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[Hyperspace-list] Hyperspace Bulletin for January 2018
by hyperspace＠th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de 02 Jan '18

02 Jan '18

########################################## Table of Contents ########################################### 0. Foreword by L. Rezzolla 1. Conferences 1.1. Numerical Relativity beyond General Relativity, Benasque, Spain 1.2. Observers in Quantum Gravity, Rome, Italy 1.3. Hot topics in Modern Cosmology — Spontaneous Workshop XII, Cargese, France 1.4. Quantum Gravity on the Computer, Nordita Stockholm, Sweden 1.5. The Sound of Spacetime: The Dawn of Gravitational Wave Science, MITP Mainz, Germany 1.6. Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme (PAX) III Workshop, State College, PA 1.7. COSPAR 42 - Scientific Event H0.5 - Fundamental Physics in Space, Applications - 1st announcement 1.8. GEMMA (Gravitational-waves, ElectroMagnetic and dark MAtter) Physics Workshop, Lecce, Italy 1.9. Dublin School on Gravitational Wave Source Modelling 2. Jobs 2.1. Assistant Professor in Mathematics, Massachusetts, USA 2.2. Research Associate in Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Cardiff, UK 2.3. Research Associate in Experimental Gravitational-Wave Physics, Cardiff, UK 2.4. UCSD Faculty Position in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics 2.5. Postdoctoral position at Paris Observatory (Meudon) 2.6. Post-doctoral position at LUTH (Paris Observatory) 2.7. Postdoctoral research fellow, Tucson, Arizona, USA 2.8. Postdoctoral Researcher in High Energy Nuclear Physics at the University of Kansas 2.9. Postdoctoral position in Relativistic Astrophysics, Prague, Czech Republic 2.10. PhD Position in Numerical Relativity at University of Jena, Germany 2.11. Postdoc position in gravity theory at the University of Tartu, Estonia 2.12. Postdocs at Nottingham, UK 3. News 3.1. Awards for Essays on Gravitation, 2018 3.2. SageManifolds 1.1 is out 3.3. Living Reviews in Computational Astrophysics: Higher-order accurate space-time schemes for computational astrophysics 3.4. Miguel Zilhao winner of the Portuguese Society on Relativity and Gravitation's Alberto prize 3.5. Giulio Rampa PhD Thesis Prize, 2018 Edition ============================================== 0. Foreword ============================================== Dear Readers of the hyperspace@GU bulletin, This is a short note to provide you with some information about the functioning of the hyperspace@GU website in 2017. As you surely know, hyperspace@GU is meant as tool to distribute information on gravitational physics be it in terms of conferences, jobs or simple news (about 20 posts are made every month). The site has more than 900 users and the mailing list more than 1,800 recipients, who receive a bulletin on the second day of every month. The hyperspace@GU site has seen a surge in views in recent months and has totalled about 190,00 visits over the last 12 months, thus with an average of 514 views per day. Peak times are associated with the release of the bulletin, when up to 1,000 views per day are reached [information from jetpack.com]. Physicists are not the only ones interested in the hyperspace@GU and there is a continuous effort to keep hackers out of the site and spammers out of the mailing lists. In addition, a lot of editing is needed before each bulletin to fix all of the problems created by those authors not paying too much attention to the editing rules that are very clearly spelled out on the site (html syntax, unreadable characters, backdoor posting, etc). I will conclude thanking the Goethe University in Frankfurt for hosting this facility and for its technical assistance and Luke Bovard for his continuous help in running hyperspace@GU. I wish you all a Happy and Successful 2018! Luciano Rezzolla, Frankfurt am Main, Germany ============================================== 1. Conferences ============================================== 1.1. Numerical Relativity beyond General Relativity, Benasque, Spain --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13542 Starting: 2018-06-03 to 2018-06-09 Location: Benasque, Spain Additional Information: http://www.benasque.org/2018relativity/ Contact: hwitek[AT]icc.ub.edu The international workshop "Numerical Relativity beyond General Relativity" will be held at the Benasque Science Center (Spain) on June 3-9, 2018. With the first detections of gravitational waves, we have entered an exciting new era in gravitational physics that enables us to learn about the fundamental properties of gravity with a completely new sense. In particular, it opens up the unique opportunity to probe gravity in its most challenging, strong-field, and dynamical regime. Theoretical predictions of the gravitational wave signal emitted during the late inspiral and merger of compact binaries in models of gravity beyond General Relativity (GR) are crucial to truly put Einstein's theory to the test. Currently, most beyond-GR predictions are limited to the weak-field regime. How the gravitational waveform would look in the highly dynamical near-merger regime, however, is largely unknown. The latter requires full numerical simulations in beyond-GR theories -- a field that is still in its infancy. It is our goal to kickstart this new emerging field in gravitational physics with a workshop on "Numerical Relativity beyond General Relativity." Therefore, we wish to bring together experts in Numerical Relativity, fundamental tests of gravity, and gravitational wave data analysis to facilitate fruitful future collaborations. Located in the beautiful landscape of the Pyrenees mountain range, the Benasque Science Center will provide an ideal environment to stimulate discussion, strengthen existing collaborations, and initiate new ones. Conference dates: June 3-9, 2018 Registration deadline: April 10, 2018 Accomodation deadline: May 15, 2018 Website: http://www.benasque.org/2018relativity/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.2. Observers in Quantum Gravity, Rome, Italy --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13544 Starting: 2018-01-22 to 2018-01-23 Location: Rome, Italy Additional Information: http://www.roma1.infn.it/~mercatif/observers/main.html Contact: flavio.mercati[AT]gmail.com The notion of observer, which is quite a nuanced concept in quantum mechanics and in GR taken separately, can be expected to take a new meaning at the crossroads of those two theories, whatever the correct quantum theory of gravity will be. We will gather a handful of experts in Quantum Foundations, Quantum Information Theory, Quantum Gravity and Philosophy of Physics, to discuss different aspects of the notion of observer, with an open mind regarding the particular framework or approach that each of us is pursuing, and trying to keep a focus on the conceptual and cross-disciplinary aspects. