INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIAS

Girona Conference

Blazars, Black Holes and Jets

9-12^th September 1996

Girona, Spain

Scientific programme

Our aim is to bring together as many of the top experts as we can in blazar research and in the field of Galactic objects related to blazars (eg: black hole candidates, objects with jets, etc.) which can teach us about the similarities and differences between the Galactic and extra-galactic objects. We aim to foment an atmosphere of friendly and businesslike discussion. We hope that, if nothing else, the week leads to a thorough review of what is known and provides ideas for future research. The meeting format is planned in such a way to allow everyone who wishes to participate directly in the discussion to do so, whether that person is a current Ph.D student, or an established researcher.

Apart from presented papers, there will be a number of specially invited reviews. These are divided into two categories: "Key Note talks", which will open each daily session and relate to the day's main topic and "Invited Reviews", which will usually have a more observational basis and will open the afternoon sessions. Apart from the normal question sessions after the talks, extensive time will be made available for informal and more formal discussion.

As can be seen from the preliminary timetable below, we have a series of very interesting and varied invited speakers. These we intend to be a complement to the presented papers, not to replace them, hence their number has been carefully limited.



Confirmed speakers at the meeting (to date) are:

Geoff Burbidge, Key Note, Blazars and BL Lacs... a historical perspective

Geoff Burbidge is a well known figure in the AGN community who is one of the few people still active who have been deeply involved since the discovery of quasars and the later discovery of the first blazar (3C345) in 1965. This talk, which will open the scientific sessions of the meeting, will put our ideas about blazars, BL Lacs and related objects, in a historical perspective and show how observation and theory have advanced since the earliest days.

Alan Marscher, Key Note, Jet Models for blazars

Alan Marscher is one of the foremost theoreticians in jet models and has, in collaboration with various collegues, developed some of the most widely accepted models to date for relativistic jets in blazars. This talk will review what we know (and what we don't know) about jet models and their application.

Laura Maraschi, Key Note, High energy and multifrequency studies of blazars

Laura Maraschi is a well-known and widely respected expert on multifrequency observing of blazars, particularly in combination with high energy studies. She is deeply involved in various on-going projects and plans to present and discuss the most recent new results during her talk.

Esko Valtaoja, Invited review, Multifrequency monitoring campaigns

Esko Valtaoja has spent many years observing AGNs and, especially, blazars in radio and in the visible. Those who have been fortunate enough to hear one of his talks will know that he is an excellent, entertaining and provocative speaker and a splendid devil's advocate.

Alex Smith, Invited Review, Variability and monitoring

The Florida quasar monitoring programme has set the standard for such projects since its inception nearly 25 years ago. Alex Smith, one of the most distinguished names in US science, has been the driving force behind a group that has produced the largest data base on quasar monitoring that exists in the world and is uniquely qualified to talk about quasar variability.

Jose Miguel Rodriguez-Espinosa (coordinator), Key Note, The implications of future large telescopes on blazar research

In the next few years more than half a dozen 8-10m class telescopes will start to operate in observatories around the world. This gives potential for a real revolution in the studies of AGNs of all types with enormous light grasp and adaptive optics providing extraordinary sensitivity and resolution. Jose Miguel Rodriguez-Espinosa is the Scientific Director of the 8m telescope project for La Palma (GRANTECAN) and an established worker in AGNs. This session will comprise of several short (15 minute) presentations, by experts in spectroscopy and direct imaging about the impact that the new generation of telescopes will have on AGN and blazar research. The presentations will be followed by a public discussion session about projects and instrumentation for blazar research with big telescopes.

Buell Jannuzi, Invited Review, HST observations of blazars and BL Lacs

Buell Jannuzi is effectively leading the scientific effort on the HST Key Project on Quasar Absorption Lines. He is also an expert observer from the ground of blazars, polarization and images. Both collegues and peers salute his clear and cogent view of the status of the observations and what they are telling us about the objects. This makes him an excellent choice to talk about the exciting new developments that are appearing in the field of quasar environments through the HST and ground-based high resolution studies.

Final afternoon workshop session:

During the final afternoon we will hold a series of parallel workshop sessions (modelling, multifrequency studies, etc.). We wish to restrict groups to about 20-25 persons each and, to promote an informal, but businesslike atmosphere, intend the sessions to be fueled with large supplies of coffee, cakes and biscuits.

Each group will be chaired by an expert in the topic to be discussed. Within the session, the Chair will direct an informal discussion where any participant can present results that he/she thinks are relevant to the session, discuss and argue about ideas. The idea is to try to define (a) points of agreement in the field and (b) the direction that future research in that field should go. Hopefully it will lead to some interesting new ideas both for projects and for research. At the end of the session the Chair will be given some time to put some notes together and the closing session of the conference will be then dedicated to a series of reports, from the Chairs of each of the workshop discussions, to the full meeting.

We will ask people to declare themselves for one of 4-5 workshop groups. Session chairs are not decided yet, but will, most likely, be selected from people who register for the conference. Anyone who wishes to make a contribution, whether planned in advance, or decided on the spur of the moment during the discussion, to answer, rebut, or inform, is free to present results and ideas in a friendly and informal environment within these workshop groups. Please limit contributions to 1-2 transparencies in a single intervention to allow as many people to speak as possible and to let the discussion flow freely!