San Pedro.  However, we
think that better interaction between the participants would be
possible if most people stay at the same place. As the range of prices
is very wide, we selected one mid-price and very good quality hotel at
the edge of the village (which is close to the center anyway, as
San Pedro is about 1 square kilometer). We will make the reservation
for you in this hotel (Hosteria de San Pedro) if you sign up the
registration form. A single room is about 40-45US$ and a shared cabin
for 4 people, is about 25US$ each.





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