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.3. Hot topics in Modern Cosmology — Spontaneous Workshop XII, Cargese, France --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/08/hot-topics-in-modern-cosmolo… Starting: 2018-05-14 to 2018-05-19 Location: Cargese, France Additional Information: http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~cosmo/SW_2018/SW12.html Contact: triay[AT]cpt.univ-mrs.fr Spontaneous Workshop (SW) brings together specialists on recent insights in Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology. The aim is to stimulate debate on common topics in views of providing us with innovating ideas on emerging problems. The workshop’s organization is based on an optimal number of concise presentations and with enough space for discussions in order to favour interactions among participants. Postdocs and PhD students are encouraged to attend. SW12 topics includes : Dark Energy — Inflation — Baryon and Lepton number violation CP violation — LHC and Dark Matter — Astroparticle Physics Neutrino Cosmology — Baryogenesis and Leptogenesis — cosmic Antimatter Gravitational Waves of cosmological and astrophysical origin Cosmological parameters — Anomalies in CMB — Inhomogeneous Cosmology Cosmological Large Scale Structures — Magnetic Fields in the Universe Non-local UV completion of gravity — QFT in Curved Spacetime — Massive Gravity Numerical Relativity — Black Hole formation — Modified Gravity +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.4. Quantum Gravity on the Computer, Nordita Stockholm, Sweden --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/11/quantum-gravity-on-the-compu… Starting: 2018-03-05 to 2018-03-09 Location: Nordita Stockholm, Sweden Additional Information: http://www.nordita.org/qg2018 Contact: ssteinhaus[AT]perimeterinstitute.ca One of the big challenges of non-perturbative quantum gravity is the complexity of the dynamics. Discrete approaches can only show a non-trivial dynamics and approximate the continuum when a large number of degrees of freedom is taken into account. Over the last decades numerical tools have stimulated and accelerated developments in many fields of theoretical physics, which is why we want to apply them to non-perturbative quantum gravity. The goal of this workshop is to bring together researchers from quantum gravity already working with numerical methods, those that want to start working with numerical methods and practitioners of numerics in other fields of physics to kick-start the development of numerical techniques and to establish new collaborations and research projects. Invited Speakers (tentative) - Sumati Surya, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore - Benjamin Bahr, University Hamburg - Antonia Zipfel, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton - Steffen Gielen, Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam - Bianca Dittrich, Perimeter Institute, Waterloo - Andrzej Goerlich, Jagiellonian University, Krakow - Jack Laiho, Syracuse University, New York (tbc) - Giulia Gubitosi, Radboud University, Nijmegen - John Barrett, Nottingham University (tbc) - Parampreet Singh, Louisiana State University Registration for this conference is now open If you want to apply for participation in the workshop, please fill in the application form. You will be informed by the organizers shortly after the application deadline whether your application has been approved. Due to space restrictions, the total number of participants is strictly limited. (Invited speakers are of course automatically approved, but need to register anyway.) Application deadline: 12 January 2018 There is no registration fee. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.5. The Sound of Spacetime: The Dawn of Gravitational Wave Science, MITP Mainz, Germany --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13583 Starting: 2018-06-04 to 2018-06-15 Location: MITP Mainz, Germany Additional Information: https://indico.mitp.uni-mainz.de/event/124/ Contact: rporto[AT]ias.edu The recent historical detections of gravitational waves (GWs) by the LIGO scientific and Virgo collaborations heralded an unprecedented new era for fundamental physics investigations. After the remarkable landmark of detection, GW science will soon turn into the study of the properties of the sources and address fundamental questions in astrophysics, fundamental gravity and cosmology. In particular, binary coalescences – of comparable masses or extreme-mass ratios – are posed to become the leading probe to test gravitational dynamics, and the physics of compact objects under unique conditions. The number of events detected up to now has demonstrated the feasibility of direct detection of GWs emitted by coalescing compact objects, and that beside neutron stars, also black holes in binary systems are relatively common in nature. We expect many events per year once LIGO is running at design sensitivity. The correct interpretation of results and their physical consequences will thus become the ultimate goal of the field. Typical searches for GWs thus require very precise signal templates, which in turn demands state-of-the-art numerical and analytical models, to enable also the most accurate parameter estimation. Moreover, extracting the most information from the waveforms requires very efficient search algorithms for data analysis. The new era of GW science will become a truly interdisciplinary subject. The nascent field of Gravitational Wave and Multimessenger Astronomy encompasses source modelling, data analysis, fundamental gravity, cosmology and astrophysics, to realize the full potential of this new era. We aim at bringing together researchers focusing in different areas of this emerging field that goes under the umbrella of GW physics, ranging from field-theoretical methods, numerical gravity, astrophysics and signal analysis. Our main motivation is to create an environment that fosters exchange between scientists with different backgrounds. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.6. Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme (PAX) III Workshop, State College, PA --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13584 Starting: 2018-02-05 to 2018-02-07 Location: Penn State University, State College, PA Additional Information: http://gravity.psu.edu/events/pax3/index_pax3.shtml Contact: rxh1[AT]psu.edu With the observation of gravitational waves from binary neutron stars, a new era in multi-messenger astronomy has begun. Gravitational-wave and classical astronomy will together observe highly energetic and transient phenomena in the Universe. The goals of this workshop are: (1) to discuss what we have learned from observing gravitational waves and EM afterglows from GW170817 (2) how combining the information from the two windows helps us to gain a deeper understanding of these violent events (3) to explore how upcoming observations of such processes can help us understand the physics at the extreme - strong gravitational fields, ultra-high densities, temperatures and magnetic fields, and (4) to debate the ultimate science goals for this emerging, synergistic field and what detectors and telescopes would be needed to make a steep change in the scientific questions we can answer with such observations. The program will consist of panel discussions organized around a small number of reviews. The main goal is to identify important areas for research and foster new collaborations based on the deliberations of the workshop. The event is open for participation by anyone but we have limited availability of a maximum of about 70 participants after which registration will be closed. