The purpose of the RA2020 workshop is focused on determining the potential science goals in radionuclide astronomy for next-generation X-ray and gamma-ray missions. This will include identifying and prioritizing open astrophysical questions on astrophysical sources of radionuclides that can be addressed by next-generation missions. We will identify the astrophysical modeling and nuclear data needs to maximize the science from these missions. The workshop will also provide a forum within which the community can present and review the current state of knowledge in hard x-rays and gamma-rays from radioactive nuclei produced in astrophysical transients and identify challenges and opportunities for the field in the near future. RA2020 is sponsored by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics - Center for the Evolution of the Elements.

The target audience includes astronomers and astrophysicists (observers, experimentalists, theorists), space mission scientists, nuclear and particle physicists (theorists and experimentalists in nuclear reactions, gamma production, and neutrino interactions), instrument developers, and other interested researchers including graduate students and recent PhD recipients.

Specific Goals of RA2020 include:

1. Determine the constraints that next-generation telescopes can place on astrophysical sources of radionuclides;
2. Identify the open problems that can be solved by these constraints;
3. Identify the astrophysical modeling needs to take full advantage of the data from these next generation telescopes;
4. Prioritize the modeling needs based on the demand to maximize mission scientific return;
5. Identify the critical nuclear astrophysics data needs of NASA's current and near-term planned astrophysics missions;
6. Prioritize those data needs based on the demand to maximize mission scientific return;
7. Identify either the ideal properties of next-generation telescopes to maximize radionuclide astronomy science (based on the list of open problems) or determine the path needed to identify these properties.
8. Develop strategies for community input to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey;
9. Formulate a summary of prioritized needs to guide future NASA funding of the field.

The most important and valuable deliverable from RA2020 will be the Report summarizing the recommendations from the workshop. The Report will provide detailed findings on the critical astrophysical modeling and nuclear astrophysics data that are required to maximize the scientific return on NASA's current and near-term planned astrophysics missions and proposed priorities. The Report will be based on community input gathered at the workshop, discussions during workshop breakout sessions, and other solicited input deemed appropriate by the Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC). The Report will be prepared by the SOC and may also outline specific opportunities for high energy NASA missions, and articulate concrete actions by which the Agency can capitalize on the opportunities and mitigate challenges.

Radio galaxies provide excellent laboratories to probe physical aspects, unification, and the cosmic evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Thanks to recent multi-wavelength observations we are now able to separate many different physical components of radio galaxies through imaging and spectroscopy. Observations from the radio to the X-ray range can probe the ejection of matter into the jet and monitor decades of jet evolution. Gamma-ray observations have shown that radio galaxies are detectable up to the VHE range, despite unfavorable jet alignment. We observe radio galaxies out to redshifts larger than z=5, which makes them important cosmological probes. Planck maps have provided us with new insights into the populations of radio galaxies and their distributions in space in the 30-900 GHz range, NuSTAR provides high-quality spectra in the hard X-ray range, the EHT has begun mapping to the event horizon of the central black hole, and the SKA, E-ELT and other future telescopes will open up a new and vast discovery space. This meeting will bring together multiwavelength observers and theorists to synthesize progress made over the last three years and define future directions.

Topics:

• Triggers of highly relativistic jets
• Jet collimation
• Radio galaxies as VHE photon emitters
• Knots, hotspots and other structural features
• The central engine
• Radiative versus jet mode
• Radio galaxy populations and statistics
• Origin and evolution of radio galaxies
• Interaction with the environment
• Future telescopes' view on radio galaxies

For conference inquiries please email: cricci "at" astro.puc.cl

The organizers are pleased to announce that the 2018 TeV Particle Astrophysics conference (TeVPA 2018) will take place in Berlin, Germany. TeVPA is a five day conference which aims to bring together leading scientists in the field to discuss recent advances in Astroparticle Physics. There will be parellel sessions in: Cosmic Rays, Cosmology, Dark Matter, Extragalactic, Galactic, Gamma-rays, GW and followup, Neutrinos, and Particle Physics.

For further information, contact tevpa2018 "at" desy.de.

The IAU Symposium 346 will be the first IAU symposium devoted to high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). The time has come to synthesize new knowledge from the incredibly rich trove of data, models, and theories on HMXBs accumulated over the last 50 years. The Symposium will bring together a broad range of scientists with the aim to share their insights and further advance our understanding of HMXBs. New powerful synergetic approaches will be developed and put in a broad astrophysical context during the XXX IAU General Assembly. The Symposium will build a bridge between mature field of massive binary astrophysics and nascent field of gravitational wave astronomy. This large international meeting will consolidate our knowledge on massive stars, binary evolution, accretion physics, compact objects and gravitational wave sources to give us a new perspective on the cosmos illuminated by HMXBs.

