################################################################# Table of Contents ################################################################# 1. Conferences 1.1 15th Capra Meeting in Maryland 1.2 Spanish Relativity Meeting in Portugal: ERE2012 (first announcement) 1.3 2nd Iberian Gravitational-Wave Meeting 2012 1.4 BritGrav 12 (first announcement) 1.5 4th International Summer School on Astroparticle Physics (Nijmegen12) 1.6 15th East Coast Gravity Meeting and Josh Goldberg Fest at Syracuse 1.7 X Edition of the SIGRAG School: Astrophysical Black Holes 2. Jobs 2.1 Postdoctoral position in theoretical gravity at University of Tartu 2.2 Max Planck Partner Group postdoctoral positions at IISER-TVM (India) 2.3 Postdoctoral positions in gravitational waves/numerical relativity at UIB/Palma 2.4 Postdoctoral position in gravitational waves at NASA Goddard and University of Maryland 3. News 3.1 New Book by Anja Skaar Jacobsen: "Leon Rosenfeld" ================================================================= 1. Conferences ================================================================= 1.1 15th Capra Meeting in Maryland ---------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/26/15th-capra-meeting-on-radiation-reac... Starting Mon, Jun 11, 2012 to Fri, Jun 15, 2012 Location: College Park, MD, USA Additional Information: http://www.cscamm.umd.edu/programs/capra12/ We are pleased to announce that the 2012 Capra Meeting on Radiation Reaction will be held in the Center for Scientific Computation and Mathematical Modeling (CSCAMM) at the University of Maryland, College Park, from June 11 to June 15, 2012. Following the Capra tradition, the meeting will focus primarily on aspects of the self-force in general relativity, although broader topics related to gravitational-wave physics will also be discussed. More information and a registration form can be found on the conference website: http://www.cscamm.umd.edu/programs/capra12/ For full consideration, applications to participate must be submitted by April 20, 2012. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.2 Spanish Relativity Meeting in Portugal: ERE2012 (first announcement) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/21/spanish-relativity-meeting-in-portug... Starting Mon, Sep 03, 2012 to Fri, Sep 07, 2012 Location: Guimarães, Portugal Additional Information: http://w3.math.uminho.pt/~ERE2012 We are pleased to announce the "Spanish Relativity Meeting in Portugal (ERE2012)", September 3-7, 2012, at the University of Minho, in Guimarães (world heritage site and European capital of culture in 2012). Information about the program and registration will be included on a second announcement and will appear at http://w3.math.uminho.pt/~ERE2012 The Local Organizing Committee, Alfonso Garcia-Parrado Estelita Vaz Filipe Mena Filipe Moura Irene Brito Piedade Machado Ramos +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.3 2nd Iberian Gravitational-Wave Meeting 2012 ------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/21/2nd-iberian-gravitational-wave-meeti... Starting Wed, Feb 15, 2012 to Fri, Feb 17, 2012 Location: Barcelona, Spain Additional Information: http://www.ice.csic.es/research/IGWMweb/ Dear Colleagues, this is the official announcement of the 2nd Iberian Gravitational Wave Meeting (IGWM2) that is organized by the Gravitational Wave Astronomy - LISA Group of the Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (CSIC-IEEC) in Barcelona. * Aim: To bring together researchers with interest in the development of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, including researchers from related areas of Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Fundamental Physics. The style of the meeting will be informal and we expect to have significant time for discussions. * Website: http://www.ice.csic.es/research/IGWMweb/index.html Here you will find details on the different aspects of the meeting including updates of the program. * Dates: From February 15th to 17th, 2012 * Venue: Residencia de Investigadores of the National Spanish Research Council (CSIC) in Barcelona, near Las Ramblas. * Accommodation: We recommend you to use the Residencia de Investigadores: http://www.resa.es/eng/Residences/Investigadors Please, when booking let them know you are attending the meeting. For other accommodation options check the meeting website. * Registration: There is no registration fee, but for organizational purposes we kindly ask you to register using the Meeting website. If you are interested in giving a talk, please provide title and abstract in the registration form. * Program: We have a list of plenary speakers and we will elaborate soon a full program with