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.7. COSPAR 42 - Scientific Event H0.5 - Fundamental Physics in Space, Applications - 1st announcement --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/20/cospar-42-scientific-event-h… Starting: 2018-07-14 to 2018-07-22 Location: Pasadena, CA, USA Additional Information: https://www.cospar-assembly.org/admin/session_cospar.php?session=775 Contact: mueller[AT]ife.uni-hannover.de *** First announcement *** 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly Pasadena, CA, United States, 14 - 22 July 2018 Scientific Event H0.5 - Fundamental Physics in Space, Applications (Geodesy, Metrology, Navigation, and others) Main Scientific Organizer: Juergen Mueller Deputy Organizer: Roberto Peron Scientific Organizing Committee: Claus Laemmerzahl Dear Colleague, the 42nd Committee of Space Research (COSPAR) Scientific Assembly will be held from 14 July - 22 July 2018, in Pasadena, CA, USA. As scientific organizers of the COSPAR session H0.5 "Fundamental Physics in Space, Applications (Geodesy, Metrology, Navigation, and Others)" and acknowledging your expertise in the related scientific fields, we would like to cordially invite you to submit an abstract for a [solicited] talk in session H0.5. The objective of this session is to discuss new sensor measurements and mission concepts that apply advanced techniques for the study of the gravitational field on ground and in space, highlighting the recent developments in atom interferometry, laser interferometry, and optical clocks and their applications in the fields of ground-based and satellite geodesy, metrology, positioning, navigation, transport, etc. We invite presentations to illustrate the principles and state of the art of those novel techniques and the application of the new methods for terrestrial and satellite geodesy (where local and global mass variations and surface deformations will be observed with unforeseen accuracy and resolution, variations that reflect changes in the Earth system), navigation and fundamental physics ("Relativistic metrology": the precise measurement of quantities - e.g., length and time - related to spacetime dynamics). We also welcome papers for further applications and invite contributions covering the theoretical description of the new methods, introducing novel theoretical concepts as well as new modelling schemes. We are looking forward to meet you at COSPAR 2018. With our best wishes, Jürgen Mueller, Roberto Peron and Claus Laemmerzahl ---- Prof. Dr. Juergen Mueller Institute of Geodesy, University Hannover mueller[AT]ife.uni-hannover.de Dr. Roberto Peron IAPS-INAF, Roma roberto.peron[AT]iaps.inaf.it Prof. Dr. Claus Laemmerzahl ZARM, University Bremen claus.laemmerzahl[AT]zarm.uni-bremen.de +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.8. GEMMA (Gravitational-waves, ElectroMagnetic and dark MAtter) Physics Workshop, Lecce, Italy --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13623 Starting: 2018-06-04 to 2018-06-07 Location: Lecce, Italy Additional Information: http://www.roma1.infn.it/conference/GEMMA/ Contact: paola.leaci[AT]roma1.infn.it Dear colleagues, it is a pleasure to announce the GEMMA (Gravitational-waves, ElectroMagnetic and dark MAtter) Physics Workshop to be held in Lecce (Italy) from June 4th to June 7th, 2018. The aim of the GEMMA workshop is to discuss about gravitational waves, multimessenger astrophysics and dark matter physics at this especially exciting times, bringing together the experimental, theoretical and data analysis aspects of these apparently heterogeneous fields. Registration is now open and Abstract Submission is welcome on these topics. Please find further information at http://www.roma1.infn.it/conference/GEMMA/index.html. The workshop is organised in days focused around key topics introduced by invited speakers and followed by contributed talks. There will also be a poster session, together with four Young Scientist GEMMA Awards to the best poster contributions by skilled young researchers. The scientific program will be finalised in the upcoming days. The deadline for abstract submission is March 15th, 2018 and the deadline for early registration is February 28th, 2018. The LOC and the SOC are looking forward to welcoming you in Lecce. Best Regards, Paola Leaci on behalf of the SOC and LOC +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.9. Dublin School on Gravitational Wave Source Modelling --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2018/01/01/dublin-school-on-gravitation… Starting: 2018-06-11 to 2018-06-22 Location: Dublin, Ireland Additional Information: https://maths.ucd.ie/dsgwsm/ Contact: barry.wardell[AT]ucd.ie The Dublin School on Gravitational Wave Source Modelling aims to teach the next generation of gravitational wave researchers the skills they will need for interpreting gravitational wave signals detected by the LISA mission. Further aims are to cover a broad range of topics in gravitational physics, to give newly arrived and early career researchers a chance to interact with each other, and to meet the leaders in their field. The summer school will be hosted by the School of Mathematics and Statistics at University College Dublin. It will run from 11th to 22nd June 2018, and will consist of ten days of lectures and hands-on workshops, with a weekend off in the middle to explore Dublin and engage in social activities. There is no registration fee and anyone can participate. However, please do register so that we can ensure that ample space is available for all participants. Participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs. A limited number of affordable rooms in campus accommodation have been reserved on a first-come first-served basis. There may also be limited student bursaries; if available, these will be announced at a later date. The summer school is supported by the GWverse COST Action. Students from COST member nations are particularly encouraged to attend. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ============================================== 2. Jobs ============================================== 2.1. Assistant Professor in Mathematics, Massachusetts, USA ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13540 Deadline: 2017-12-15 Location: Massachusetts, USA Additional Information: https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/11389 Contact: skim[AT]umassd.edu Assistant Professor in Mathematics University of Massachusetts Dartmouth The Department of Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level beginning in September 2018. We are seeking individuals with research interests complementary to data science, including (but not limited to) numerical linear algebra, statistics, applied and computational mathematics, and optimization. The ideal applicant will have significant research experience, help develop and support our Data Science programs, and collaborate with other members of the department. Faculty members are expected to develop an internationally recognized and externally-funded research program, develop and teach graduate and undergraduate courses, advise and mentor graduate and undergraduate students, and participate in service activities. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a Doctoral Research University conveniently located in the beautiful south coast of Massachusetts, with many beaches nearby and two capital cities (and two major airports) within easy driving distance. The mathematics department offers several undergraduate degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, a Bachelor of Science in Computational and Applied Mathematics, and (jointly with the Computer Science department) a Bachelor of Science in Data Science. The department also offers a M.S. degree in Data Science jointly with the Computer Science department, and a Ph.D. degree in Computational Science and Engineering under the umbrella of the Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) program. The department is the centerpiece of the Center for Scientific Computing and Visualization Research (CSCVR) that promotes scientific computing, data science, and high performance computing. A new hire is expected to fit well into our interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and educational environment. Minimum qualifications include a doctoral degree in mathematics or a related field at the time of appointment and evidence of strong potential for teaching excellence and scholarly research. Preferred qualifications include significant postdoctoral experience, evidence of strong potential for external funding, and a good fit with the research interests of the department. Application Instructions: Qualified applicants are invited to apply online at: http://www.umassd.edu/hr/employmentopportunities/ Please submit electronically a letter of interest, a complete curriculum vitae with detailed research accomplishments and teaching activities, statements of research plans and teaching philosophy, a completed AMS Standards Cover Sheet (http://www.ams.org/employment) and four letters of recommendation with one addressing the candidate's teaching. Review of applications will begin on December 15, 2017. Applications received before this date will receive full consideration, but the review will continue until the position is filled. Employment is contingent upon verification of background/credentials and work authorization. