################################################################# Table of Contents ################################################################# 1. Conferences 1.1 2nd Galileo-Xu Guangqi Meeting (third announcement) 1.2 New Directions in Modern Cosmology 1.3 Current and Future Challenges in Gravitational Physics 1.4 Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry (CPT'10) 1.5 Xth School of Cosmology: The Cosmic Microwave Background at High Angular Resolution 1.6 Hot topics in Modern Cosmology Spontaneous Workshop IV 2. Jobs 2.1 1+1 postdoctoral fellowships at UNAM, Mexico City 2.2 Two PhD fellowships in cosmology, University of Oslo 2.3 Postdoctoral Position in Cosmology at the University of Oslo 3. News 3.1 Abstract Submission Deadline for GR19 3.2 Living Reviews in Relativity: "Cosmic Censorship for Gowdy Spacetimes" ================================================================= 1. Conferences ================================================================= 1.1 2nd Galileo-Xu Guangqi Meeting (third announcement) ------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/30/2nd-galileo-xu-guangqi-meeting-third... Starting Mon, Jul 12, 2010 to Sat, Jul 17, 2010 Location: Ventimiglia, Italy Additional Information: http://www.icranet.org/2nd_galileo-xuguangqi Dear Colleagues, The 2nd Galileo-XuGuangqi meeting follows the 1st meeting of this series held on October 2009 in Shanghai. We plan to continue the format of this meeting addressing topics generally related to Relativistic Astrophysics and theoretical and observational topics. The aim is to enlarge the audience from the one strictly Chinese and Italian to one embracing European and western scientific interests and the Eastern ones. In this sense a broader participation from Korea and Taiwan has been encouraged, as well as a participation of scientists from Europe and the Americas. The goal is to create once a year a forum for strategic exchanges between eastern and western science at the highest level dealing with Relativistic Astrophysics and related fundamental theoretical, experimental and observational fields. The 2nd Galileo-Xu Guanqi meeting will be limited to 70 participants and will be held on July 11 - 17, 2010. It represents a collaboration between the University of Nice Sophie Antipolis, ICRANet, University of Genova, University of Roma “La Sapienza”, Institute for the Early Universe, APCTP, ENEA, Embassy of Italy in Seoul, Stockholm University, NAOC, INFN, Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Cote d’Azur Observatory, Free University of Berlin, ICTP. The lectures will take place at the splendid Hanbury Villa (http://www.giardinihanbury.com) on the border between Italy and France on the Riviera. A special visit will be planned on the 14th of July to Villa Ratti, Nice, where a new ICRANet Center is going to be inaugurated. This 2nd Galileo-Xu Guangqi meeting will be the occasion to establish the lectures of the IRAP PhD program sponsored by the European Community, which will be delivered starting from September 2010 at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Such a program sees the participation of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, the University of Savoie, the University of Stockholm, the University of Berlin, the University of Ferrara, the University of Roma, ICRANet, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, the Tartu Observatory, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, the Albert Einstein Institut, the Indian Centre for Space Physics and the Brazilian Centre for Physics Research. The ten selected international students, four from Europe and six from Asia and the Americas, will participate in these lectures. The preliminary program and list of speakers can be downloaded clicking on the following link: http://www.icranet.org/images/stories/Meetings/XU2/program.pdf We encourage every scientist interested in the meeting to register online using the registration form that can be found on the webpage. The conference fee will be 350 Euros and it will cover coffee breaks, proceedings and the conference banquet. Li-Zhi Fang and Remo Ruffini, Co-Chairs of the "2nd Galileo - Xu Guanqgi meeting" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.2 New Directions in Modern Cosmology -------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/27/new-directions-in-modern-cosmology/ Starting Mon, Sep 27, 2010 to Fri, Oct 01, 2010 Location: Leiden, The Netherlands Additional Information: http://www.lorentzcenter.nl/lc/web/2010/412/description.php3?wsid=412 This workshop concentrates on the discussion of recent cosmological observations which present challenges to the standard LCDM model. These observations include: the large scale flows, the sizes and amplitude of galaxy large scale structures, the systematic effects biasing the analysis of CMB data and the lack of large-angle correlations, the anisotropy of the Hubble flow, the evolution of galaxy size, and the failure to find the sub-halo building blocks left over from the primordial fluctuation spectrum. Last and not least, it is disturbing that in the LCDM model 95% of the Universe have not been observed 'directly'. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.3 Current and Future Challenges in Gravitational Physics ---------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/16/current-and-future-challenges-in-gra... Starting Fri, May 14, 2010 to Fri, May 14, 2010 Location: London, U.K. 14th May 2010, 2pm-5pm, Phillips room, Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, UK. A series of talks will be given on the current status of gravitational physics research, and how the subject is expected to develop during the next decade. The meeting will begin with an overview by Professor Bernard Schutz (Albert Einstein Institute, Golm). This will be followed by a series of specialist talks on gravitational waves by Dr Stephen Fairhurst (Cardiff), on cosmology and gravitation by Dr Kazuya Koyama (Portsmouth), and on the AdS/CFT correspondence and relativistic fluids by Dr Mukund Rangamani (Durham). This meeting has been organized by the Institute of Physics Gravitational Physics Group. The talks are open to members and non-members of the Institute of Physics Gravitational Physics Group alike, and you are encouraged to advertise this meeting to your colleagues. There is no registration fee; however, space is limited so if you would like to attend the talks please could you email the Institute of Physics Gravitational Physics Group secretary (d.burton[AT]lancaster.ac.uk) to allow the number of participants to be monitored. The secretary should be emailed no later than 11th May 2010. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.4 Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry (CPT'10) ------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/15/fifth-meeting-on-cpt-and-lorentz-sym... Starting Mon, Jun 28, 2010 to Fri, Jul 02, 2010 Location: Bloomington, IN, U.S.A. Additional Information: http://www.indiana.edu/~lorentz/cpt10/ June 28 - July 2, 2010 Physics Department, Indiana University, Bloomington The Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry will be held in Bloomington, Indiana, on June 28 - July 2, 2010. The meeting will focus on tests of these fundamental symmetries and on related theoretical issues, including scenarios for possible violations. You are cordially invited to attend and participate in this event. Topics to be covered include: Searches for CPT and Lorentz violations involving - birefringence and dispersion from cosmological sources - clock-comparison measurements - CMB polarization - electromagnetic resonant cavities - equivalence principle - gauge and Higgs particles - high-energy astrophysical observations - laboratory and gravimetric tests of gravity - matter interferometry - neutrino oscillations - oscillations and decays of K, B, D mesons - particle-antiparticle comparisons - post-newtonian gravity in the solar system and beyond - second- and third-generation particles - space-based missions - spectroscopy of hydrogen and antihydrogen - spin-polarized matter Theoretical studies of CPT and Lorentz violation involving - physical effects in General Relativity, the Standard Model, and beyond - origins and mechanisms for violations - classical/quantum issues in field theory, gravity, particle physics, and strings Information about the meeting and online registration, including instructions on submitting a talk or poster, are available on the meeting web site. Deadline for early registration: May 1, 2010 Deadline for block accommodations: May 21, 2010 Contact: Alan Kostelecky, kostelec[at]indiana.edu +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.5 Xth School of Cosmology: The Cosmic Microwave Background at High Angular Resolution --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/14/xth-school-of-cosmology-the-cosmic-m... Starting Mon, Jul 05, 2010 to Sat, Jul 10, 2010 Location: Cargèse, France Additional Information: http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~cosmo/EC2010/EcoleLuminy10_a.html With the successful launch of the Planck satellite in May 2009, a new observational window opens up in cosmology. This mission is intended to finely analyze the temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and will allow us to better study and constrain the early universe, in particular inflation. Among the scientific goals of this mission we expect : * A better determination of the power spectra of the temperature fluctuations and E-mode polarization, and thus a more accurate measurement of the (slow-roll) parameters describing the inflaton potential * A possible detection of the B-mode polarizationB * A possible detection of non-gaussianity or the establishment of tighter constraints, either on primordial fluctuations or late-time induced nonlinear couplings * Establishment of best current constraints on the total mass of neutrinos. Faced with the emergence of these new themes, the school will allow the cosmological community to consolidate its expertise. It will not address the Planck data - which will not be public at that time - but will explore the phenomenological and theoretical advances brought by this mission The scientific aim of this school is to show how the new generation of data will allow to look for signatures