########################################### Table of Contents ########################################### 1. Conferences 1.1. Future Science with Multi-Wavelength Data, Hsinchu, Taiwan 1.2. The Semi-Classical Einstein Equation: Numerical and Analytical Challenges, Dublin, Ireland 1.3. Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas and Applications, Gebze, Turkey 1.4. Gravitational Waves: New Challenges and Opportunities, Gebze, Turkey 1.5. 8th Belgian-Dutch Gravitational Waves Meeting, Maastricht, The Netherlands 1.6. Lost in Gravity 2019, Saint Flour, France (2nd announcement) 1.7. Helmholtz International Summer School "Cosmology, Strings, New Physics", Dubna, Russia 1.8. School on Physics and Astrophysics of Gravitational Waves, Bad Honnef, Germany 2. Jobs 2.1. PhD fellowship in the Relativistic Astrophysics Group at the University of Valencia, Spain 2.2. Postdoctoral Fellowship in Multi-messenger Astrophysics at RIT, New York 2.3. PhD Positions in QFT and GR at Jena/Leipzig, Germany 3. News 3.1. Death of Chris Clarke 3.2. Gravity Research Foundation, Awards for Essays for 2019 3.3. GRG Editor's Choice: recent highlight articles 3.4. Living Reviews in Relativity: "Advanced quantum techniques for future gravitational-wave detectors" 3.5. Master in Mathematical Physics, Tuebingen, Germany ============================================== 1. Conferences ============================================== 1.1. Future Science with Multi-Wavelength Data, Hsinchu, Taiwan --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15667 Starting: 2019-06-24 to 2019-06-26 Location: Hsinchu, Taiwan Additional Information: https://seongini.wixsite.com/nepconf2 Contact: tomo[AT]phys.nthu.edu.tw We would like to invite you to this conference at the NTHU, Hsinchu, on 6/24(Mon) - 26(Wed). Detailed programs will be announced soon, but please mark your calendar first and make sure to register. The science on the NEP field with the AKARI space telescope is turning into a new era. Since the AKARI telescope carried out the NEP survey programs, we have obtained various observation data/results for about 10 years. Currently, our deep HSC imaging data covering the entire NEP-Wide field has become available. The SCUBA2 survey program to cover the same area is still going on. A collaboration to carry out a massive spectroscopic survey using the new Subaru/PFS is also on-going. From the space, Euclid, SPHEREx and eROSTA will cover the field in near-IR and X-ray. The AKARI's NEP legacy will remain the only survey having continuous mid-IR bands data until the new mid-IR telescope will be available. This legacy will continue to grow with a lot more multi-wavelengths data. Time is ripe for top scientists to meet again to pave the bright future of the NEP field science. We are looking forward to seeing you here, in Hsinchu! This conference is supported by the ministry of education (MoE) and the physics research promotion center (PRPC) of Taiwan, also supported partly by the ministry of science and technology (MoST). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.2. The Semi-Classical Einstein Equation: Numerical and Analytical Challenges, Dublin, Ireland --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15672 Starting: 2019-09-12 to 2019-09-13 Location: Dublin, Ireland Additional Information: https://www.dcu.ie/maths/sceenac.shtml Contact: jacobus.sanders[AT]dcu.ie We are pleased to announce a two-day meeting on "The Semi-Classical Einstein Equation: Numerical and Analytical Challenges" to be held on 12 and 13 September 2019 at Dublin City University (IRE). Registration is open until 10 September 2019 on the meeting's website, https://www.dcu.ie/maths/sceenac.shtml . Einstein's Equation is the corner stone of General Relativity, but in the presence of quantum matter it must be modified to make sense. Although the description of gravity as a quantum phenomenon remains very problematic, there is a wide consensus that any theory of quantum gravity should admit a semi-classical limit, where the dynamics is described by the Semi-Classical Einstein Equation (SCEE). Unfortunately this equation is fraught with mathematical difficulties and even the most basic questions about the existence and uniqueness of solutions are difficult to answer, let alone what those solutions might look like. The purpose of this two-day meeting is to bring together experts in relevant numerical and analytical methods, in order to discuss the state of the art and future prospects for solving the Semi-Classical Einstein Equation. A public lecture by Chris Fewster (University of York) will showcase some topics closely related to the theme of the meeting. Tentative list of speakers: Leor Barack (University of Southampton) Marc Casals (CBPF and University College Dublin) Chris Fewster (University of York) Markus Froeb (University of Leipzig) Hanno Gottschalk (University of Wuppertal) Igor Khavkine (Czech Academy of Sciences) Nicola Pinamonti (University of Genoa) Noa Zilberman (Technion) Organisers: Ko Sanders (Dublin City University) Peter Taylor (Dublin City University) This meeting is funded by the Irish Research Council. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.3. Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas and Applications, Gebze, Turkey --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/05/15/quantum-to-cosmos-ideas-and-a... Starting: 2019-06-25 to 2019-07-04 Location: Gebze, TURKEY Additional Information: http://tbae.tubitak.gov.tr/en/haber/quantum-cosmos-ideas-and-applications-20... Contact: tbae.iletisim[AT]tubitak.gov.tr TUBITAK Research Institute for Fundamental Sciences, Summer Research School, June 25 - July 4 2019, Gebze, TURKEY Quantum designates the laws of physics, which govern the functioning of nature at atomic and subatomic scales and percolate into the giant scales of the cosmos. The powerful ideas ranging from quantum to cosmos continue unlocking the secrets of the universe, thereby ensuring its understanding at the deepest level and paving the way for advanced technologies of the future. The Research School will introduce graduate students and young researchers to a wide range of frontier topics from quantum to cosmos. Lecturers Amanda Cooper-Sarkar (University of Oxford, UK) Tansu Daylan (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) Cora Dvorkin (Harvard University, USA) Samir Mathur (Ohio State University, USA) Viatcheslav Mukhanov (University of Munich, Germany) Michael Peskin (Stanford University, USA) Subir Sarkar (University of Oxford, UK) Tracy Slatyer (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) Andrei Starinets (University of Oxford, UK) Topics Covered Standard Model: Developments and Challenges Precision Frontiers in High Energy Physics Quantum Perturbations in the Early Universe Holography, Finite-Temperature QFT and Hydrodynamics Information Paradox and the Universe Cosmic Microwave Background Dark Matter and Dark Energy Big Bang Nucleosynthesis +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.4. Gravitational Waves: New Challenges and Opportunities, Gebze, Turkey --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/05/15/gravitational-waves-new-chall... Starting: 2019-07-07 to 2019-07-14 Location: Gebze, TURKEY Additional Information: http://tbae.tubitak.gov.tr/en/haber/gravitational-waves-new-challenges-and-o... Contact: tbae.iletisim[AT]tubitak.gov.tr TUBITAK Research Institute for Fundamental Sciences, Summer Research School, July 7 - 14 2019, Gebze, TURKEY Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago within his theory of general relativity. The recent detection of gravitational waves from merging binary black holes and binary neutron stars can be considered one of the greatest triumphs of pure theoretical reasoning and mathematical construction of all times. Gravitational waves carry the signatures of the warped spacetime, thus opening a new window on the exploration of the universe. The detection of gravitational waves also represents frontier technological challenges, such as advanced laser interferometers, detectors and quantum metrology, information and control systems, modeling and simulations of violent events. The Research School aims at providing an occasion to introduce graduate students and young researchers to the developments in this newly emerging and fascinating area of modern science. Lecturers Scott A. Hughes (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) Badri Krishnan (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Germany) Nergis Mavalvala (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) Luciano Rezzolla (University of Frankfurt, Germany) Topics Covered Gravitational Waves in General Relativity Sources of Gravitational Waves in the Universe Modeling and Simulation of Gravitational Waveforms Numerical Relativity: Fundamentals and Advanced Techniques LIGO Detectors: Quantum Challenges and Squeezed Light Technologies Testing Fundamental Science with Gravitational Waves Multi Messenger Astronomy: Developments and Perspectives +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.5. 8th Belgian-Dutch Gravitational Waves Meeting, Maastricht, The Netherlands --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15696 Starting: 2019-06-28 to 2019-06-28 Location: Maastricht, the Netherlands Additional Information: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/events/8th-belgian-dutch-gravitational-w... Contact: gideon.koekoek[AT]maastrichtuniversity.nl The 8th Belgian-Dutch Gravitational Waves Meeting will take place on June 28th, and will be hosted in the Karl Dittrich auditorium of Maastricht University. The event provides an opportunity for researchers in gravitational wave science to meet and update each other on the latest development in this exciting field. The meeting is open to all interested researchers, also from outside the Netherlands and Belgium. Apart from overview talks, there will be contributed talks. Titles and abstracts can be submitted by using the 'comments' field on the registration form. Please mention your current position; preference will be given to postdocs and PhD students. There is no registration fee. Tea, coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.6. Lost in Gravity 2019, Saint Flour, France (2nd announcement) --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15716 Starting: 2019-08-28 to 2019-08-30 Location: Saint Flour, France Additional Information: https://centra.