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth values excellence, diversity, transparency, student-centeredness, accountability, innovation, engagement, collaboration, collegiality and safety. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth employees and applicants for employment are protected by federal laws, Presidential Executive Orders, and state and local laws designed to protect employees and job applicants from discrimination on the bases of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, family medical history or genetic information, military service, veteran status or other non-merit based factors. The University of Massachusetts reserves the right to conduct background checks on potential employees. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.2. Research Associate in Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Cardiff, UK ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13548 Deadline: 2018-01-31 Location: Cardiff, UK Additional Information: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jobs Contact: SuttonPJ1[AT]cardiff.ac.uk Cardiff Gravitational Physics (http://www.astro.cardiff.ac.uk/research/gravity/) is seeking applications to fill the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate. This is a two-year position at the Grade 6 level. The post will involve research on one or several of the key research areas of the Cardiff Gravitational Physics group, with emphasis on analysis of data from the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo detectors, and/or gravitational-wave source modelling. Group members play leading roles in the search for signals from gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and the coalescence of neutron star and black hole binaries; and in modelling astrophysical sources of gravitational waves using analytical and numerical relativity and develop search algorithms for their detection and interpretation with current and future detectors. The group is also undergoing a significant expansion, starting a new research programme in gravitational-wave instrumentation. The group is a founding member of GEO600, a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and has played a leading role in these collaborations from their inception through to the recent first direct detections of gravitational waves, and is also active in planning and development of future detectors, such as LIGO-India, Einstein Telescope and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The position is full time and available from 1st June 2018, but the precise starting date is negotiable. Salary: GBP 32,548 - 38,883 per annum (Grade 6) Informal enquiries about the role can be made by email to Prof. Patrick Sutton (SuttonPJ1[AT]cardiff.ac.uk) or Prof. Mark Hannam (HannamMD[AT]cardiff.ac.uk). Informal enquiries about working at Cardiff University can be made to Glesni Lloyd (LloydGW[AT]cardiff.ac.uk). Closing date: Wednesday, 31 January 2018 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.3. Research Associate in Experimental Gravitational-Wave Physics, Cardiff, UK ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/06/research-associate-in-experi… Deadline: 2018-01-17 Location: Cardiff, UK Additional Information: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jobs Contact: hartmut.grote[AT]ligo.org Cardiff Gravitational Physics (http://www.astro.cardiff.ac.uk/research/gravity/) is seeking applications to fill the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate. This is a two-year position at the Grade 6 level. Cardiff University has recently made significant investment in a new research programme in experimental gravitational-wave physics, led by Prof. Hartmut Grote and Dr. Katherine Dooley. The research associate will support this new effort, and contribute to establishing the research programme. The group pursues research in the fields of interferometric readout schemes, seismic sensing, squeezed-light application, control topologies for 3rd generation interferometers, and fundamental physics using interferometry. Other Cardiff group members play leading roles in the search for signals from gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and the coalescence of neutron star and black hole binaries; and in modelling astrophysical sources of gravitational waves using analytical and numerical relativity and developing search algorithms for their detection and interpretation with current and future detectors. The group is a founding member of GEO600, a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration and has played a leading role in these collaborations from their inception through to the recent first direct detections of gravitational waves. The Cardiff group is also active in the planning and development of future detectors, such as LIGO-India, the Einstein Telescope and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The position is full time and available from 1st April 2018, but the precise starting date is negotiable. Salary: GBP 32,548 - 38,833 per annum (Grade 6) Informal enquiries about the role can be made by email to Prof. Hartmut Grote (hartmut.grote[AT]ligo.org). Informal enquiries about working at Cardiff University can be made to Glesni Lloyd (LloydGW[AT]cardiff.ac.uk). Closing date: Wednesday, 17 January 2018 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.4. UCSD Faculty Position in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/07/ucsd-faculty-position-in-gra… Deadline: 2017-12-29 Location: La Jolla, California, USA Additional Information: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01597, https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01598 Contact: jgrohman[AT]physics.ucsd.edu The Department of Physics within the Division of Physical Sciences at UC San Diego is committed to academic excellence and diversity within the faculty, staff, and student body and invites applications for a tenured (Associate level) or tenure-track (Assistant level) faculty position in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics. This is a broad search for outstanding researchers in gravitational wave science, including theoreticians (fundamental gravitation theory, gravitational wave source modeling, numerical relativity), gravitational wave data analysts, or experimentalists working on the design, development or construction of instrumentation for gravitational wave science. All positions are subject to the availability of funding. Successful candidates must have a Ph.D. in Physics or a closely related field and demonstrated potential for a recognized program of excellence in both teaching and research. In addition, successful candidates must also demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion in higher education. A successful candidate must have a well-articulated plan of contributing to programs that increase access and success of underrepresented students and faculty in the sciences. We especially welcome candidates who have already benefitted from, contributed to, or created such programs, or served as a role model in mentoring others. A successful candidate will also have a commitment to helping shape and expand the University's diversity initiatives. Applications should include a statement describing past and/or potential contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Information on contributions to diversity statements can be found in the official job posting at the links listed below. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and based on University of California pay scale. Review of applications will commence on Dec. 4, 2017 and continue until the position is filled. Applications submitted by Dec. 29, 2017 will receive full consideration. Applications should be submitted as described in detail on the official job posting links listed below: Assistant Positions: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01597 Associate Positions: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01598 Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae with a list of publications, statement of past and proposed research, statement of past and proposed teaching, and a statement on past and/or potential contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Candidates must also arrange to have three to five letters of reference addressing research, teaching, and professional service posted to the above website by the deadline. For applicants interested in spousal/partner employment, please visit the UCSD Partner Opportunities Program at the UCSD website. UC San Diego is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong institutional commitment to excellence and diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.5. Postdoctoral position at Paris Observatory (Meudon) ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/12/postdoctoral-position-at-par… Deadline: 2018-01-10 Location: Meudon, France Additional Information: https://www.obspm.fr/-emplois-theses-et-stages-.html?lang=en Contact: micaela.oertel[AT]obspm.fr Paris Observatory is opening 4 post-doctoral positions (Paris-Sciences-et-Lettres fellowship) of 2 year each starting at fall 2018. The Relativity and Compact Objects (ROC) team (https://luth.obspm.fr/rubrique119.html?lang=en) of Laboratoire Univers et Theories (LUTH), in Meudon is an eligible host for one of these positions, on the following topics: - High-energy astrophysics, compact objects, Active Galactic Nuclei - Fundamental physics and gravitational waves The ROC team is composed of the following permanent staff: Brandon Carter (emeritus) Eric Gourgoulhon Philippe Grandclement Alexandre Le Tiec Jerome Novak Micaela Oertel (Head of the team) Silvano Bonazzola (associated) Please contact any member of the team you would like to collaborate with to prepare the application. In addition to standard documents, applicants should provide: - A support letter from the ROC team (contact: micaela.oertel[AT]obspm.fr) - An approval letter by the director of LUTH (contact: direction.luth[AT]obspm.fr) Please see the full application call at https://www.obspm.fr/IMG/pdf/post-docs_texte_english_2018.pdf for details. To prepare the support letter, please send the application file to the ROC team (micaela.oertel[AT]obspm.fr) before January, 10, 2018. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.6. Post-doctoral position at LUTH (Paris Observatory) ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/13/post-doctoral-position-at-lu… Deadline: 2018-01-20 Location: Meudon, France Additional Information: https://luth.obspm.fr/ Contact: Postdoc-LUTH.2018[AT]obspm.fr Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the area of computational astrophysics and numerical cosmology at the Laboratoire Univers et Theories (LUTH). The laboratory is one of the departments of the Astronomical Observatory of Paris with expertise in the field of theoretical and numerical astrophysics. We are seeking candidates with a strong background in computational hydrodynamics, although candidates with expertise from all area of numerical astrophysics will be considered. The successful candidate will work in collaboration with the computer science group and other members of the laboratory to the development of a new Adaptive Mesh Refinement hydrodynamics code for applications in astrophysics and cosmology. Candidates are expected to have a solid experience in computational physics. The position is jointly funded by the ERC-StG "EDECS" and LUTH. The appointment will be for two years starting in September 2018, though a later starting date is negotiable. Candidates must hold a PhD by the date of appointment. Interested candidates should send applications consisting of a CV, publication list and a short statement of research interest should be sent to Postdoc-LUTH.2018[AT]obspm.fr Inquiries about the position can be sent to the same address. Applicants should arrange for a minimum of two letters of recommendation to be sent to the same address. Applications received by 20 January 2018 will receive full consideration, although later applications may be considered. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.7. Postdoctoral research fellow, Tucson, Arizona, USA ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/15/postdoctoral-research-fellow/ Deadline: 2018-01-01 Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA Additional Information: https://uacareers.com Contact: vpaschal[AT]email.arizona.edu The University of Arizona, Tucson, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research fellow to work in the areas of numerical relativity, and/or computational astrophysics. The position is for one year, renewable for up to three years. The applicant must have or be close to completing a Ph.D. in Physics, Astrophysics or other related field. Candidates with a strong record on computational hydrodynamics, computational MHD or radiation transport are strongly encouraged to apply. A background in general relativity and/or modified gravity as well as relativistic astrophysics would be desirable. The successful candidate will work with Professor Vasileios Paschalidis on topics related to gravitational physics and astrophysics such as studies of sources of gravitational waves and their electromagnetic counterparts (binary compact object mergers, short-gamma ray burst engines, accretion onto binary black holes, stellar collapse), black hole formation. The Departments of Astronomy and Physics at the University of Arizona are active in Gravitational Physics and Relativistic Astrophysics Theory and experiment, and the successful candidate will benefit from interactions with theory faculty at the University of Arizona, such as Professors Dave Arnett, Sam Gralla, Fulvio Melia, Feryal Ozel, Philip Pinto and Dimitrios Psaltis. To apply, go to https://uacareers.com and enter Job # P20452 in the search box. Application received by January 1, 2018 will receive full consideration. The position will be open until filled. This posting corrects the information about this position in a previous ad. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.8. Postdoctoral Researcher in High Energy Nuclear Physics at the University of Kansas ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13588 Deadline: 2018-01-15 Location: Lawrence, KS, USA Additional Information: https://employment.ku.edu/staff/10589BR Contact: nuclearpostdoc[AT]ku.edu Applications are invited for a post-doctoral researcher position in experimental high energy nuclear physics with the University of Kansas beginning as early as February 1st, 2018. This successful candidate will split their time working at CERN in Geneva Switzerland and the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Candidates are required to have a Ph.D. in experimental, nuclear science, high energy physics or related field. The KU nuclear group is focused on heavy-ion physics with the CMS experiment at the LHC and is also investigating opportunities at other facilities such as in the U.S.-based Electron Ion Collider. The successful candidate will work on the analysis of recently collected and upcoming heavy-ion data on photon-nucleus collisions. The group has ongoing physics analyses related to vector mesons, dijets and two-particle correlations produced in photo-nuclear collisions. The successful candidate will contribute to several aspects of the nuclear group's research program including detector operation, data analysis, event simulation, publication of research results, and preparation for future measurements. The successful candidate will support the KU group’s work on measuring luminosity through the CMS BRIL project. For more information and to apply go to https://employment.ku.edu/staff/10589BR. A complete online application includes a Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae (including publications list), Statement of Research Interests and Skills and at least three letters of recommendation – letters should be emailed to nuclearpostdoc[AT]ku.edu or mailed to Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1251 Wescoe Hall Drive, Room 1082, Malott Hall, Lawrence, KS 66045 USA. Review of applications will begin January 15th, 2018. For first consideration, please apply before that date. For additional information please contact Professor Daniel Tapia Takaki, jdtt[AT]ku.edu. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.9. Postdoctoral position in Relativistic Astrophysics, Prague, Czech Republic ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/19/postdoctoral-position-in-rel… Deadline: 2018-04-15 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Additional Information: http://www.asu.cas.cz/en/about/open-positions Contact: gglukes[AT]asu.cas.cz The Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences invites applications for a post-doctoral position in the Relativistic Astrophysics Group at the Prague section of the Institute. The appointment is initially for one year; an extension until the end of 2019 is expected upon satisfactory scientific performance and availability of funds. The position will be funded through the project “Non-linear Phenomena in a Multi-channel Astronomy of Black Holes”, which is supported by the Czech Science Foundation. The salary will be based on the domestic level and it includes health insurance. Commencement is expected on the 1st of August 2018. Candidates are expected to demonstrate research experience at least in one of the following topics: orbital dynamics in GR (Mathisson-Papapetrou equations, effective one-body approximation, self-force), gravitational waves (astrophysically relevant sources, synergy with electromagnetic signatures), black-hole accretion discs (GRMHD modeling, exact solutions), and/or particle acceleration in magnetic fields near black holes (effects of strong gravity). A successful applicant will join Georgios Loukes-Gerakopoulos, Petra Sukova, and Ondrej Kopacek in their research team, supported by the Czech Science Foundation. Applications containing a Cover Letter, a Curriculum Vitae, a List of Publications, and a Summary of Research Plans should be submitted in a single pdf to: sekretariat[AT]asu.cas.cz subject: “GR postdoc 2018 – Prague” cc: gglukes[AT]asu.cas.cz Two recommendation letters have to be sent to the same email addresses with the same subject. In the application please provide the exact date of your PhD defense or attach a statement from the supervisor certifying the planned date of the defense. The successful candidate must hold a PhD degree in the field and present a certificate of that by the date of employment. Preferences will be given to early-stage researchers (PhD obtained after 2010). A necessary condition for the appointment is to satisfy the legal requirements for being employed in Czech Republic. For informal inquiries about the position please feel free to email Georgios Loukes-Gerakopoulos. To receive full consideration please submit your application and arrange your recommendation letters to be sent by 15th April 2018. Applications will be acknowledged by email. Once the selection process is completed, the successful applicant will be notified. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.10. PhD Position in Numerical Relativity at University of Jena, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/20/phd-position-in-numerical-re… Deadline: 2018-01-22 Location: Jena, Germany Additional Information: http://www.tpi.uni-jena.de Contact: lisann.schmid[AT]uni-jena.de The numerical relativity group at the University of Jena anticipates the availability of a PhD position in April 2018. The position is associated with the research group of Prof. Bernd Bruegmann at the TPI Jena. There is the opportunity to participate in a wide range of research activities. Applicants with a background in numerical relativity, especially in the area of gravitational wave science or associated computational and mathematical methods are especially encouraged to apply. Please submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae with a list of publications, a brief description of research interests, and a list of three potential referees, who may be contacted separately. Applications should be received no later than January 22, 2018, but applications will be considered until the position is filled. In a situation where two candidates have otherwise equal qualifications, preference will be given to women, minorities, and handicapped applicants. Please send applications referring to Reg.-Nr. 364/2017 to: lisann.schmidt[AT]uni-jena.de Lisann Schmidt Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Jena Max Wien Platz 1 D-07743 Jena Germany +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.11. Postdoc position in gravity theory at the University of Tartu, Estonia ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/29/postdoc-position-in-gravity-… Deadline: 2018-01-14 Location: Tartu, Estonia Additional Information: http://hexagon.fi.tartu.ee/~geomgrav2017/mobilitas/ Contact: geomgrav2017[AT]ut.ee The Laboratory of Theoretical Physics at the Institute of Physics of the University of Tartu, Estonia is looking for candidates to apply for a 2-year postdoctoral position. The topics of interest focus upon extensions to general relativity and modified gravity, including: - mathematical foundations of gravity, - modifications to the geometry of spacetime, - gravity theories based on Finsler, Cartan, Weizenboeck or Riemann-Cartan geometry, - gravity theories including multiple metrics, - gravity theories including torsion, - (multi-)scalar-tensor and related gravity theories, - phenomenology of modified gravity, including gravitational waves, black holes, galaxies, - cosmological aspects of modified gravity. The positions depend on external funding and the applications will be processed in two stages. In the first stage, all applications will be reviewed by the gravity research group at the University of Tartu. Then the selected candidates and the University of Tartu will apply for funding via the programme Mobilitas+. The final decision on the funding will be made by the respective agencies. The positions will be held in conjunction with the