########################################## Table of Contents ########################################### 1. Conferences 1.1. GR 100 - Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Jena 1.2. Frontiers of neutron star astrophysics, Cornell 1.3. The Chalonge School Meudon Workshop 2014 "From large to small scale structures in agreement with observations" 1.4. The Chalonge School 18th Paris Cosmology Colloquium 2014 1.5. IX Iberian Cosmology Meeting, Aveiro, Portugal 1.6. IVth Iberian Gravitational Wave Meeting, Granada 1.7. Spanish Relativity Meeting ERE2014, Valencia 1.8. XXI SIGRAV Conference, Alessandria, Italy 1.9. Gravitational-Wave Advanced Detector Workshop (GWADW 2014) 1.10. XXXIII Max Born Symposium: "Noncommutative geometry, quantum symmetries and quantum gravity" 1.11. NAM2014 session: "Neutron Star Behaviour: Multi-messenger Observations and Theory", Portsmouth (UK) 1.12. 569. Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar on Quantum Cosmology, Bad Honnef, Germany 1.13. Workshop: Fundamental Issues of the Standard Cosmological Model, Cargese 1.14. XIIth School of Cosmology: Structure Formation after Planck, Cargese 1.15. Asymptotic Analysis in General Relativity, Grenoble (2nd announcement) 1.16. Dark Side of the Universe 2014, Cape Town 2. Jobs 2.1. Postdoc/Scientist position available in Gravitational Wave Astronomy at UWA, Perth, Australia 2.2. Scientific Application Developer Positions (2) at UW-Milwaukee 2.3. Postdoctoral Fellow in Theoretical Cosmology, Stavanger, Norway 2.4. Tenure-track position at UNAM, Mexico City 3. News 3.1. Membership of the Topical Group in Gravitation of the American Physical Society 3.2. Living Reviews in Relativity: "Gravitational Radiation from..." / "The Hole Argument and..." 3.3. CQG+ another great reason to publish in CQG! ============================================== 1. Conferenes ============================================== 1.1. GR 100 - Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Jena --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9281 Starting: 2014-12-01 to 2014-12-05 Location: Jena, Germany Additional Information: http://wwwsfb.tpi.uni-jena.de/Events/GWA2014 Contact: GWA2014[AT]uni-jena.de With Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity entering its 100th year since its inception in 1915, we are organizing a workshop on one of its most profound predictions - gravitational waves. The detection of gravitational waves is expected to launch a new era in general relativity and astrophysics. The workshop focuses on Gravitational Wave Astronomy - Methods, Sources, and Observation. Topics include mathematical relativity, numerical relativity, source modeling, astrophysical sources, data analysis, and detector development. It is sponsored by the SFB/TR7, a collaborative research center of the German Research Foundation. Details will be provided in future announcements and on the website. Bernd Bruegmann Chair of the Organizing Committee University of Jena, Germany +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.2. Frontiers of neutron star astrophysics, Cornell --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9283 Starting: 2014-05-29 to 2014-05-30 Location: Ithaca, New York, USA Additional Information: http://www.astro.cornell.edu/events/special-events.html Contact: frontiers[AT]astro.cornell.edu First announcement A meeting on open problems and future directions in neutron star astrophyics will be at Cornell on May 29 and 30, 2014. The topics covered will include radio pulsars and magnetars, magnetic field evolution, models of neutron star interiors and equation of state, supernova explosion mechanisms, accreting neutron stars, binary neutron star mergers, gravitational waves and electromagnetic counterparts, tests of general relativity using pulsars, etc. The meeting will consist of 18 invited talks, a number of contributed talks and a panel discussion. There will also be a conference banquet at which we will celebrate the 65th birthday of Jim Cordes and the 60th birthday of Ira Wasserman. Scientific Organizing Committee Lars Bildsten (chair), Phil Arras, David Chernoff, Jim Cordes, Eanna Flanagan, Dong Lai, Saul Teukolsky, Ira Wasserman Invited Speakers Andrei Beloborodov (Columbia) Edo Berger (Harvard) Lars Bildsten (KITP) Adam Burrows (Princeton) Jim Cordes (Cornell) Andrew Cumming (McGill) Francois Foucart (CITA) David Kaplan (U. Wisconsin Milwaukee) Vicki Kaspi (McGill) Michael Kramer (MPIfR) Duncan Lorimer (West Virginia U.) Maura McLaughlin (West Virginia U.) Brian Metzger (Columbia) Scott Ransom (NRAO) Sanjay Reddy (U. Washington) Anatoly Spitkovsky (Princeton) Ira Wasserman (Cornell) Anna Watts (U. Amsterdam) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.3. The Chalonge School Meudon Workshop 2014 "From large to small scale structures in agreement with observations" --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/05/the-chalonge-school-meudon-workshop-... Starting: 2014-06-04 to 2014-06-06 Location: Meudon Castle-CIAS, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, France Additional Information: http://chalonge.obspm.fr/Cias_Meudon2014.html Contact: Chalonge.Ecole[AT]obspm.fr The Chalonge School Meudon Workshop 2014 "From Large to Small scale structures in Agreement with Observations: CMB, WDM, Galaxies, Black holes, Neutrinos and Sterile Neutrinos" A Turning Point operated recently in the Dark Matter research: Warm Dark Matter (WDM) emerged impressively over Cold Dark Matter (CDM) as the leading Dark Matter candidate. WDM solves naturally the problems of CDM and CDM + baryons. LambdaWDM provides the same large scale and CMB results than LambdaCDM and agrees with the observations at the galactic and small scales. Warm Dark Matter (WDM) implies progresses in the astrophysical,cosmological, particle and nuclear physics context. This workshop addresses the last developements in WDM, including its distribution function and equation of state, the quantum mechanical framework to galaxy structure reproducing in particular the observed galaxy cores and their sizes and the dwarf galaxies. This workshop puts together astrophysical, cosmological, particle and nuclear WDM, astronomical observations, theory