Contact e-mail: iaus346@astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de

Register here to the MAILING LIST ONLY to receive news concerning the organization of the IAUS 346.

Gamma-Cas is the first identified Be star and one of the first extra-solar X-ray sources discovered. However, it soon became clear that its very hard and luminous X-ray emission was at strong variance with that observed from the bulk of Be stars. Galactic X-ray surveys, mainly those carried out by XMM-Newton, led to the discovery of a handful of Be stars with similar X-ray properties and sharing a narrow range of characteristics.

The origin of the outstanding X-ray emission of Gamma-Cas and its analogs is one of the most vexing issue in X-ray stellar astrophysics. Magnetic interaction between the early type star and the decretion disc compete with accretion scenarios to explain these outstanding features. Both explanations have deep astrophysical implications on massive star evolution.

The goal of the meeting is to inform the stellar community of the "Gamma-Cas" phenomenon and confront the different views put forward to explain this salient behaviour.

Our understanding of the origin of the Universe, of its evolution and the physical laws that govern its behavior, as well as on the different states of matter that makes up its evolutionary stage, reached in recent years levels never before imagined. This is due mainly to the new and recent discoveries in astronomy and relativistic astrophysics as well as to experiments on particle and nuclear physics that made the traditional boundaries of knowledge on physics to be overcome. As a result we have presently a new understanding about the Universe in its two extreme domains, the very large and the very small: the recognition of the deep connections that exist between quarks and the cosmos.

The intimate relationship between quarks and the cosmos has motivated the organization of the series of international events known by the acronym IWARA. The event is the eighth in a series of meetings gathering scientists working on astroparticle physics, cosmology, gravitation, nuclear physics, and related fields.

Contact iwara2018@gmail,com for more information or see the website listed above.

Black Holes Cosmic Batteries (BHCB) 2018 will be dedicated to the presentation and discussion of recent observational, phenomenological, and theoretical developments in the field of high-energy phenomena associated with the dynamics of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and black holes. Some specific subjects are UHECRs luminosity production in relativistic outflows, multi-messengers astronomy and informations from cosmic rays, cosmic rays from gravitational waves, formation and propagation of relativistic jets and particle acceleration .

Scientific topics:

• Ultra-high energy cosmic rays
• UHECRs luminosity production
• Gamma-rays
• Neutrinos
• Gravitational waves
• Particle acceleration
• Formation and propagation of relativistic jets
• Accretion mechanisms and Jets
• AGNs and Reconnection

From...

...theory to TeV

...radio to relativity

...polarization to periodicity

Synergy of energy and time series without gaps.

Maximizing physics insights from multi-frequency monitoring.

The goal of this workshop is to bring people together who are either working on monitoring or are involved in monitoring at different wavelengths. The far goal is to setup a global monitoring network at all wavelengths. This includes topics like:

• status of observations
• past and future monitoring programs
• current instruments and future technologies
• available data, data archives, data mining
• radio to TeV, polarization
• methods to analyse variability and broad band spectral data, combined data analysis
• prospects of new methods (e.g. deep learning approaches)
• theories behind variability, interpretation
• multi-messenger astrophysics

Athena (the Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics) will continue the series of large X-ray observatories inaugurated by Chandra and XMM-Newton, offering transformational capabilities in several key areas. It is the second large-class ESA mission (L2), and it is planned for a launch towards the end of the next decade, around 2029.

The Phase A is progressing at full speed, with intense work in the ESA Study Team, the Instrument Teams and industry with the definition of a mission design baseline over the next 12-18 months. The organization of the second conference on Athena will thus give the opportunity to discuss with the astrophysical community its prospective scientific impact, also in the light of possible future X-ray missions (eROSITA, XARM, Arcus, etc.), of synergies with multi-wavelength facilities that will be operational at the end of the next decade, and of the advent of multi-messenger astronomy.

Recent years have seen an increasing interest of the astronomical community on the topic of super-Eddington accretion on compact objects, which can apply to a variety of systems, such as supermassive black holes, black hole binaries, ULXs, neutron stars. Moreover, the possibility that the Eddington limit may be violated can have important implications for the related topics of black hole growth, galaxy evolution and AGN feedback.

After two years from the first edition of Breaking the Limits, we reconvene to discuss the advances made in the last two years. This workshop will be an opportunity to compare recent observations with state-of-the-art theoretical modeling of super-Eddington flows, and to discuss the cosmological implications of this regime of accretion.

We bring together scientists working on topics in the area of Time Domain Astronomy and Multi-Messenger Astronomy, especially those who have used Swift's capacity in TDA and/or participate in follow-up observations of transients. The study of the transient sky requires synergy between ground- and space-based facilities, and this meeting aims to place Swift in this context.