characterizing the models of the early universe. The school will cover the physics of the cosmic microwave background, with particular emphasis on new aspects which are the most relevant to the confrontation of theories with observations. In particular : * New models of the early universe and their predictions (NGs, spectral index, gravitational waves) * The polarization of the cosmic microwave background and what we can learn from it * The effects of gravitational lensing * The origin, characterization and measurement of non-Gaussianities +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.6 Hot topics in Modern Cosmology Spontaneous Workshop IV ---------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/14/hot-topics-in-modern-cosmology-spont... Starting Mon, May 10, 2010 to Sat, May 15, 2010 Location: Cargèse, France Additional Information: http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~cosmo/SW_2010/SW4.html Spontaneous Workshop (SW) brings together specialists on recent insights in Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology. The aim is to stimulate debates on common topics in views of providing us with innovating ideas. The workshop’s organization is based on an optimal number of concise presentations and enough space for discussions on emergent problems in order to favour interactions among participants (see SW3). SW4 topics includes : * Theories beyond the Standard Model, extra dimensions * Baryon and Lepton number violation, CP violation * Axions and neutrinos in laboratories and Cosmology * Baryogenesis and Leptogenesis * Physics of primordial Universe, Models of Inflation and Dark Energy * Dark Matter and Astroparticles Physics * Cosmological Large Scale Structures, Magnetic Fields * Gravitational tests and Modified theories of gravity * Gravitational waves of Cosmological and Astrophysical origin * New astronomical data from "Herschel" and "Planck" Cosmological models and parameters ================================================================= 2. Jobs ================================================================= 2.1 1+1 postdoctoral fellowships at UNAM, Mexico City ----------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/28/11-postdocs-2010-and-2011/ Institution: Mexico City, Mexico Deadline: Fri, May 14, 2010 The Department of Gravitation and Field Theory at the Institute for Nuclear Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), recently ranked as the leading academic institution in Latin America, invites applications for 1+1-year postdoctoral fellowships. There are two approximate starting dates for these fellowships, one beginning in August/September 2010 and another in February/March 2011. The deadline for receiving application material for the first period, at least in electronic form, is May 14th (Friday) 2010 (hard copies should be sent in parallel). The deadline for the second period is November 19th (Friday) 2010. Note: positions are restricted to applicants aged 35 or less at the time of application and who received their PhD in the three years prior this date. Persons interested in these positions should indicate to which period they are applying and send a C.V., a publication list and a brief statement of their research interests to the departmental secretary: Mrs Trinidad Ramirez Departamento de Gravitacion y Teoria de Campos Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Apdo. Postal 70-543 04510 Mexico, D.F. Mexico tel: +(52) 55 56224690,1,2 fax: +(52) 55 56224693 e-mail: fengari[AT]nucleares.unam.mx They should also arrange to have 3 letters of recommendation sent to this address. Renewal for a second year is contingent upon performance and further availability of funds. The department currently consists of 12 faculty members: M.Alcubierre, W. Bietenholz, C.Chryssomalakos, J.Guven, D.Nunez, H.Quevedo, M.Rosenbaum, M.Salgado, C.Stephens, D.Sudarsky, R.Sussman and A.Turbiner; 3 postdocs and 20 graduate students. Computing facilities include an internal network of several Linux-PC's, and direct access to UNAM's Linux Cluster. The UNAM library system has roughly 4 million books and subscriptions to most international journals. The main research interests of the group are: - Classical and Quantum Gravity - Numerical Relativity - Mathematical Physics - Statistical and Biological Physics, Complex Systems - Quantum Field Theory - The Early Universe For further information, visit: http://www.nucleares.unam.mx/~gravit/Gravit or contact the department's head, Prof. C.Stephens, at stephens[AT]nucleares.unam.mx +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.2 Two PhD fellowships in cosmology, University of Oslo -------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/20/two-ph-d-fellowships-in-cosmology-at... Institution: Oslo, Norway Deadline: Sat, May 15, 2010 Additional Information: http://uio.easycruit.com/vacancy/400983/64278?iso=no Two fellowships for a Ph.D. student for 4 years in cosmology. The Ph.D. projects will be on structure formation within dark energy theories. The selected candidates are required to spend 25% of her/his time on teaching or other obligations. The PhD students must start her/his studies