contributed talks. We hope to see you in Barcelona next year. We wish you a nice Christmas break and a happy and fruitful new year 2012! The organizing committee Ivan Lloro Alberto Lobo Miquel Nofrarias Carlos F. Sopuerta Ulrich Sperhake +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.4 BritGrav 12 (first announcement) ------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/16/britgrav-12-first-announcement/ Starting Tue, Apr 03, 2012 to Wed, Apr 04, 2012 Location: Southampton, UK Additional Information: http://www.soton.ac.uk/~cjg/britgrav12 The 12th BritGrav (British Gravity) Meeting will be held on 3/4 April 2012 in the School of Mathematics, University of Southampton. The programme begins with coffee at 10.30 on Tuesday, with the first talk at 11, and ends at 4.30 on Wednesday. The meeting covers all areas of classical and quantum gravity including astrophysics, cosmology and experiments, and is intended to further collaborations and allow young researchers to showcase their work. There is no registration fee, and participants are responsible for their own accommodation, meals and travel. All PhD students and postdocs will be able to give a talk, others if time allows. If you plan to participate, please email Carsten Gundlach, cjg[AT]soton.ac.uk. If you want to give a talk, please send a title and abstract (which can be amended later). More information will be posted on http://www.soton.ac.uk/~cjg/britgrav12 . A limited amount of funding will be available from the Gravitational Physics Group of the Institute of Physics to assist with travel and accommodation costs for research students. Carsten Gundlach and Nils Andersson (University of Southampton) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.5 4th International Summer School on Astroparticle Physics (Nijmegen12) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/15/4th-international-summer-school-on-a... Starting Wed, Jul 25, 2012 to Fri, Aug 03, 2012 Location: Kleve, Germany Additional Information: http://nijmegen12.hef.ru.nl/ The 4th International Summer School on Astroparticle Physics (NIJMEGEN12) is intended for graduate students and post-docs. The school provides a fairly comprehensive coverage of modern theoretical and observational developments in astroparticle physics. Topics include: Cosmology, Cosmic Microwave Background, Gravitational Waves, Neutrinos, High Energy Cosmic Rays, Gamma Rays, Dark Matter, and Dark Energy. Lectures are given in the morning while the afternoons are reserved for a special training project aimed at acquiring skills in presenting, defending, and reviewing modern research proposals in astroparticle physics. The NIJMEGEN12 Summer School will take place at Schloss Gnadenthal, Gnadenthal 8, 47533 Kleve, Germany (http://www.gnadenthal.de). List of lecturers Matthias Bartelmann (University of Heidelberg), Cosmology Antonella Castellina (University Torino/INFN), Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays Kenneth Ganga (APC, Paris), Cosmic Microwave Background Karl Kosack, (CEA, Saclay), High-Energy Gamma Rays Manfred Lindner (MPI, Heidelberg), Neutrino Properties Nergis Mavalvala, (MIT, Cambridge), Gravitational Wave Detection Ilya Mandel (University of Birmingham), Gravitational Wave Astrophysics Julie McEnery (NASA GSFC), High-Energy Gamma Rays Teresa Montaruli, (University of Geneva), High-Energy Cosmic Neutrinos Georg Raffelt (MPI, Munich), Neutrinos in Astrophysics Subir Sarkar (Oxford University), Dark Matter Roberta Sparvoli (University of Rome), High-Energy Cosmic Rays Evening speakers Frank Linde (Nikhef, Amsterdam), LHC Harry Collins (Cardiff University), Gravity's Shadow Registration The deadline for early registration is April 1st, 2012 (890.- EUR fee). Registration closes June 1st, 2012 (990.- EUR fee). See the website for more details. Organizing Committee Jörg R. Hörandel, Department of Astrophysics, Radboud University Nijmegen Piet J. Mulders, VU University, Amsterdam Marieke Postma, Nikhef, Amsterdam Elena Maria Rossi, Leiden Observatory, University of Leiden Ad M. van den Berg (chair), Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut, University of Groningen Anna Watts, API/GRAPPA, University of Amsterdam +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.6 15th East Coast Gravity Meeting and Josh Goldberg Fest at Syracuse ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/05/15th-east-coast-gravity-meeting-and-... Starting Fri, Apr 20, 2012 to Sun, Apr 22, 2012 Location: Syracuse, NY, USA Additional Information: http://www.phy.syr.edu/watson/ecg The 15th East Coast Gravity Meeting (ECG) will be held at Syracuse University, Saturday April 21th and Sunday April 22th, 2012. The meeting is meant to be an informal gathering of researchers working in all fields relating to gravity and cosmology. In addition, this year's meeting will have an additional day of festivities (Friday April 20th) to honor the accomplishments of Josh Goldberg. Josh has made many significant contributions to furthering our knowledge of gravity, some of which were recently featured in a special issue General Relativity and Gravitation. Friday will consist of a half day of invited talks, followed by an evening dinner. ECGM participants are encouraged to attend. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.7 X Edition of the SIGRAG School: Astrophysical Black Holes ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/03/x-edition-of-the-sigrag-school-astro... Starting Mon, May 21, 2012 to Sat, May 26, 2012 Location: Como, Italy Additional Information: http://www.centrovolta.it/sigrav2012/ X Edition of the Sigrav Graduate School in Contemporary Relativity and Gravitational Physics ASTROPHYSICAL BLACK HOLES Villa Olmo, May 21-26 May, 2012 The Schools are directed to Ph.D. students and young Post-Docs in Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics who are interested in widening their knowledge in the fields of Physical Cosmology, Relativistic Astrophysics, General Relativity, Experimental Gravity and the Modern Quantum Theories of Gravitation. The Schools wish to introduce students to current problems, highlighting their importance and potential scientific impact. Lecturers will report on theoretical, observational and experimental aspects of the research, reviewing latest achievements in the field. PROGRAM of the X Edition Black holes, weighting from few tens up to few billions solar masses, represent one of the most fascinating objects in modern physics and astrophysics. Their presence can be traced in X-ray binaries, in the center of the Milky Way and of nearby galaxies, and back to early cosmic times, as the power house of luminous quasars. Black holes are a crucial testbed for GR, a key ingredient in galaxy cosmic evolution, and can shine as the loudest sirens in the new field of gravitational wave astronomy. The school will bring together some of the world leading experts to provide a focused overview on astrophysical black holes, both as end-point of stellar evolution and as cosmic probes of the high redshift Universe. COURSES - BLACK HOLES IN ASTROPHYSICS: THEORY: Luciano Rezzolla (Germany) - ACCRETION AND EJECTION THEORY: Andrew King (UK) - GALACTIC BLACK HOLES: Rob Fender (UK) - FORMATION AND COSMIC EVOLUTION OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLES: Andrea Merloni (Germany) - SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES AND NUCLEAR DYNAMICS: David Merritt (USA) - THE GALACTIC CENTRE: Reinhard Genzel (Germany) - ANALYTICAL RELATIVITY OF BLACK HOLES: Thibault Damour and Alessandro Nagar (France) Scientific and Organizing Committee: Monica Colpi (Universita' Bicocca, Milano), Vittorio Gorini (Insubria, Como), Francesco Haardt (Insubria, Como), Ugo Moschella (Insubria, Como), Aldo Treves (Insubria, Como) SIGRAV Council: Massimo Bassan, Carlo Bradaschia, Salvatore Capozziello, Mauro Francaviglia, Luca Lusanna, Sabino Matarrese, Augusto Sagnotti, Luigi Stella, Gaetano Vilasi There will be room for short communications by the participants. Those who want to submit a communication proposal should send a short abstract to grschool[AT]centrovolta.it Proponents will be informed about acceptance of their contribution in due time. Preparatory and follow-up lectures will be delivered at the University of Insubria. REGISTRATION Participants will be accommodated in a room rental near Villa Olmo and will be requested to pay an inclusive fee of EURO 700,00 covering accommodation (in rooms to be shared with other participants), breakfasts, coffee breaks and lunches for the duration of the school. Alternatively, participants may arrange their own accommodation and are requested to pay a registration fee of EURO 350,00, also covering coffee breaks and lunches. It is possible to have a hotel reservation support by downloading the proper accommodation form. Accommodation is not guaranteed after April 23rd 2012. Some support to cover local expenses may be available; those who need support should mention it in their registration and send a short curriculum vitae and a summary of current research (maximum two pages A4). Please note that no support to cover travel expenses will be available. For information also contact directly the Organizing Secretariat at the Centro A. Volta: grschool[AT]centrovolta.it or chiara.stefanetti[AT]centrovolta.it, tel. +39 031 579805, fax +39 031 573395 ================================================================= 