The goal of the meeting is to discuss key science topics from Swift's successful past, and to focus attention on opportunities for its future observing program and ToO strategies. A comprehensive analysis of the road ahead is important considering that Swift is in its extended life operating phase and that the upcoming NASA Senior Review will present stiff competition.

Swift science crucially depends on the active role our community plays in the design of a vital scientific program. When Swift was launched in 2004, its prime objective was to chase Gamma-Ray Bursts. However, it was quickly realized that its multi-wavelength and fast scheduling capacity make it the most versatile mission ever flown. It is used for an impressive variety of targets: active galaxies, supernovae, kilonovae, novae, magnetars, tidal disruption events, variable stars, etc. Swift observed nearby solar system objects (comets), monitors the galactic center, and has reached out to explosive transients in the early Universe. The breakthrough discoveries of a NS-NS merger with aLIGO on 170817, associated with gamma-ray emission seen by Fermi/GBM and INTEGAL, and a blazar flare coincident with a high energy neutrino detected by with IceCube on 170922 have firmly established the new Multi-Messenger branch of astrophysics. The coming years for Swift offer outstanding opportunities in this arena of discovery.

In this third TDA meeting, all sessions are dedicated to TDA and MMA as probed by high -energy space missions and ground-based observatories, accompanied with overarching discussions of future direction and emphasis for Swift science. The meeting will be held in Clemson, South Carolina, October 2-3. The general meeting will be 2 days (Tuesday to Wednesday), followed by a half day of planning for NASA's Senior Review by a limited group of people by invitation only. On Monday, Oct 1, we will host a meeting of the GammaSIG group. We look forward to seeing you in the college town of Clemson, SC, for a lively scientific program and stimulating discussions of the future with Swift as a discovery and ToO engine.

The international conference on this urgent topic will be held in Russia for the third time. The success of the first workshop held in October 2015 and the second conference held in October 2017 persuaded the organizers that such meetings arranged in locations of unique Russian Observatories - Special Astrophysical Observatory of RAS (SAO RAS), Baksan Neutrino Observatory of Institute for Nuclear Research of RAS (BNO INR RAS) and the International Observatory Peak Terskol - are well needed.

The scientific program covers a wide range of problems of the modern astrophysics including that of existence of quantum-chromodynimic (QCD) phase transition and matter states at high temperatures and densities. Such conditions are likely to be achievable only in astrophysical objects - collapsars of stellar mass, the objects whose formation is related with collapse and explosion of hot and dense cores of massive stars observable as gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. Solution of such problems demands development of methods combining optical astronomical observations and experiments with neutrino telescopes, cosmic-ray recording sets and detectors of gravitational waves.

The conference program will also include talks and discussion on the THESEUS (Transient High-Energy Sky and Early Universe Surveyor) mission concept, being developed by a large International collaboration involving also SAO and BNO. THESEUS aims at exploiting high-redshift gamma-ray bursts for getting unique clues to the Universe and, being an unprecedentedly powerful machine for the detection, accurate location and redshift determination of all types of gamma-ray bursts (long, short, high-z, under-luminous, ultra-long) and many other classes of transient sources and phenomena, at providing a substantial contribution to multi-messenger astrophysics and time-domain astronomy. Under these respects, THESEUS will show a beautiful synergy with the large observing facilities of the future, like E-ELT, TMT, SKA, CTA, ATHENA, in the electromagnetic domain, as well as with next-generation gravitational-waves (aLIGO/ aVirgo, KAGRA, ILIGO, Einstein Telescope, LISA) and neutrino detectors, thus enhancing importantly their scientific return. Moreover, it will also operate as a flexible IR and X-ray observatory, thus providing an even larger involvement of the scientific community.

This symposium follows previous Fermi Symposia at Stanford, CA (February 2007), Washington, DC (November 2009), Rome, Italy (May 2011), Monterey, CA (November 2012), Nagoya, Japan (October 2014), Arlington, VA (November 2015), and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (October 2017).

The two Fermi instruments have been surveying the high-energy sky since August 2008. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) has discovered more than a thousand new sources and many new source classes, bringing the importance of gamma-ray astrophysics to an ever-broadening community. The LAT catalog includes supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, pulsars, binary systems, novae, several classes of active galaxies, starburst galaxies, normal galaxies, and a large number of unidentified sources. Continuous monitoring of the high-energy gamma-ray sky has uncovered numerous outbursts from a wide range of transients. Fermi LAT's study of diffuse gamma-ray emission in our galaxy revealed giant bubbles shining in gamma rays. The direct measurement of a harder-than-expected cosmic-ray electron spectrum may imply the presence of nearby cosmic-ray accelerators. LAT data have provided stringent constraints on new phenomena such as supersymmetric dark-matter annihilations as well as tests of fundamental physics. The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) continues to be a prolific detector of gamma-ray transients: magnetars, solar flares, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes and gamma-ray bursts at keV to MeV energies, complementing the higher energy LAT observations of those sources in addition to providing valuable science return in their own right.