at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics before 1st October, 2010. Application deadline: 15th May, 2010. For further information and application procedure, see http://uio.easycruit.com/vacancy/400983/64278?iso=no. For further information, contact Dr. David F. Mota, d.f.mota[AT]stro.uio.no +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.3 Postdoctoral Position in Cosmology at the University of Oslo ---------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/03/post-doctoral-position-in-cosmology-... Institution: Oslo, Norway Deadline: Mon, May 31, 2010 Additional Information: http://www.astro.uio.no A position as postdoctoral research fellow is available at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo. The fellowship period is 3 years. Salary NOK 438500 - 499500, depending on qualifications and seniority. The selected candidate must be able to start in the position before October 1, 2010. The research activity of the cosmology group focus on the European flagship mission Planck and the ground based CMB polarization experiment QUIET, and a strong effort in fundamental cosmological theory. In selection, weight will be given to the documented research potential of the candidates, and to how their research competences can interact with and complement the research activities of one of the two research groups. For information contact: Head of Department, Professor Per B. Lilje, phone: +47 22856517, e-mail: per.lilje[AT]astro.uio.no Application must be sent to apply-to[AT]matnat.uio.no before May 31, 2010, and MUST have 'Ref no 2010/4502' as subject. The application must include project description, CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity), copies of educational certificates and letters of recommendation, a complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee and names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number). ================================================================= 3. News ================================================================= 3.1 Abstract Submission Deadline for GR19 ----------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/22/subject-abstract-submission-deadline... Additional Information: http://www.gr19.com Dear Colleagues, I write to remind you that the deadline for submitting abstracts for the GR19 conference is April 30. After the deadline, further submissions will be accepted only on a space-available basis. While the GR19 website (http://www.gr19.com) will continue to forward newly submitted abstracts to the parallel session chairs, the likelihood of space remaining (and thus, of it being possible to accept your abstract) will decline rapidly after this date. The parallel session chairs will begin the process of assembling the final programs May 1. Best Regards, Don Marolf SOC chair for GR19 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.2 Living Reviews in Relativity: "Cosmic Censorship for Gowdy Spacetimes" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2010/04/19/living-reviews-in-relativity-cosmic-... Additional Information: http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2010-2 Living Reviews in Relativity http://relativity.livingreviews.org/ ISSN: 1433-8351 Living Reviews in Relativity has published a new review article on "Cosmic Censorship for Gowdy Spacetimes" by Hans Ringström on April 13, 2010. Please find the abstract and further details below. ------------------ PUB.NO. lrr-2010-2 Ringström, Hans "Cosmic Censorship for Gowdy Spacetimes" FULL ARTICLE AT: http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2010-2 ACCEPTED: 2010-03-29 PUBLISHED: 2010-04-13 (incl. 91 references and 5 figures) ABSTRACT: Due to the complexity of Einstein's equations, it is often natural to study a question of interest in the framework of a restricted class of solutions. One way to impose a restriction is to consider solutions satisfying a given symmetry condition. There are many possible choices, but the present article is concerned with one particular choice, which we shall refer to as Gowdy symmetry. We begin the article by explaining the origin and meaning of this symmetry type, which has been used as a simplifying assumption in various contexts, some of which we shall mention. Nevertheless, the subject of interest here is strong cosmic censorship. Consequently, after having described what the Gowdy class of spacetimes is, we describe, as seen from the perspective of a mathematician, what is meant by strong cosmic censorship. The existing results on cosmic censorship are based on a detailed analysis of the asymptotic behaviour of solutions. This analysis is in part motivated by conjecture s, such as the BKL conjecture, which we shall therefore briefly describe. However, the emphasis of the article is on the mathematical analysis of the asymptotics, due to its central importance in the proof as well as to the hope that it might be of relevance more generally. The article ends with a description of the results that have been obtained concerning strong cosmic censorship in the class of Gowdy spacetimes. UPCOMING ARTICLES AT: http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/upcoming.html