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/network/grit/lostingravity2019/ Contact: lostingravity2019[AT]centra.tecnico.ulisboa.pt Precision observations of gravitational and electromagnetic signals from astrophysical sources provide a new arena to test the nature of gravity and other interactions in regimes virtually unexplored so far, raising fundamental questions and shedding new light on old problems. With this motivation in mind, we are organising a workshop in Saint Flour (France), from 28 to 30 of August 2019, to discuss unsolved problems related to strong gravitational phenomena and tests of gravity with current and future experiments. The scientific program of the conference will include the following topics: - Tests of the black hole hypothesis - Alternative theories: status and prospects - Tests of gravity from cosmological observations - Numerical and analytical modelling of compact mergers - Relativistic numerical simulations beyond GR - Multi-messenger astrophysics The workshop is organised in order to have few talks each day, and maximise the time for round tables and free discussions. Confirmed speakers include Vitor Cardoso (IST, Portugal) Helvi Witek (King's College, UK) David Hilditch (IST, Portugal) Michael Puerrer (MPI, Germany) Thomas Sotiriou (Nottingham University, UK) Silke Weinfurtner (Nottingham University, UK) Johannes Noller (Oxford University, UK) Michela Mapelli (University of Padova, Italy) Adam Pound (Southampton University, UK) Enrico Barausse (SISSA, Trieste, IT) The workshop is funded by the European COST action CA16104 GWverse : "Gravitational waves, black holes and fundamental physics", and by the Observatoire de Paris through the "action federatrice PhyFOG". For people interested to participate, please register at https://indico.obspm.fr/event/75/overview Registration fee has a cost of 50 Euro. Looking forward to seeing you in Saint Flour, Laura Bernard, Andrea Maselli, Miguel Zilhao +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.7. Helmholtz International Summer School "Cosmology, Strings, New Physics", Dubna, Russia --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15723 Starting: 2019-08-04 to 2019-08-17 Location: Dubna, Russia Additional Information: http://indico.jinr.ru/event/736/ Contact: diastp[AT]theor.jinr.ru The Helmholtz International Summer School "Cosmology, Strings, New Physics" organized by the Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, JINR, in the framework of the program DIAS-TH will be held in Dubna, Russia, 4-17 August, 2019. Topics: Inflation and reheating. Baryon asymmetry. Dark matter. Dark energy. Primordial black holes. Gravitational waves from black holes and neutron star mergers Inflation in supergravity and string theory. Branes and string cosmology Lecturers I. L. Buchbinder (Tomsk Pedagogical Univ.) D. S. Gorbunov (INR RAS, Moscow) D. I. Kazakov (BLTP JINR, Dubna) E. T. Musaev (MIPT, Dolgoprudny) K. A. Postnov (SAI MSU, Moscow) A. A. Starobinsky (Landau Inst. and BLTP JINR, Moscow) V. A. Rubakov (INR RAS, Moscow) V. P. Spiridonov (BLTP JINR, Dubna) A. Vikman (FZU, Prague) A. Westphal (DESY) The lectures will be supplemented by evening discussion sessions. Short reports of the students are encouraged as well. The total number of participants is expected to be about 70. Undergraduate, postgraduate students and young postdocs are invited to apply for participation. There is no registration fee. The accommodation of the invited participants is provided by the organizers. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.8. School on Physics and Astrophysics of Gravitational Waves, Bad Honnef, Germany --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/06/01/school-on-physics-and-astroph... Starting: 2019-09-08 to 2019-09-13 Location: Bad Honnef, Germany Additional Information: https://www.dpg-physik.de/veranstaltungen/2019/physics-and-astrophysics-of-g... Contact: gomer[AT]dpg-physik.de A Bad Honnef physics school on physics and astrophysics of gravitational waves will be held from 08 to 13 September 2019 at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef. The School is a theoretical school which teaches the physics and astrophysics of gravitational waves in view of full-fledged applications. Basic knowledge of general relativity and relativistic astrophysics on the level of a Bachelor curriculum is expected. Discussion and exercise sessions will allow the participants to deepen their understanding of the lectures. Advanced participants are invited to present posters or to give short talks. LECTURES/LECTURERS: * Theory of gravitational waves (Luc Blanchet, CNRS, Sorbonne Universite', Paris) * Stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds (Valerie Domcke, DESY, Hamburg) * Gravitational wave detection (Gabriela Gonzalez, Louisiana State University) * Gravitational waves from binary black holes (Mark Hannam, University of Cardiff) * Gravitational wave data analysis II (Piotr Jaranowski, University of Bialystok) * Gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars (Kostas Kokkotas, University of Tuebingen) * Gravitational wave data analysis I (Andrzej Krolak, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw) * Gravitational waves from stellar core collapse (Ewald Mueller, MPI for Astrophysics, Garching) * Computational astrophysics of neutron stars (Luciano Rezzolla, Goethe University of Frankfurt) * Focussed introduction to general relativity (Gerhard Schaefer, University of Jena) * (Evening talk) Testing general relativity: 100 years of light deflection (Claus Laemmerzahl, ZARM, University of Bremen) For more details and for registration please visit https://www.dpg-physik.de/veranstaltungen/2019/physics-and-astrophysics-of-g.... We are looking forward to meeting you in Bad Honnef, the organizers Bernd Bruegmann, Kostas Kokkotas, Gerhard Schaefer +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ============================================== 2. Jobs ============================================== 2.1. PhD fellowship in the Relativistic Astrophysics Group at the University of Valencia, Spain ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15670 Deadline: 2019-05-20 Location: Valencia, Spain Additional Information: https://www.uv.es/uvweb/servicio-recursos-humanos-pas/es/personal-investigac... Contact: j.antonio.font[AT]uv.es The Relativistic Astrophysics group of the University of Valencia (Spain) offers a three-year PhD fellowship funded by the "Programa Santiago Grisolia - Generalitat Valenciana" to carry out research on gravitational-wave astronomy. The candidate is expected to work in the study of gravitational waves from fundamental bosonic fields and exotic compact objects. PhD supervisors will be Drs. Jose Antonio Font and Pablo Cerda-Duran. Candidates must hold a University Degree in Physics issued by a non-Spanish institution. The degree must have been obtained after January 1st 2015. Foreign degrees/diplomas must be recognised by the Spanish Higher Education system. Good knowledge of either Spanish or English is mandatory. Previous experience on numerical relativity is highly recommended, particularly in the context of the research topic. Deadline for application: May 20, 2019. Call details (in Spanish): https://www.uv.es/uvweb/servicio-recursos-humanos-pas/es/personal-investigac... For additional information please contact: Prof. Jose Antonio Font, j.antonio.font[AT]uv.es +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.2. Postdoctoral Fellowship in Multi-messenger Astrophysics at RIT, New York ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15700 Deadline: 2019-12-31 Location: Rochester, USA Additional Information: http://ccrg.rit.edu/ Contact: ccrg-postdoc[AT]ccrgweb.rit.edu The recent observations of a binary neutron star merger using both gravitational wave interferometers as well as electromagnetic telescopes across the full spectrum have initiated the age of multi-messenger astronomy and astrophysics. As part of NSF collaborative projects, the RIT's Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation (CCRG) is currently seeking to fill a postdoctoral research position with highly qualified individuals interested pursuing research in the multimessenger analysis and interpretation of neutron star mergers. We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise in hydrodynamical simulations of binary merger, relativistic outflows, and nucleosynthesis. Expertise in detailed, self-consistent simulations of electromagnetic emission is also highly desired. We are interested in performing ``event-based'' simulations, using parameters informed by specific LIGO/Virgo detections, and thereby permitting much closer comparison with observables, in order to interpret current and future multi-messenger observations by a wide array of current and future detectors. Successful applicants will work closely with and regularly visit collaborators at the Center for Theoretical Astrophysics (CTA) at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL). Here, they will consult with the experts on nuclear equations of state, r-process nucleosynthesis, atomic