All gamma-ray data are made immediately available at the Fermi Science Support Center. These publicly available data and Fermi analysis tools have enabled a large number of important studies. We especially encourage guest investigators worldwide to participate in this symposium to share results and to learn about upcoming opportunities.

This meeting will focus on the new scientific investigations and results enabled by Fermi, the mission and instrument characteristics, future opportunities, and coordinated observations and analyses.

On August 17, 2017, a new era in astronomy was inaugurated by a short gamma-ray burst accompanying the gravitational wave event GW170817 detected by LIGO-Virgo. While the neutrinos from SN1987a had been a first milestone towards multi-messenger astronomy three decades earlier, the true breakthrough in High-Energy Neutrino astronomy is about to take place today, due to the recent advances in large volume ice and water detectors.

One of the most important observational challenges of our time is to establish the link between the discoveries of these new astronomies and the electromagnetic Universe. As the same violent phenomena that generate gravitational waves and/or high-energy neutrinos are also the source of high-energy photons, gamma-ray astronomy has been - and will remain - pivotal in connecting new and "old" astronomies.

Besides leading an ambitious legacy science program, INTEGRAL is presently one of the best suited detectors for identifying electromagnetic counterparts to the cataclysmic events that will continue to be discovered with gravitational waves and high energy neutrinos. This conference will discuss recent developments in high-energy astronomy, with particular emphasis on its role in multi-messenger astronomy. Beyond the present generation of gamma-ray instruments, the choral of multi-messenger astronomies will require a voice in the MeV band. One of the aims of the workshop is therefore to review the status and development of future instruments and to discuss perspectives in observational gamma-ray astronomy; these topics will be highlighted during the meeting as AHEAD Gamma-ray workshop (AHEAD is a European Community H2020 program, one of its goals is enabling the development of future gamma-ray astrophysics missions).

SOC: Volker Beckmann, Enrico Bozzo, Tony Bird, Søren Brandt, Eugene Churazov, Brad Cenko, Roland Diehl, Carlo Ferrigno (chair), Diego Götz, Victoria Grinberg, Matteo Guainazzi, Lorraine Hanlon, Dieter Hartmann, Margarita Hernanz, Roman Krivonos, Erik Kuulkers (co-chair), Philippe Laurent, Mark Leising, Alexander Lutovinov, Angela Malizia, Raffaella Margutti, Julie McEnery, Aldo Morselli, Lorenzo Natalucci, Stephane Paltani, Alessandro Papitto, Elena Pian, Luigi Piro, Jean-Pierre Roques, Rui da Silva, Vincent Tatischeff, John Tomsick, Eleonora Troja, Pietro Ubertini, Peter von Ballmoos (co-chair), Jörn Wilms

LOC : Carlo Ferrigno, Enrico Bozzo, Volodymyr Savchenko, Martine Anne Logossou-Jacot, Peter von Ballmoos

Questions? Contact us via integral2019.conference[at]gmail[dot]com

The 17th Meeting of the Division will be held in Monterey, CA from March 17-21, 2019. The location of the meeting will be the Portola Hotel and Spa (the site of the 13th Divisional Meeting).

Please save the date now and check back again soon for more details. We will announce the opening of the meeting website, and provide information on registration, abstract submission and travel and lodging in the near future.

Questions? Contact headsec[at]aas[dot]org

The first CTA Science Symposium will focus on the novel investigations CTA will bring to the field and its synergies with other wavebands and messengers. It will also cover instrument characteristics, analysis tools and opportunities for guest investigators and how coordinated observations with CTA will have a significant impact on the exciting new era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astrophysics. The symposium is a unique opportunity to gather the scientific community to stimulate discussion and promote collaboration in the study of the high-energy Universe. CTA will be the largest and most advanced ground-based observatory for gamma-ray detection at the energies from 20 GeV up to 300 TeV, beyond the current energy frontier for gamma-ray astrophysics. With more than 100 telescopes located in the northern and southern hemispheres, CTA will use its unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity to reveal an entirely new and exciting view of the turbulent sky furthering our knowledge about the high-energy Universe. Learn more about CTA

- Join us!

Pre-register now to get further information about the meeting here. No payment is needed at this point. Feel free to forward this information to anyone who might be interested.

- Venue

The Symposium will be held at Bologna's magnificent Teatro Duse, one of the oldest theatres in the city. Located in the historic centre and housed in the Palazzo del Giglio the theatre has been used since the mid-seventeenth century.

We look forward to seeing you in Bologna!

Stefan Funk and Jim Hinton for the SOC.