and WDM analytical and numerical frameworks which reproduce the observations. The Workshop addresses as well the theoretical and experimental search for the leading WDM particle candidate: keV sterile neutrinos. The New Dark Matter Situation Today: Warm Dark Matter in Agreement with Observations at all scales: small structures, galaxies, large, cosmological and CMB scales. The CDM crisis, CDM+ baryons crisis and WIMP crisis and their decline. http://chalonge.obspm.fr/Cias_Meudon2014.html http://chalonge.obspm.fr/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.4. The Chalonge School 18th Paris Cosmology Colloquium 2014 --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/05/the-chalonge-school-18th-paris-cosmo... Starting: 2014-07-23 to 2014-07-25 Location: Paris, France Additional Information: http://chalonge.obspm.fr/colloque2014.html Contact: Chalonge.Ecole[AT]obspm.fr The Chalonge School 18th Paris Cosmology Colloquium 2014 "Latest News from the Universe: LambdaWDM, CMB, Warm Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Neutrinos and Sterile Neutrinos" The new concordance model in agreement with observations: ?WDM (Lambda-dark energy- Warm Dark Matter). Recently, Warm (keV scale) Dark Matter emerged impressively over CDM (Cold Dark Matter) as the leading Dark Matter candidate. Astronomical evidence that Cold Dark Matter (LambdaCDM) and its proposed tailored baryonic cures do not work at galactic and small scales is staggering. LambdaWDM solves naturally the problems of LambdaCDM and agrees remarkably well with the observations at galactic and small scales as well as large and cosmological scales. In contrast, LambdaCDM simulations only agree with observations at large scales. In the context of this new Dark Matter situation, which implies novelties in the astrophysical, cosmological, particle and nuclear physics context, the 18th Paris Colloquium 2014 is devoted to the Latest News from the Universe. 2. This Colloquium is within the astrofundamental physics spirit of the Chalonge School, focalised on recent observational and theoretical progress in the CMB, dark matter, dark energy, the new WDM framework to galaxy formation, and the effective theory of the early universe inflation with predictive power in the context of the LambdaWDM Standard Model of the Universe. The Colloquium addresses as well the theory and experimental search for the WDM particle physics candidates (keV sterile neutrinos). Astrophysical constraints including sterile neutrino decays points the sterile neutrino mass m around 2 keV or nearly larger. In summary, the aim of the meeting is to put together real data : cosmological, astrophysical, particle, nuclear physics data, and hard theory predictive approach connected to them in the framework of the LambdaWDM Standard Model of the Universe. Two observed quantities crucially constrain the DM nature in an inescapable way independently of the particle physics model: the average DM density rho and the phase space density Q. The observed values of rho and Q in galaxies today robustly point to a keV scale DM particle (WDM) and exclude CDM as well as axion Bose-Einstein condensate DM. The fermionic quantum pressure of WDM ensures the observed small scale structures as the cores of galaxies and their right sizes (including the dwarf galaxies). N-body simulations in classical (non-quantum) physics do not take into account the fermionic quantum pressure of WDM and produce unreliable results at small scales: That is the reason of the too small core size problem in classical (non quantum) Nbody WDM simulations and its similar dwarf galaxies problem. Lyman alpha bounds on the WDM particle mass apply only to specific sterile neutrino models and many sterile neutrino models are available today for which the Lyman alpha bounds are unknown. Therefore, WDM cannot be disfavoured in general on the grounds of the Lyman alpha bounds (only valid or specific models), as erroneously stated and propagated in the literature. Astrophysical constraints put the sterile neutrino mass m in the range 1< m <10 keV. Most of the constraints and last results points to m about 2 keV or nearly larger. MARE, KATRIN, ECHO and PTOLEMY experiments could detect such a keV sterile neutrino. It will be a fantastic discovery to detect dark matter in a beta decay or in electron capture. A exciting WDM work to perform is ahead of us. http://chalonge.obspm.fr/colloque2014.html http://chalonge.obspm.fr +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.5. IX Iberian Cosmology Meeting, Aveiro, Portugal --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9203 Starting: 2014-04-28 to 2014-04-30 Location: Aveiro, Portugal Additional Information: http://gravitation.web.ua.pt/ibericos2014 Contact: fis-ibericos2014[AT]ua.pt Dear colleagues, This is the first announcement for the IX Iberian Cosmology meeting, which will take place in Aveiro, Portugal, from the 28th to the 30th of April 2014. Registration is now open at: http://gravitation.web.ua.pt/ibericos2014 where you may also find more details about the meeting, as well as about accommodation in Aveiro. These meetings aim to encourage interactions and collaborations between researchers working in cosmology and related areas in Portugal and Spain. Researchers working in other countries are also most welcome. Please feel free to send this announcement to other scientists that may be interested in attending. These meetings are informal and there will be no registration fee. There are also no parallel sessions or posters, and blackboard talks are encouraged. All participants wishing to give a talk will be able to do so, by naming a topic when they register. The deadline for abstract submission is the 5th of April 2014 and a preliminary program will appear on the webpage shortly after. Moreover, these meetings are not restricted to a single topic but are open to cosmologists in the broadest sense, from theoretical particle and gravitational physics to observational astrophysics. They are also designed to encourage the presentation of work in progress. In addition, it is the aim of these meetings to promote interactions between theorists and observers. We look forward to seeing