[MODEST] MOdeling DEnse STellar systems workshop #2 in Amsterdam

[Simon Portegies Zwart]

       MODEST-2 WORKSHOP
       ON THE MODELING OF DENSE STELLAR SYSTEMS

       It is a pleasure to invite you to take part in the second
   MODEST (MOdeling DEnse STellar systems) a workshop on the
   construction of realistic simulation models for star clusters.  The
   first of these meetings (MODEST-1) was held last June 17-21, at the
   American Museum of Natural History in New York City. This second
   meeting will be halt on December 16-17 at the Astronomical
   Institute 'Anton Pannekoek' and the Section Computational Science
   of the University of Amsterdam in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
   The event is organized by Simon Portegies Zwart and Piet Hut.

       Our main aim is to bring a number of experts from the fields
   of stellar evolution, stellar dynamics, and stellar hydrodynamics,
   in order to discuss and coordinate efforts toward realistic
   simulations of star clusters.  Our main goal is to discuss the
   development of models for star cluster using real stellar evolution
   codes coupled to a stellar (hydro)dynamics codes.  In this sense,
   `integrating' the three fields will happen on the level of
   simultaneously integrating their equations.

       Even though the first MODEST workshop has brought us closer
   to our objective, we are still a long way off from realizing this
   vision.  The great success of the first MODEST workshop forms the
   basis for our second meeting. The discussions during this workshop
   have already initiated various collaborations between experts in
   stellar evolution, stellar dynamics and hydrodynamics. The first
   results of these initiatives will be presented at the second meeting.

       We plan to make this a real `working' workshop, somewhat in the
   style of the Aspen conferences, with few talks and much discussion
   about hands-on aspects of getting stellar evolution and stellar
   (hydro) dynamics to work in concrete simulation settings.  Each
   morning, we will have a couple talks and/or panel discussions, while
   we will reserve the afternoons for spontaneous collaborative efforts
   between individuals.  We will not schedule any formal talks, and as a
   consequence there will be no designated `invited speakers.'  Instead,
   we simply encourage all of you to bring some relevant transparencies.
   The real input of the meeting will be your collective expertise in
   stellar evolution/dynamics.  For the output, we envision some budding
   collaborations leading to the development of relatively simple but
   robust and autonomous stellar evolution codes, to be used as modules
   in large-scale simulations of the entire history of dense stellar
   systems.

       In keeping with the spirit of an informal work-workshop, there
   will be no registration fee, nor will we have any means to offer
   financial assistance to the participants.  Instead of a banquet, we
   will sample the numerous fine restaurants/bars at walking distance
   to your hotel. We do plan to have a welcoming reception in the
   evening of Sunday December 15, on 20:00 hours at cafe 'East of Eden',
   Linneausstraat 11, Amsterdam.

   More information can be found at:
   http://www.manybody.org/modest-2.html This page also contains
   information about registration, hotel reservations, directions for
   travel and a tentative schedule.  To register, please email Simon
   Portegies Zwart at spz at science.uva.nl.

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