2. Jobs ================================================================= 2.1 Postdoctoral position in theoretical gravity at University of Tartu ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/31/postdoctoral-position-in-theoretical... Institution: Tartu, Estonia Deadline: Sat, Mar 10, 2012 Additional Information: http://hexagon.fi.tartu.ee/ Estonian Science Foundation (ESF) runs two programs offering postdoc grants at Estonian research institutions: MOBILITAS (Researcher Mobility Programme), and ERMOS (Estonian Research Mobility Scheme), financed with a support of FP7 Marie Curie COFUND "People". The gravitation theory group at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Estonia is looking for a suitable postdoc candidate to apply for one of these grants, who would be able to contribute to or complement the ongoing research of the group. Key points General research area: theoretical aspects of gravity; Preferred topics: extensions of Einstein's general relativity (e.g. scalar-tensor gravity), theoretical cosmology beyond the concordance model (especially dark energy). Duration of the grant: 2 or 3 years. Amount of the grant: up to 25,600 EUR per year for salary (pre-tax), 3,200 EUR per year for research costs, and a one-time relocation allowance to move in to Estonia. Eligibility: The postdoctoral research grant can be applied for by a person who has been awarded a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification not earlier than five years before the start of the grant. (In case that, after obtaining the degree, the applicant was on parental leave or in compulsory military service, the period of qualification is extended by the period of the parental leave or compulsory military service.) Application NB! The postdoc application to ESF is submitted together by the applicant and the host institution. Therefore interested candidates are first invited to send a CV, a list of publications, a brief research proposal, and a letter of recommendation to Dr. Piret Kuusk (piret[AT]fi.tartu.ee), head of the gravitation theory group. The next deadline for applications is - 25 January 2012 for ERMOS, - probably late March 2012 for MOBILITAS. (Due to technical and administrative reasons the application process to ESF has to begin a week or two before the deadline.) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.2 Max Planck Partner Group postdoctoral positions at IISER-TVM (India) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/23/max-planck-partner-group-post-doctor... Institution: Trivandrum, India Deadline: Mon, Jan 16, 2012 Additional Information: http://www.iisertvm.ac.in/~shanki/group.html Max Planck Partner Group on Cosmology and Gravity, IISER-Thiruvananthapuram intends to appoint two postdoctoral positions in the areas of early-universe cosmology, classical and quantum gravity. A Ph.D. degree and relevant research experience are required for these posts. The positions can start as early as 1st March 2012 and before 1st August 2012. Both these posts are funded under the Max Planck Partner group on cosmology. Currently, the group has 2 post-doctorate fellows and 2 Ph.D. students. Please see the URL http://www.iisertvm.ac.in/~shanki/group.html about the group and its activities. The group strongly interacts with the Max Planck Partner Group on Gravitational waves at IISER-TVM. The fellows of this Partner Group will have the opportunity to visit and interact with members of Albert Einstein Institute, Golm. The positions are available for a period of up to two years. Informal enquiries can be made to S. Shankaranarayanan (shanki[AT]iisertvm.ac.in). Salary: Rs. 2,64,000 - Rs. 2,88,000 per annum Deadline: 16 January 2012 To apply please send CV, research statement and have at least two letters of reference sent by email to: shanki[AT]iisertvm.ac.in with the subject "Application for MP-PG positions - Candidate name". +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.3 Postdoctoral positions in gravitational waves/numerical relativity at UIB/Palma ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/21/postdoctoral-positions-in-gravitatio... Institution: Palma, Spain Deadline: Sun, Jan 15, 2012 Additional Information: http://www.uib.es/depart/dfs/GRG Postdoctoral Research Positions in the Gravitational Physics Group at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The UIB Gravitational Physics Group offers one postdoctoral position: * A) a 1.5-year postdoctoral research associate position with the possibility of extension depending on the availability of funding. and welcomes applications to two government-funded programs in coordination with our group: * B) a 3 years