you in Aveiro! The local organizing committee Carlos Herdeiro Joao G. Rosa Marco Sampaio Flavio Coelho +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.6. IVth Iberian Gravitational Wave Meeting, Granada --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9206 Starting: 2014-02-26 to 2014-02-28 Location: Granada, Spain Additional Information: http://www.ugr.es/~iberiangw14 Contact: iberiangw14[AT]ugr.es The idea of the meeting is to bring together researchers with interest in the development of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, including researchers from related areas of Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Fundamental Physics. Please, feel free to send this announcement to scientists that may be interested in attending. The meetings are informal, and there will be no registration fee. There are also no parallel sessions, or posters. And they are designed to encourage the presentation of work in progress (or even being started or planned). All participants wishing to speak can do so, by naming a topic when they register. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.7. Spanish Relativity Meeting ERE2014, Valencia --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9215 Starting: 2014-09-01 to 2014-09-05 Location: Valencia, Spain Additional Information: http://www.uv.es/ere2014 Contact: j.antonio.font[AT]uv.es ERE2014: Spanish Relativity Meeting 2014 - Encuentros Relativistas Espanoles 2014 "Almost 100 years after Einstein's revolution" Valencia, Spain, 1-5 September 2014 http://www.uv.es/ere2014 http://www.segre.es FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT The 2014 edition of the "Spanish Relativity Meeting" (ERE2014) will be held in Valencia from the 1st to the 5th of September 2014. The Spanish Relativity Meeting (ERE) is an international conference devoted to Relativity and Gravitation which is organized every year by different members of the Spanish Society of Gravitation and Relativity (SEGRE). This year, it will be hosted by the University of Valencia. A brief historical background of the ERE can be found at http://www.segre.es/en/historia.shtml . The meeting will address the status of gravitation and general relativity one year before the centennial of the publication of Einstein's theory, which will be celebrated on November 25th 2015, as it was stablished by the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation. In particular ERE2014 will focus on three research lines: relativistic astrophysics, mathematical relativity, and the interphase between gravitation and quantum theory. The meeting will take place at the ADEIT building and will consist of plenary talks given by invited speakers during the morning sessions and contributed talks during the afternoon.The latter will be distributed in topical parallel sessions. The interdisciplinary character of the meeting is reflected in the list of confirmed invited speakers: Abhay Ashtekar, Penn State University, USA. Victor Cardoso, CENTRA/IST, Lisboa, Portugal. Christos Charmousis, Paris-Sud Orsay, Paris, France. Alessandro Fabbri, Centro Fermi, Italy and IFIC, Valencia, Spain. Eric Gourgoulhon, Observatoire de Paris, France. Javier Gorosabel, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Granada, Spain. Philippe LeFloch, UPMC, Paris 6, France. Francisco Lobo, CAAUL, Lisboa, Portugal. Leonard Parker, University Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. Miquel Portilla, Universitat de València, Spain. Jose Maria Martín Senovilla, UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain. Alberto Sesana, Albert Einstein Institute, Golm, Germany. Masaru Shibata, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto, Japan. Nikolaos Stergioulas, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Jorge Zanelli, CEC, Chile. ERE2014 Scientific Advisory Board: Miguel Alcubierre (ICN, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). Abhay Ashtekar (Penn State University). Robert Beig (Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Viena). Curt Cutler (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Inst. of Technology). Thibault Damour (Institute des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques, Paris). Roy Maartens (Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth). Fernando Quevedo (DAMTP, University of Cambridge). Matt Visser (Victoria University of Wellington). ERE2014 Local Organising Committee: Jose Antonio Font, UVEG. Jose María Ibanez, UVEG. Pablo Cerda-Duran, UVEG. Jose Navarro-Salas, CSIC/UVEG. Gonzalo J. Olmo, CSIC/UVEG. Information regarding registration, abstract submission, accommodation and travel can be found at the web page of the conference http://www.uv.es/ere2014 Looking forward to meeting all interested participants in Valencia this September! With our best regards, The Local Organising Committee +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.8. XXI SIGRAV Conference, Alessandria, Italy --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9219 Starting: 2014-09-15 to 2014-09-19 Location: Alessandria, Italy Additional Information: http://sigrav.na.infn.it/xxi-sigrav-conference-on-general-relativity-and-gra... Contact: felicia[AT]na.infn.it The biennial Conference of the Italian Society of General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) is devoted to all aspects of gravitation, such as Classical General Relativity (GR), Quantum Gravity, Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology, as well as Experimental Gravity. A key and defining feature of the conference is the ability to present the state of the art of the wide variety of methods (experimental, theoretical, mathematical, computational) used to advance in the knowledge of gravity. The five day conference will host 20 invited plenary talks, 4 shorter invited talks and a dozen of contributed talks in four parallel workshops sessions: classical GR, quantum gravity, relativistic astrophysics, experimental gravity. The conference will review the status, and present the advances in the fields of classical GR, modified gravity theories, relativistic astrophysics, astroparticle physics, precision tests of GR, cosmology, gravitational waves, numerical relativity, quantum gravity, quantum field theory in curved spacetime, supergravity. The geometry of quantum spacetime will be discussed also from the experimental viewpoint of quantum metrology and experimental cosmology, as well as aspects of precision cosmology. A science popularization session will be organized. During the Conference, the AMALDI MEDAL will be awarded to an outstanding european senior scientist and the SIGRAV Prizes will be awarded to (two) outstanding Junior scientists. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.9. Gravitational-Wave Advanced Detector Workshop (GWADW 2014) --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/12/gwadw-2014/ Starting: 2014-05-25 to 2014-05-30 Location: Takayama, Japan Additional Information: http://www.gravity.ircs.titech.ac.jp/GWADW2014/ Contact: gwadw2014-loc[AT]gw.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp The last decade has produced pioneering demonstrations of the technologies to observe astrophysical gravitational waves across the frequency band from kilohertz to nanohertz. The construction of advanced interferometric detectors (Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO-HF) is progressing steadily, and will reach the sensitivity needed to yield first observations. The LISA Pathfinder mission is nearing launch and the LISA mission has been reformulated. The international pulsar timing effort is progressing in developing the instruments needed, while surveys continue to provide new sources. Several developments are ongoing and gaining momentum ensuring that the field of gravitational waves astrophysics will be able to fully deploy in the current and next decades. This workshop will address techniques that might be implemented towards the completion and commissioning of the almost completed second generation detectors. Ideas for the next generation of detectors will be explored, such as the ways of reducing thermal noise, the role of cryogenics, improving robustness, extending the frequency spectrum of observation and emphasizing the role of simulations. The registration starts on March 1st and the deadline is April 30th. For registration form and logistic information see the conference web site. Participants are expected to arrive on Sunday, May 25th and to leave on Saturday, May 31st. Chairs: Francesco Fidecaro, Syd Meshkov Local Organizers: Kazuaki Kuroda, Kentaro Somiya, Naoko Ohishi, Daisuke Tatsumi +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.10. XXXIII Max Born Symposium: "Noncommutative geometry, quantum symmetries and quantum gravity" --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9244 Starting: 2014-07-06 to 2014-07-10 Location: Wroclaw, Poland Additional Information: http://ift.uni.wroc.pl/~mborn33/ Contact: mborn33@ift.uni.wroc.pl The aim of the Symposium is to provide recent results related with noncommutative geometries and quantum groups as well as present some applications in quantum gravity models. Main topics: - noncommutative geometry - quantum groups - quantum gravity +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.11. NAM2014 session: "Neutron Star Behaviour: Multi-messenger Observations and Theory", Portsmouth (UK) --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9252 Starting: 2014-06-23 to 2014-06-26 Location: Portsmouth, UK Additional Information: http://www.nam2014.org/ Contact: wynn.ho[AT]soton.ac.uk It is an exciting time for studying neutron stars, both observationally and theoretically. New and important discoveries are driving better understanding of these exotic stars, and the physics that governs them, thanks to instruments across the EM spectrum, including LOFAR, VLT, XMM-Newton, Swift, and Fermi. These include: constraints on the nuclear equation of state from measurements of the highest mass neutron stars, direct evidence for and constraints on superfluid and superconducting matter in neutron stars, discovery of discrete state switching in isolated and binary pulsars, and detection of gamma-rays from objects across the broad pulsar population. The advent of multi-messenger neutron star astronomy is on the immediate horizon with IceCube and Advanced LIGO/Virgo, and the more distant future is bright with SKA, Athena+, and LOFT. Submit an abstract and join us to discuss this fascinating topic. Session chairs: Wynn Ho (Southampton), Michael Keith (Manchester). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.12. 569. Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar on Quantum Cosmology, Bad Honnef, Germany --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/25/569-wilhelm-and-else-heraeus-seminar... Starting: 2014-07-28 to 2014-08-01 Location: Bad Honnef, Germany Additional Information: http://www.thp.uni-koeln.de/gravitation/qc14/ Contact: mairi.sakellariadou[AT]kcl.ac.uk It is our pleasure to announce the 569. Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar on Quantum Cosmology. The event will take place from July 28 to August 1, 2014 at the Physikzentrum in Bad Honnef, Germany. The purpose of the meeting is to bring together leading experts from different approaches to quantum cosmology. The programme includes invited lectures and plenty of time for discussions, with the main emphasis on exchanging ideas, learning from each other, and assessing the successes and open problems of the different approaches. Apart from the invited speakers, we will be able to accommodate additional participants, especially young scientists, and we will also give them the opportunity to present a poster at a dedicated poster session. Contact: kiefer[AT]thp.uni-koeln.de --- mairi.sakellariadou[AT]kcl.ac.uk +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.13. Workshop: Fundamental Issues of the Standard Cosmological Model, Cargese --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9262 Starting: 2014-09-21 to 2014-09-27 Location: Cargese (Corsica), France Additional Information: http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~cosmo/FISCM/FISCM.html Contact: triay[AT]cpt.univ-mrs.fr The Planck Satellite measurement have increased the accuracy of cosmological observations to a level which allows to constrain cosmological models with unprecedented