Outline of the School
The primary aim of the XXI Winter School is to provide a wide-ranging and up-to-date overview of the theoretical, experimental and analytical tools necessary for carrying out front-line research in the study of accretion processes. The School is particularly designed to offer young researchers tips and guidelines to help them direct their future research towards these themes, which are among the most important in modern astrophysics. The school will include an introduction to the theory of accretion, observational signatures and tests of current models in close binaries and active galactic nuclei, as well as relativistic accretion flows around black holes.
The course will investigate accretion as a source of energy in close binary star systems containing compact objects as well as in active galactic nuclei. It will describe the theoretical and physical processes at work in accretion discs and general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of time-dependent inflows into Kerr black holes as well as the treatment of disc instabilities, irradiated discs, disc warping, and accretion outflows. The observations that provide detailed quantitative information about the accretion flows that power high energy systems such as X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei will also be presented.
To achieve these goals, the WS lectures will be given by eight eminent and experienced scientists who are actively working on a variety of forefront research projects, and who have played a key role in major advances over the recent years. The list of invited researchers includes leading theoreticians and pioneering observers in each area of the subject who have been carefully chosen to represent all the leading research teams in each topic covered in the School. The format of the School will also encourage direct interaction between the participating students and lecturers.
The school is primarily intended for doctoral students and recent postdocs in any field of research in Astronomy. Participants of the WS will have the opportunity to display their current work by presenting a poster contribution (1m square panels). Dedicated sessions to discuss some of the posters will be organized within the WS.
The WS will take place in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain), from November 2nd to 13th, 2009. The lectures will be delivered in English and will be published subsequently in a dedicated monograph. Speakers will present their topics in a series of four lectures. Strong emphasis will be given to interaction between speakers and students through discussion sessions, coffee breaks, and some excursions. Visits to the IAC's Headquarter in La Laguna, the Teide Observatory in Tenerife and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma will be scheduled as part of the activities.
The registration fee is Euro 1300.-, which covers the Conference Fee and full-board accommodation for thirteen days. Other WS activities and a copy of the monograph will be provided at no additional charge.
Those interested in attending the WS should send a Curriculum Vitae, a short summary of their current research project and a letter of reference from their thesis advisor, or Head of Department, by filling out the web forms in above links. These should reach the IAC before July 24th. Selected candidates will be informed by September 10th. In case you have any problem, please contact us by mailing to the address below.