postdoctoral position in the "Juan de la Cierva" program, (PhD required before (estimated) September 30, 2012, but not earlier than in the last 3 years) * C) a 5 year tenure track research position in the "Ramón y Cajal" program. (Persons who have obtained their PhD within the last 10 years and have a strong publication record) Applications are welcome in all areas of gravitational physics, but preference will be given to the areas of gravitational wave data analysis, numerical relativity and astrophysical relativity. The group consists of faculty members Carles Bona, Jaume Carot, Sascha Husa, Joan Masso and Alicia Sintes and postdoctoral research fellows Jordi Burguet Castell, Ryuichi Fujita, Denis Pollney, Milton Ruiz, as well as several graduate students. The UIB group is a member of the LIGO and GEO collaborations, and covers a wide range of research interests in numerical relativity, gravitational wave data analysis, mathematical relativity and computational methods. Application for position (A): =================== Applicants should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, list of publications, brief description of research interests and achievements, and arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent to gravity.uib.contact[AT]gmail.com -- before January 16. The expected starting date is June 2012, but earlier start dates can be arranged with the applicant. Application for positions (B) and (C): ========================== Applications will have to be sent to the Spanish government, with an estimated deadline of February 15, 2012. Interested candidates should contact us informally before the application process starts. For position (B) only two applications can be supported. Please contact Alicia Sintes (alicia.sintes[AT]uib.es) and Sascha Husa (sascha.husa[AT]uib.es) or any other group member if you have any questions. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.4 Postdoctoral position in gravitational waves at NASA Goddard and University of Maryland ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/11/postdoctoral-position-in-gravitation... Institution: College Park, MD, USA Deadline: Thu, Jan 05, 2012 The Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Maryland Gravitational Wave Theory Group at the University of Maryland-College Park (UMCP) are seeking applications for a joint postdoctoral position in gravitational waves, possibly opening in the Fall of 2012. The position is for one year with the possibility of renewal for additional years. This position supports a joint project, led by John Baker (GSFC), and Alessandra Buonanno (UMCP), to study the performance of future space-based gravitational-wave instruments in observing binary black-hole mergers. Competitive applicants should have background in source modeling, instrument modeling and/or data analysis. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, list of publications, and a description of past research and future research plans, and should arrange for at least three letters of recommendation to be sent to gwt-postdocs[AT]physics.umd.edu It is requested that all application materials be sent as pdf files or as plain text. Please merge all application materials (other than letters of recommendation) into one pdf file if at all possible. The deadline for receipt of all application materials is January 5, 2012. Maryland is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. ================================================================= 3. News ================================================================= 3.1 New Book by Anja Skaar Jacobsen: "Leon Rosenfeld" ----------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@AEI: http://hyperspace.aei.mpg.de/2011/12/12/new-book-by-anja-skaar-jacobsen-leon... Additional Information: http://www.worldscibooks.com/histsci/7776.html LEON ROSENFELD Physics, Philosophy, and Politics in the Twentieth Century by Anja Skaar Jacobsen (Niels Bohr Archive, Denmark) Leon Rosenfeld (1904-1974) was a remarkable, many-sided physicist of exceptional erudition. He was at the centre of modern physics and was well-known as Niels Bohr's close collaborator and spokesman. He also reflected deeply on the history and philosophy of science and its social role from a leftist perspective. His biography illuminates the development, popularization, and reception of quantum physics and its interpretation in addition to the development of the political Left. The book draws extensively from previously untapped, unpublished sources in more than five languages. This book is for students and professionals studying the history of science. 360pp (approx.) Publication date: March 2012 ISBN: 978-981-4307-81-9