opacities and detailed radiative transfer to produce realistic predictions which can be compared with observations. To ensure efficient and productive collaboration, successful applicants should be prepared to spend significant percentage of time at LANL during the year. Senior scientists in the CCRG include Manuela Campanelli (Director), Joshua Faber, Carlos Lousto, Richard O'Shaughnessy, Jason Nordhaus, Yosef Zlochower, Sukanya Chakrabarti, John Whelan, and Hans-Peter Bischof, several postdoctoral fellows and Ph.D. students (see http://ccrg.rit.edu/people for an overview on who is or has been at CCRG). The group is involved in several large collaborations, including the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC), The Einstein Toolkit Consortium (http://einsteintoolkit.org) and a NASA Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics Network (TCAN) devoted to the simulation of neutron star mergers. CCRG researchers have access to several computing cluster facilities at national computing centers such as XSEDE and the NCSA's Blue Waters Supercomputer (with an allocation of over 160MSUs), as well as a dedicated over 3000-core cluster hosted at the Center. The Center for Theoretical Astrophysics at LANL is directed by Chris Fryer. Subject experts include Chris Fontes, Aimee Hungerford, Joshua Dolence, Wesley Even, Ryan Wollaeger, Matthew Mumpower, Jonas Lippuner, Jonah M. Miller, W. Thomas Vestrand, Przemek Wozniak, and others (see https://ccsweb.lanl.gov/astro/index.html#team). Experts at LANL CTA are involved in various large collaborations, including LIGO and LISA, several gamma-ray astronomy programs, and gravitational-wave counterparts search and follow-up campaigns. More information about the CCRG is available at http://ccrg.rit.edu/. And about Rochester at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_New_York Applications should consist of a cover letter, a brief statement of research interests, a curriculum vitae including publication list, and at least three letters of recommendation. All materials should be sent electronically as soon as possible to: oshaughn[AT]main[dot]rit[dot]edu with a copy to ccrg-postdoc[AT]ccrgweb.rit.edu. For an overview of all job openings at CCRG please go to: http://ccrg.rit.edu/spotlight/jobs. Enquiries can be addressed to Richard O'Shaughnessy, oshaughn[AT]mail[dot]rit[dot]edu Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, School of Mathematical Sciences, and School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) 85 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, New York 14623 USA Review of completed applications will begin as soon as available and will continue until a suitable candidate is found. Starting date can be as early as September, 2019. RIT is committed to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2.3. PhD Positions in QFT and GR at Jena/Leipzig, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------- Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/?p=15726 Deadline: 2019-07-01 Location: Jena/Leipzig, Germany Additional Information: http://rtg2522.gitpages.tpi.uni-jena.de/portfolio/ Contact: RTG2522[AT]uni-jena.de The new Research Training Group (RTG) 2522 "Strong Dynamics and Criticality in Quantum and Gravitational Systems" jointly hosted at the Institutes for Theoretical Physics at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and at Leipzig University offers 12 PhD positions, available 1 October 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter. The RTG 2522 offers a structured PhD program on the basis of a research program at the interface of quantum field theory and gravitational theory. Preferably, the candidates should have a strong background in quantum field theory and/or general relativity and corresponding theoretical, mathematical, and computational methods. Participating principal investigators of the RTG include M. Ammon, S. Bernuzzi, B. Bruegmann, D. Cadamuro, H. Gies, S. Hollands, R. Meinel, B. Rosenow, R. Verch, and A. Wipf. More information about the research program of RTG 2522 can be found on the website: http://RTG2522.gitpages.tpi.uni-jena.de/portfolio/, see also https://www.physik.uni-jena.de/tpi (TPI Jena) and http://www.physik.uni-leipzig.de (ITP Leipzig). Employment conditions: to qualify for the position, applicants must hold a Master's degree or a Diploma in Physics or Mathematics. Applicants should submit (preferably via E-mail and as a single PDF document) a curriculum vitae, a brief description of research interests, a transcript of records, a certificate of the master's degree (or a statement concerning when it is due), and arrange for 1-2 reference letters. Important: In your cover letter, please state your preferences for one or more principal investigators, acting as supervisors for the corresponding PhD projects. Selected candidates will receive a three-year position according to the German public service salary scale (E13 TV-L 65%). The RTG wants to promote women in science and is particularly looking forward to receiving applications by qualified female candidates. Applications of handicapped people will be given preference in the selection among equivalently qualified competitors. Correspondence address: Prof. Dr. Holger Gies, TPI, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany, E-mail: RTG2522[AT]uni-jena.de. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ============================================== 3. News ============================================== 3.1. Death of Chris Clarke ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/05/08/death-of-chris-clarke/ Additional Information: I am sure that colleagues will be saddened to hear of the death of Chris Clarke who passed away on 16th April. Chris gained his PhD in General Relativity from the University of Cambridge as part of the group led by Dennis Sciama. After positions at Hamburg and York, Chris moved to Southampton in 1986 to take up the Chair in Applied Mathematics and lead the GR group. He was best known for his work on singularities summarised in his book "The analysis of space-time singularities". However his work was wide ranging and also covered topics in astrophysics, numerical relativity, the philosophy of quantum theory and the physics of the brain. He left the University of Southampton in 1999 to work free-lance and devote more time to support for environmental and spiritual causes but continued to publish scientific papers on relativity and quantum theory. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.2. Gravity Research Foundation, Awards for Essays for 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/05/13/gravity-research-foundation-a... Additional Information: http://www.gravityresearchfoundation.org Gravity Research Foundation, Awards for Essays for 2019 The trustees are pleased to announce the Awards for Essays for 2019. 1. $4,000 - Information Content of the Gravitational Field of a Quantum Superposition by Alessio Belenchia[1], Robert M. Wald[2], Flaminia Giacomini[3], Esteban Castro-Ruiz[3], Caslav Brukner[3], and Markus Aspelmeyer[3], [1]Centre for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom, [2]Enrico Fermi Institute and Department of Physics, The University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Il 60637, [3]Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI), Boltzmanngasse 3, 1090 Vienna, Austria; e-mail: a.belenchia@qub.ac.uk, rmwa@uchicago.edu, flaminia.giacomini@univie.ac.at, esteban.castro.ruiz@univie.ac.at, caslav.brukner@univie.ac.at, markus.aspelmeyer@univie.ac.at 2. $1,250 - Non-Perturbative de Sitter Vacua via alpha' Corrections by Olaf Hohm[1] and Barton Zwiebach[2], [1]Institute for Physics, Humboldt University Berlin, Zum Grossen Windkanal 6, D-12489 Berlin, Germany, [2]Center for Theoretical Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; e-mail: ohohm@physik.hu-berlin.de, zwiebach@mit.edu 3. $1,000 - Can Fermionic Dark Matter Mimic Supermassive Black Holes? by C. R. Arguelles[1], A. Krut[2], J. A. Rueda[2][3], and R. Ruffini[2][4], [1]Instituto de Astrofisica de La Plata, (CCT La Plata, CONICET, UNLP), Paseo del Bosque, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina, [2]ICRANet, Piazza della Repubblica 10, I-65122 Pescara, Italy, [3]INAF, Istituto de Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy, [4]INAF, Viale del Parco Mellini 84, 00136 Rome, Italy; e-mail: charly@carina.fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar, andreas.krut@icranet.org, jorge.rueda@icra.it, ruffini@icra.it 4. $750 - How to Hide a Cosmological Constant by Steven Carlip, Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; e-mail: carlip@physics.ucdavis.edu 5. $500 - Einstein's Dream by Richard T. Hammond, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 and Army Research Office, Research Triangle Park, 800 Park Offices Dr, Durham, NC 27703; e-mail: rhammond@email.unc.edu Selected for Honorable Mention this year were (listed in alphabetical order): Fotios K. Anagnostopoulos, Georgios Kofinas, and Vasilios Zarikas; Gustavo Arciniega, Pablo Bueno, Pablo A. Cano, Jose D. Edelstein, Robie A. Hennigar, and Luisa G. Jaime; Sebastian Bahamonde and Mir Faizal; Yang Bai and Nicholas Orlofsky; Spyros Basilakos, Nick E. Mavromatos, and Joan Sola' Peracaula; Per Berglund, Tristan Huebsch, and Djordje Minic; Alexander Burinskii; ChunJun Cao, Aidan Chatwin-Davies, and Ashmeet Singh; Man Ho Chan; Geoffrey Compere; Yogesh Dandekar; Shounak De, Tejinder P. Singh, and Abhinav Varma; Tevian Dray and Carlo Rovelli; Arthur E. Fischer; Yuan K. Ha; Dennis Hansen, Jelle Hartong, and Niels A. Obers; Shahar Hod; Ted Jacobson and Manus Visser; Jose Beltran Jimenez, Lavinia Heisenberg, and Tomi S. Koivisto; Nemanja Kaloper; Philip D. Mannheim; Samir D. Mathur; F. Melia; K. Narayan; T. Padmanabhan; Giandomenico Palumbo; Paolo Pani and Andrea Maselli; Tsvi Piran and Bernard F. Schutz; Marco Piva; Suvrat Raju; S. Shankaranarayanan; Martina Toscani, Giuseppe Lodato, and Elena Maria Rossi; Asher Yahalom; Ding-fang Zeng. This announcement and abstracts of award-winning and honorable mention essays will be posted when ready on our web site, http://www.gravityresearchfoundation.org. The five award-winning essays will be published in a special issue of the International Journal of Modern Physics D (IJMPD). They will also be posted at a later date on our web site. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.3. GRG Editor's Choice: recent highlight articles ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/05/27/grg-editors-choice-recent-hig... Additional Information: https://www.springer.com/gp/livingreviews/relativity/grg-editors-choice In each volume of the journal General Relativity and Gravitation (GRG), a few papers are marked as "Editor's Choice". The primary criteria is original, high-quality research that is of wide interest within the community. These recent articles deserves special attention: Kastytis Zubovas, Andrew R. King, "The M--$\sigma$ relation between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies", Gen Relativ Gravit (2019) 51: 65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-019-2549-7 Sudipta Sarkar, "Black hole thermodynamics: general relativity and beyond", Gen Relativ Gravit (2019) 51: 63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-019-2545-y Brian Allen, "Sobolev stability of the Positive Mass Theorem and Riemannian Penrose Inequality using inverse mean curvature flow", Gen Relativ Gravit (2019) 51: 59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-019-2542-1 Please, browse all Editor's Choice articles at: https://www.springer.com/gp/livingreviews/relativity/grg-editors-choice Frank Schulz Publishing Editor GRG ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.4. Living Reviews in Relativity: "Advanced quantum techniques for future gravitational-wave detectors" ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/05/27/living-reviews-in-relativity-... Additional Information: https://www.springer.com/gp/livingreviews/relativity The open-access journal Living Reviews in Relativity has published a new review article on 29 April 2019: Stefan L. Danilishin, Farid Ya. Khalili, Haixing Miao, "Advanced quantum techniques for future gravitational-wave detectors", Living Rev Relativ (2019) 22: 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41114-019-0018-y Abstract: Quantum fluctuation of light limits the sensitivity of advanced laser interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. It is one of the principal obstacles on the way towards the next-generation gravitational-wave observatories. The envisioned significant improvement of the detector sensitivity requires using quantum non-demolition measurement and back-action evasion techniques, which allow us to circumvent the sensitivity limit imposed by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. In our previous review article (Danilishin and Khalili in Living Rev Relativ 15:5, 2012), we laid down the basic principles of quantum measurement theory and provided the framework for analysing the quantum noise of interferometers. The scope of this paper is to review novel techniques for quantum noise suppression proposed in the recent years and put them in the same framework. Our delineation of interferometry schemes and topologies is intended as an aid in the process of selecting the design for the next-generation gravitational-wave observatories. Please, visit frequently our relativity channel (https://www.springer.com/gp/livingreviews/relativity) at http://livingreviews.org for other news. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3.5. Master in Mathematical Physics, Tuebingen, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------ Announcement on Hyperspace@GU: https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2019/05/27/master-in-mathematical-physic... Additional Information: http://www.math.uni-tuebingen.de/mmp We are accepting applications for the international master program in Mathematical Physics for October 2019. It is a 2 year master program jointly run by the mathematics and the physics departments, the application deadline is 15th of July 2019. The program is centered around the core modules Geometry in Physics, Mathematical Relativity, Mathematical Quantum Mechanics, and Mathematical Statistical Physics. More information as well as a poster and a flyer can be found on the program website http://www.math.uni-tuebingen.de/mmp. We would be very thankful if you could forward this information to your colleagues and to any undergraduate students who might be interested in applying. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++