precision. The aim of this workshop is to discuss the implications of these recent results combined with other (i.e. Planck, but also WMAP, galaxy surveys, SNIa data...) on models that aim at describing the primordial epochs and the origin and formation of large scale structures of the Universe. The standard model of cosmology, including a phase of early inflation, provides a very effective phenomenological approach to account for observations. It can however be argued to require clarifications at the fundamental level. One way to do that is by considering alternatives and deriving their consequences. This will lead either to either reaffirm the current inflationary paradigm on more solid theoretical foundations, or to introduce a new one (or both!). During the workshop, we aim at having a broad range of talks on the topics covered, also scheduling ample time for discussions and scientific exchanges. The programme will include a few selected talks per day, in addition to specific introductions on the relevant topics by members of the committees. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.14. XIIth School of Cosmology: Structure Formation after Planck, Cargese --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9263 Starting: 2014-09-15 to 2014-09-20 Location: Cargese (Corsica), France Additional Information: http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~cosmo/EC2014/EcoleLuminy14_a.html Contact: triay[AT]cpt.univ-mrs.fr Structure Formation after Planck: their impact in the study of galaxies and cosmology The theme of the school is the formation of large scale structures after the results of the Planck mission. The aim of this school is, after an overview of the standard model containing the inflationary paradigm, to focus on alternatives. The model of inflation, although generally confirmed at phenomenological level with these new data, suffers from conceptual difficulties when we want to use it in the framework of a "realistic" theory (great unification theory string, for example). Indeed, as models at large field (Large Field Inflation) are now virtually eliminated, one has to consider models for which the potential of the inflation contains a plateau (Small Field Inflation) or several fields (Hybrid Inflation). And in the latter case, one must understand the reason why the non-local Gaussianity are so weak. Moreover, the "recent" history of the Universe, since the nucleosynthesis to the formation of structures, requires, so that the observations are consistent with the th eory to introduce two ingredients not yet well understood (Dark Matter and Dark Energy). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.15. Asymptotic Analysis in General Relativity, Grenoble (2nd announcement) --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9274 Starting: 2014-06-16 to 2014-07-04 Location: Grenoble, France Additional Information: http://if-summer2014.sciencesconf.org/ Contact: Dietrich.Hafner[AT]ujf-grenoble.fr SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT We are announcing a summer school and conference in Grenoble, France, entitled “Asymptotic Analysis in General Relativity”. The summer school will start on the 16th of June 2014 and last two weeks. It will be followed by a one week international conference from the 30th June to the 4th July. The summer school will consist of five mini-courses of eight hours each, given by Lars Andersson, Christian Gerard, Rod Gover, Jeremie Szeftel and Andras Vasy. The topics covered will be geometry and analysis in black hole spacetimes, quantum field theory on curved spacetimes, conformal geometry and tractor calculus with a view to applications in GR, the resolution of the bounded L2 curvature conjecture in General Relativity, microlocal analysis and wave propagation. All information can be found on the conference webpage. http://if-summer2014.sciencesconf.org/ To register, use the conference webpage. The deadline for registration to the mini-courses is 12th May 2014. The deadline for registration to the conference is 27th May 2014. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.16. Dark Side of the Universe 2014, Cape Town --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/28/dark-side-of-the-universe-2014-cape-... Starting: 2014-11-17 to 2014-11-21 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Additional Information: http://dark.ft.uam.es/dsu/ Contact: dunsby[AT]gmail.com Dear Colleague, I would like to draw your attention to the following workshop Dark Side of the Universe 2014 X International Workshop Surveying the Dark Side of the Universe - Theory and Observations 17-21 November 2014 (Cape Town, South Africa) http://www.acgc.uct.ac.za/dsu2014/ Follow us on Twitter @dsu2014 Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dsu2014 The meeting is in the series of the DSU workshops previously held in Seoul (2005), Madrid (2006), Minnesota (2007), Cairo (2008), Melbourne (2009), Leon (2010), Beijing (2011), Buzios, Rio de Janeiro (2012) and Trieste (2013). For more information, see http://dark.ft.uam.es/dsu/ Topics of the workshop: Surveying the Dark Universe Dark Energy - beyond the Concordance Model Simulations of galaxies, clusters and the Universe Dark Matter candidates Modified Gravity International Committee Pyungwon Ko (KIAS, South Korea), Carlos Muñoz (UAM/IFT, Spain), Keith Olive (Minnesota University, USA), Shaaban Khalil (BUE, Egypt), Csaba Balazs (Monash University, Australia), David Delepine (Guanajuato University, Mexico), Yu-Feng Zhou (KITPC/ITP-CAS, China), Qaisar Shafi (Delaware University, USA), Christiane Frigerio Martins (UFF Brasil), Paolo Salucci (SISSA, Italy). Local Committee Vinicius Busti (UCT), Vincent Bouillot (UCT), Chris Clarkson (UCT), Sergio Colafrancesco (WITS), Peter Dunsby - Chair (UCT), Marc Lilley (UCT), Roy Maartens (UWC), Diego Saez Gomez (UCT), Amanda Weltman (UCT). Immediately after DSU2014, there will be a meeting hosted by the South African Gravity Society to celebrate the 75th birthday of George Ellis (24 November). Please contact Roy Maartens (roy.maartens[AT]gmail.com) if you are interested in attending this event. Important Dates: Deadline for talk submissions: 1st October 2014 