Estonian centre of excellence in research "The Dark Side of the Universe" (TK133) and the grant "Geometrical foundations of gravity and their comparison with observations" (PUT790), and aligned with the "Cosmology and Astrophysics Network for Theoretical Advances and Training Actions" (CANTATA). The postdoctoral grant amounts to about 40000 EUR per year. Applicants must have a PhD degree or equivalent, awarded not earlier than 01. February 2013, and not later than 31. August 2018. Applications for the postdoctoral position must include: -- curriculum vitae, -- diploma of PhD degree or equivalent, -- research proposal of up to five pages, -- list of publications, -- two letters of recommendation (to be sent separately). The deadline for the postdoctoral application is Monday, 15. January 2018, 05:59 GMT. All applications for the aforementioned positions must be submitted electronically via the website linked to this announcement. All documents from the applicant, except for the recommendation letters, must be combined into a single PDF file of at most 8 MB size. The recommendation letters must be uploaded separately, and also in the PDF format. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.12. Postdocs at Nottingham, UK ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=13629 Deadline: 2018-01-17 Location: Nottingham Additional Information: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/SCI447217 Contact: thomas.sotiriou[AT]nottingham.ac.uk Applications are invited for the above two STFC funded posts to begin in October 2018, in which the candidates will have the opportunity to work with members of both the particle cosmology and quantum gravity groups. Candidates with research interests in any of the areas of Early Universe, Quantum Gravity, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Modified Gravity and Strong Gravity are encouraged to apply. They should have a PhD (or be near to completion of a PhD) in physics or a related subject area. Because of the nature of the consolidated grant funding this position, jointly held between the schools of Physics and Astronomy and Mathematical Sciences, the candidate will have a unique opportunity to interact with members of both schools. The post is available from 01 October 2018 and will be offered on a fixed term contract until 30 September 2020. Job share arrangements may be considered for this post. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Ed Copeland, tel: 0115 9515164 or email ed.copeland[AT]nottingham.ac.uk. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted. The University of Nottingham is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ============================================== 3. News ============================================== 3.1. Awards for Essays on Gravitation, 2018 ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/10/awards-for-essays-on-gravita… Additional Information: http://www.gravityresearchfoundation.org In 2018, for our sixty-ninth competition, the trustees of the Gravity Research Foundation are offering five awards for short essays for stimulating thought and encouraging work on the phenomenon of gravitation. The stipulations follow: (1) We will make these Awards on May 15, 2018 for the best and most well-written essays about gravitation, its theory, applications or effects. Essays should be 1500 words or fewer excluding abstracts and a small number of equations, diagrams, tables and references. The subject matter may or may not be original research. The essay competition is not intended to replace a research journal where the detailed results of original research are submitted. Essays should not give lengthy detailed mathematical calculations nor detailed descriptions of an experimental setup. Essay ideas should be self-contained and understandable - not dependent on reading other documents. (2) The First Award will be $4000.00 The Second Award will be 1250.00 The Third Award will be 1000.00 The Fourth Award will be 750.00 The Fifth Award will be 500.00 (3) Essay must be in English and e-mailed in a single PDF file before April 1, 2018. One essay only will be accepted from each author. Notify us within 24 hours if you do not receive an e-mail confirmation of your submission. (4) Title page should include: essay title, authors’ names (specify corresponding author), e-mail & mailing addresses, submission date, an abstract of 125 words or fewer, and the statement: “Essay written for the Gravity Research Foundation 2018 Awards for Essays on Gravitation.” Pages should be numbered. (5) The decision of the judges will be final and no reviews or comments will be provided. (6) Please check the winners’ announcement to be posted on our website: www.gravityresearchfoundation.org around May 15, 2018. We will also attempt to send all participants a general e-mail notification. (7) The five award-winning essays will be published in a special issue of the International Journal of Modern Physics D (IJMPD). Authors of essays designated Honorable Mention will be invited to submit their essays to the IJMPD where these may undergo additional refereeing at editorial discretion for possible publication. Authors of all other essays are free and encouraged to publish their essays after May 15th. Submission e-mail address: George M. Rideout, Jr., President, grideoutjr[AT]aol.com Recent First Award Winners: 2017 – Ivan Agullo, LSU; Adrian del Rio & Jose Navarro-Salas, Centro Mixto Universidad de Valencia-CSIC, Spain 2016 - Stephen L. Adler, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey 2015 - Gerard’t Hooft, Utrecht University & Spinoza Institute, the Netherlands 2014 - Lawrence M. Krauss, Arizona State University & Frank Wilczek, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2013 - Baocheng Zhang, Qing-yu Cai, Ming-sheng Zhan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan and Li You, Tsinghua University, Bejing, PR China 2012 - Claus Kiefer & Manuel Kraemer, University of Cologne, Koeln, Germany 2011 - Ivan Agullo, Penn State & Leonard Parker, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2010 - Mark Van Raamsdonk, University of British Columbia, Vancouver 2009 - Alexander Burinskii, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia 2008 - T. Padmanabhan, IUCAA, Pune, India 2007 - S. Carlip, University of California at Davis 2006 - Vijay Balasubramanian, University of Pennsylvania; Donald Marolf, University of California at Santa Barbara & Moshe Rozali, University of British Columbia 2005 - John Ellis, CERN; N. E. Mavromatos, King’s College London & D. V. Nanopoulos, Texas A & M University 2004 - Maulik Parikh, Columbia University, New York ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.2. SageManifolds 1.1 is out ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/19/sagemanifolds-1-1-is-out/ Additional Information: http://sagemanifolds.obspm.fr/ SageMath 8.1 has just been released and is shipped with version 1.1 of SageManifolds code. SageMath is a Python-based free computer algebra system, with some differential geometry and tensor calculus capabilities implemented via the SageManifolds project (http://sagemanifolds.obspm.fr/). See http://sagemanifolds.obspm.fr/examples.html for examples of use, in particular in the context of general relativity. The new features with respect to version 1.0.2 of SageManifolds are: - computation of geodesics (and more generally integrated curves) - exterior powers of free modules of finite rank - multivector fields and the Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket - some performance improvements See http://sagemanifolds.obspm.fr/changelog.html for details and examples. It suffices to upgrade to SageMath 