Workshop: 17th-21st November 2014 George Ellis at 75 and the South African Gravity Society Meeting: 24-25 November 2014 Please feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you think might be interested on DSU 2014. I apologise in advance if you receive this mail twice Yours Sincerely, Professor Peter Dunsby, Co-Director, Centre for Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701 Tel: +27 21 650 2344 Fax: +27 21 650 2334 Twitter: https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=peterdunsby WWW: http://www.mth.uct.ac.za/~peter +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ============================================== 2. Jobs ============================================== 2.1. Postdoc/Scientist position available in Gravitational Wave Astronomy at UWA, Perth, Australia ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9225 Deadline: 2014-02-10 Location: Perth, Australia Additional Information: http://www.gravity.uwa.edu.au Contact: linqing.wen[AT]uwa.edu.au The University of Western Australia (UWA) gravity group http://www.gravity.uwa.edu.au/ invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate or computer engineer position in the area of gravitational wave signal processing and multi-messenger astronomy for ground-based interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. The initial appointment will be for one year, renewable to two years and possibly longer depending on funding and performance. The position is available immediately but the start date is negotiable. We are looking for highly motivated applicants with interest in gravitational wave search pipeline development and its applications to multi-messenger astronomy. Background with astrophysics and/or supercomputing especially with the use of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) is a plus. The postdoc or scientist will have opportunities to develop their own research programs and obtain future funding support through competitive funding programs in Australia. Informal inquiries of the position can be made to Prof. Linqing Wen by email at linqing.wen AT uwa.edu.au or to Prof. David Blair by email at david.blair AT uwa.edu.au. A complete application should include a CV including a list of publications, a statement of research interests, and names and contact information of at least three references. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.2. Scientific Application Developer Positions (2) at UW-Milwaukee ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/04/scientific-application-developer-pos... Deadline: 2014-02-28 Location: Milwaukee, WI. USA Additional Information: http://www.gravity.phys.uwm.edu/positions.html Contact: patrick[AT]gravity.phys.uwm.edu The Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics (CGCA) at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is looking for two creative, energetic and talented individuals to join our scientific computing team. You will specialize in building and supporting software for the LIGO (http://www.ligo.org) project. LIGO is an ambitious project, funded by the National Science Foundation, to detect gravitational waves from astrophysical sources and is part of a worldwide network of gravitational-wave detectors. You will be working toward ground-breaking research, with cutting edge computing challenges, in collaboration with top scientists from around the world. Members of the CGCA play an important role in LIGO concentrating on data analysis and software infrastructure. The CGCA at UW-Milwaukee also offers an exciting and friendly environment in which to work and play. We have a world-class scientific computing team that works on software for LIGO and other astronomy projects. With almost forty faculty, staff, postdocs, and students, the center is a fun and vibrant place to work. Responsibilities Maintain, enhance and support LIGO data handling and analysis software including the LIGO Data Replicator and the Gravitational-wave Candidate Event Database. Take ownership of your projects and be responsible for the definition, architecture, and implementation of applications which enhance the scientific productivity of the LIGO collaboration. Keep current on big data trends to identify new technologies that can be effectively leveraged for LIGO data handling and analysis. Qualifications Have a PhD in Physics, Computing Science or a related field, a minimum of two years of related research experience beyond the PhD, demonstrated experience with large data sets, and strong analytical troubleshooting skills. Be proficient in at least one high-level scripting language, familiar with C/C++, and comfortable with Unix operating systems. Familiarity with Debian and/ or Redhat Linux administration and packaging tools would be a plus, as would knowledge of Globus tools. Experience developing web UIs with AJAX, json and related technologies is also desirable, but not required. Application Apply online via UWM Job Posting 17244. This recruitment will continue until a final candidate is selected. Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2014. Applications received after February 28, 2014 may not be considered. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. Employment will require a criminal background check. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.3. Postdoctoral Fellow in Theoretical Cosmology, Stavanger, Norway ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/06/postdoctoral-fellow-in-theoretical-c... Deadline: 2014-03-15 Location: Stavanger, Norway Additional Information: http://www.uis.no/job-opportunities/vacant-positions/postdoctoral-fellow-in-... Contact: sigbjorn.hervik[AT]uis.no 3-year Postdoctoral Fellow in Theoretical Cosmology Closing date for application is 15. Mar. 2014 (for full consideration). The University of Stavanger invites applications for a three-year position as Postdoctoral Fellow in theoretical physics, specifically theoretical cosmology at the Faculty of Science and Technology in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, starting in the fall of 2014. Particularly relevant areas of research include mathematical cosmology, anisotropic space-times, observational consequences of non-standard cosmology, quantum fields in curved spaces, modified theories of gravity and cosmological perturbations. The fellow will be working within the group of Professors Sigbjorn Hervik and Anders Tranberg at the University of Stavanger. Further information about the position can be obtained from Prof. Anders Tranberg, email anders.tranberg[AT]uis.no or from Professor Sigbjorn Hervik, email sigbjorn.hervik[AT]uis.no . +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.4. Tenure-track position at UNAM, Mexico City ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/15/tenure-track-position-at-unam/ Deadline: 2014-04-25 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Additional Information: http://www.nucleares.unam.mx/icn2/ Contact: chryss[AT]nucleares.unam.mx The Department of Gravitation and Field Theory of the Institute for Nuclear Sciences at UNAM is inviting applications for a tenure-track position at roughly the assistant professor level (either “Asociado C” or “Titular A”), the exact appointment depending on qualifications. The Department lines of research include classical and quantum aspects of gravitation, numerical relativity, cosmology, quantum field theory, mathematical physics, lattice QCD, biophysics, and complex systems. We invite applications from talented young researchers working in any of these fields, but also welcome novel profiles compatible with the Department’s general direction. Current members include Miguel Alcubierre, Wolfgang Bietenholz, Chryssomalis Chryssomalakos, Jemal Guven, Darío Núñez, Hernando Quevedo, Marcos Rosenbaum, Marcelo Salgado, Christopher Stephens, Daniel Sudarsky, Roberto Sussman, Alexander Turbiner, and various postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. The Department participates actively in the Graduate Program in Physics of UNAM, a typical teaching load for its members being a graduate level course every other semester. Candidates for the position should have a PhD in Physics, or closely related fields, and should be under 37 (male) / 39 (female) years of age when starting the job (tentatively around September 2014, although adjustments are possible to suit particular needs). Persons interested in applying should submit a CV and short research plan, and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent directly by email to Prof. Chryssomalis Chryssomalakos (chryss[AT]nucleares.unam.mx) with copy to Mrs. Trinidad Ramirez (fengari[AT]nucleares.unam.mx). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ============================================== 3. News ============================================== 3.1. Membership of the Topical Group in Gravitation of the American Physical Society ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/11/on-the-topical-group-in-gravitation-... Additional Information: Dear colleague, We warmly invite you to consider joining or re-joining the Topical Group in Gravitation (GGR) of the American Physical Society (APS). There are many good reasons to join GGR. But we know you are busy, so by simply sending an email to nyunes[AT]physics.montana.edu with a "yes" you will be re-enrolled for free and GGR will pay the $8 fee for your first year of GGR membership. In subsequent years, the annual renewal of your APS membership will include membership in GGR as a default choice. We hope that you find GGR membership valuable and choose to remain as a member in subsequent years. If you are unsure of your APS membership status, please respond to this email and we will clarify it for you. You probably already know about the APS---representing over 50,000 physicists from around the world. The APS sponsors meetings to promote the exchange of new results in physics, publishes some of the most prestigious journals in the field (including Physical Review and Physical Review Letters), advocates for physics education and science education in general, and is very active in promoting funding for physics research at NSF, DOE, and NASA. What may be less familiar to some of you is the role of the "units" within the APS. There are Sections (regional groups that foster a spirit of community), Forums (groups built to address broad issues such as graduate student education or international cooperation), and Technical Units (groups which coalesce around a common interest in physics). Technical groups are of two types, Divisions and Topical Groups, distinguished primarily by size. Divisions are larger and they have a more important role in the governance of the APS, but the missions are similar---to bring together scientists with overlapping interests in physics and foster cooperation and communication. You are receiving this email as part of a campaign to increase GGR membership. GGR is already the largest topical group in the APS, and it is approaching a size wherein it becomes eligible to become an APS Division. Your membership would help us achieve this goal. The main motivation for starting GGR was to provide a broad-based voice for the gravitational physics community. Divisional status will allow us to do this more effectively by giving our community substantial benefits: a permanent seat on the APS council with enhanced opportunity to advocate for our field, the ability to choose plenary speakers for the April Meetings, a larger budget allocation from the APS which would, for example, mean an increase in student travel support. You are in a position to help your community achieve Divisional status. In fact, as a member of the gravitational physics community, you already likely benefit directly from the activities of GGR. The APS April meeting (for which the GGR organizes a large number of sessions) has become one of our main forums for releasing new results. The journals of the APS are mainstays for publishing our papers. GGR sponsors and selects the winner of the APS Einstein Prize, awarded, for example, in 2007 to Rai Weiss and Ron Drever for their role in establishing LIGO. GGR has named fifty-five APS fellows, an important and distinct honor signifying recognition by one's professional peers in the physics community. These activities don't just happen---it is the membership of GGR that make them happen. Growth in the membership of the APS and GGR is one of the best arguments for increased funding in physics and gravitation, and will lead directly to increased influence of GGR as an advocate for gravitational physics. If gravity is of interest to you, we urge you to join GGR. If you wish to take advantage of this opportunity, all you have to do is reply to this email within the next month. If you have any questions please contact Jon Burkin, the Units Coordinator for APS, at burkin[AT]aps.org. We look forward to welcoming you back into GGR. With kind regards, Nicolas Yunes (GGR Membership Committee Chair) Daniel Holz (GGR Chair) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.2. Living Reviews in Relativity: "Gravitational Radiation from..." / "The Hole Argument and..." ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2014/02/14/living-reviews-in-relativity-gravita... Additional Information: http://relativity.livingreviews.org/ Living Reviews in Relativity recently published two new articles: a major update of the review on "Gravitational Radiation from Post-Newtonian Sources and Inspiralling Compact Binaries" by Luc Blanchet and a new article on "The Hole Argument and Some Physical and Philosophical Implications" by John Stachel. Please find the abstracts and further details below. ------------------ PUB.NO. lrr-2014-2 Blanchet, Luc "Gravitational Radiation from Post-Newtonian Sources and Inspiralling Compact Binaries" ACCEPTED: 2014-01-27 PUBLISHED: 2014-02-14 FULL ARTICLE AT: http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2014-2 ABSTRACT: To be observed and analyzed by the network of gravitational wave detectors on ground (LIGO, VIRGO, etc.) and by the future detectors in space (eLISA, etc.), inspiralling compact binaries -- binary star systems composed of neutron stars and/or black holes in their late stage of evolution -- require high-accuracy templates predicted by general relativity theory. The gravitational waves emitted by these very relativistic systems can be accurately modelled using a high-order post-Newtonian gravitational wave generation formalism. In this article, we present the current state of the art on post-Newtonian methods as applied to the dynamics and gravitational radiation of general matter sources (including the radiation reaction back onto the source) and inspiralling compact binaries. We describe the post-Newtonian equations of motion of compact binaries and the associated Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms, paying attention to the self-field regularizations at work in the calculat ions. Several notions of innermost circular orbits are discussed. We estimate the accuracy of the post-Newtonian approximation and make a comparison with numerical computations of the gravitational self-force for compact binaries in the small mass ratio limit. The gravitational waveform and energy flux are obtained to high post-Newtonian order and the binary's orbital phase evolution is deduced from an energy balance argument. Some landmark results are given in the case of eccentric compact binaries -- moving on quasi-elliptical orbits with non-negligible eccentricity. The spins of the two black holes play an important role in the definition of the gravitational wave templates. We investigate their imprint on the equations of motion and gravitational wave phasing up to high post-Newtonian order (restricting to spin-orbit effects which are linear in spins), and analyze the post-Newtonian spin precession equations as well as the induced precession of the orbital plane. ------------------ PUB.NO. lrr-2014-1 Stachel, John "The Hole Argument and Some Physical and Philosophical Implications" ACCEPTED: 2013-11-17 PUBLISHED: 2014-02-06 FULL ARTICLE AT: http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2014-1 ABSTRACT: This is a historical-critical study of the hole argument, concentrating on the interface between historical, philosophical and physical issues. Although it includes a review of its history, its primary aim is a discussion of the contemporary implications of the hole argument for physical theories based on dynamical, background-independent space-time structures. The historical review includes Einstein's formulations of the hole argument, Kretschmann's critique, as well as Hilbert's reformulation and Darmois' formulation of the general-relativistic Cauchy problem. The 1970s saw a revival of interest in the hole argument, growing out of attempts to answer the question: Why did three years elapse between Einstein's adoption of the metric tensor to represent the gravitational field and his adoption of the Einstein field equations? The main part presents some modern mathematical versions of the hole argument, including both coordinate-dependent and coordinate-independent definitions of covariance and general covariance; and the fiber bundle formulation of both natural and gauge natural theories. By abstraction from continuity and differentiability, these formulations can be extended from differentiable manifolds to any set; and the concepts of permutability and general permutability applied to theories based on relations between the elements of a set, such as elementary particle theories. We are closing with an overview of current discussions of philosophical and physical implications of the hole argument. UPCOMING ARTICLES AT: http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/upcoming.html ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.3. CQG+ another great reason to publish in CQG! ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/?p=9250 Additional Information: http://www.CQGplus.com Dear Colleagues, I'm delighted to announce the formal launch of CQG+, CQG's companion website: CQGplus.com This is a great place to find out about the latest papers to be rated 'high quality' by your peers. I recommend signing up to follow CQG+. This will allow you to receive email alerts (at your desired frequency) of the best of the latest gravitational physics research. Publish your next great paper in CQG for the chance to benefit from promotion in CQG+ Best wishes Adam Day Publisher Classical and Quantum Gravity and CQG+ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++