8.1 to benefit from these features. Binaries for Linux, MacOS X and Windows are available at http://www.sagemath.org/download.html. Another option is to run SageMath 8.1 remotely, by creating a free account in CoCalc (https://cocalc.com/): open a Jupyter notebook and select "SageMath 8.1" in the menu Kernel -> Change kernel. Eric Gourgoulhon, on behalf of SageManifolds team (http://sagemanifolds.obspm.fr/authors.html) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.3. Living Reviews in Computational Astrophysics: Higher-order accurate space-time schemes for computational astrophysics ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/19/living-reviews-in-computatio… Additional Information: http://www.springer.com/livingreviews/computational-astrophysics The open-access journal Living Reviews in Computational Astrophysics has published a new review article on 11 December 2017: Balsara, D.S., Higher-order accurate space-time schemes for computational astrophysics — Part I: finite volume methods, Living Rev Comput Astrophys (2017) 3: 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41115-017-0002-8 Abstract: As computational astrophysics comes under pressure to become a precision science, there is an increasing need to move to high accuracy schemes for computational astrophysics. The algorithmic needs of computational astrophysics are indeed very special. The methods need to be robust and preserve the positivity of density and pressure. Relativistic flows should remain sub-luminal. These requirements place additional pressures on a computational astrophysics code, which are usually not felt by a traditional fluid dynamics code. Hence the need for a specialized review. The focus here is on weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes, discontinuous Galerkin (DG) schemes and PNPM schemes. WENO schemes are higher order extensions of traditional second order finite volume schemes. At third order, they are most similar to piecewise parabolic method schemes, which are also included. DG schemes evolve all the moments of the solution, with the result that they are more accurate than WENO schemes. PNPM schemes occupy a compromise position between WENO and DG schemes. They evolve an Nth order spatial polynomial, while reconstructing higher order terms up to Mth order. As a result, the timestep can be larger. Time-dependent astrophysical codes need to be accurate in space and time with the result that the spatial and temporal accuracies must be matched. This is realized with the help of strong stability preserving Runge–Kutta schemes and ADER (Arbitrary DERivative in space and time) schemes, both of which are also described. The emphasis of this review is on computer-implementable ideas, not necessarily on the underlying theory. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.4. Miguel Zilhao winner of the Portuguese Society on Relativity and Gravitation's Alberto prize ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/21/miguel-zilhao-winner-of-the-… Additional Information: https://centra.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/network/grit/news/?id=4710 The Portuguese Society on Relativity and Gravitation has awarded the second edition of the Alberto prize to Miguel Zilhao, for his contributions to the study of numerical relativity, including black hole collisions in four and higher dimensions and the AdS-CFT correspondence. This award is granted yearly at the traditional Black Holes Workshop to a young researcher who is a member of the Society. Miguel Zilhao is a young physicist from Porto, Portugal, working in numerical relativity and computational physics. He completed his PhD degree in 2012, under the supervision of Profs. Carlos Herdeiro and Vitor Cardoso. He then moved on to a postdoctoral position at CCRG-RIT, Rochester, with Prof. Manuela Campanelli, and later at Universitat de Barcelona, under the supervision of Prof. David Mateos. Since September 2017 he has been an FCT researcher at CENTRA-IST, Lisbon. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.5. Giulio Rampa PhD Thesis Prize, 2018 Edition ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2017/12/27/giulio-rampa-phd-thesis-priz… Additional Information: http://www-2.unipv.it/dottorati/scienzeetecnologie/fisica/n/web_PhD/index.p… Giulio Rampa PhD Thesis Prize for Outstanding Research in General Relativity and Gravitational Physics 2018 Edition Call for nominations A graduate of the University of Pavia, Giulio Rampa, in his short life, had a profound impact on his fellow students and the faculty of the Department of Physics of the University of Pavia. Following his Master in Physics, he soon entered The Graduate School at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, (Albert Einstein Institute), Potsdam where he became deeply interested in general relativity. Known for his remarkable personality, as well as for his outstanding intellectual potential, Giulio Rampa’s life is celebrated through this prize honouring an outstanding PhD Thesis in general relativity or gravitational physics. A monetary prize of 2,000 EUR will be awarded every two years to a graduate student for outstanding research on all aspects of general relativity or gravitational physics. The prize has been established in 2011, and is endowed under the terms of a donation from Nadia and Giorgio Rampa. Exceptionally, for the 2018 edition, the Rampa Prize Committee has decided to award two net monetary prizes of 2,000 €. Any Ph.D. student who graduated in a University or research centre worldwide defending a PhD Thesis on all aspects of general relativity or gravitational physics between January 1st 2016 and December 31st 2017 is eligible to be nominated for this prize. The nominator should submit – preferably via email – all relevant material described below to the following address: Secretariat of The Rampa Prize Committee, c/o Department of Physics, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy e-mail: rampa.prize[AT]pv.infn.it The candidature material should comprise: 1) a one-page abstract of the PhD Thesis; 2) a full copy of the PhD Thesis; 3) a letter of recommendation from the Thesis Advisor; 4) one or more letters of endorsement – possibly from the Thesis reader - substantiating the candidate’s contributions; 5) a complete C.V. All of the material should be submitted no later than March 31st, 2018. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The following criteria are reviewed when selecting the Giulio Rampa prize recipient: (i) Originality of Contribution, (ii) Breadth of Work, (iii) Publications, (iv) Quality of Nomination, (v) Quality of Endorsement. The recipients of the prize are to be selected by a committee of international experts whose resolution will be communicated to the winners by June the 30th, 2018. The prizes will be presented at the 23rd edition of the “Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) Conference” to be held at the Hotel Flamingo in Santa Margherita di Pula, (Cagliari), Italy, 9-15 September 2018 (http://sigrav2018.ca.infn.it). This is the biennial Conference of the Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) devoted to all aspects of gravitational physics. The Rampa Prize-winners will have the opportunity to present their work during a special session of the conference. The winners will also be announced during the annual Honours Ceremony during the Inauguration of the Graduate Studies Academic Year in Pavia, in December 2018. Further information is available at: http://www-2.unipv.it/dottorati/scienzeetecnologie/fisica/n/web_PhD/index.p… ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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