*** IAU Division D Bulletin N. 3: October 1st, 2014 ***
INDEX:
* SN2014J gamma-ray measurements with INTEGRAL
* The ASTRI/CTA prototype and SST-2M ASTRI/CTA Mini-array
* Opportunities at the OAD
* Astrophysics in Ethiopia
* Rossi Prize Nominations
* HEAD Elections
* Upcoming Satellite AOs
* Reports on Chalonge Schools
* Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, Workshops and Schools
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SN2014J gamma-ray measurements with INTEGRAL confirm 56Ni decay chain signal for the first time in a SNIa
by Roland Diehl (MPE, Garching, Germany)
The extraordinary brightness and regularity of their light curves in the visible spectral range make type Ia supernovae valuable standardizable light sources, commonly used in modern cosmology. However, it has not yet been possible to directly measure these stellar explosions in their primary gamma radiation. Studies so far have been limited mainly to the outer layers of the supernova. With supernova SN2014J occurring early this year in the M82 starburst galaxy, observations with the ESA INTEGRAL mission were evaluated by researchers from the Max Planck Institutes for Astrophysics and for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, who succeeded for the first time in detecting gamma-ray lines. One of these studies even challenges the conventional theories for these types of explosions.
References:
“Early 56Ni decay γ rays from SN2014J suggest an unusual explosion” by R. Diehl et al., published in Science Express on 31 July 2014; DOI: 10.1126/science.1254738 and in the Sep 5 print version of Science Magazine
“56Co gamma-ray emission lines from the type Ia supernova SN2014J” by E. Churazov et al., is published in the 28 August 2014 issue of Nature; DOI: 10.1038/nature13672
Further information / web links:
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/INTEGRAL_catches_dead_star_exploding_in_a_blaze_of_glory
http://www.mpg.de/8383537/supernova_gamma_ray_lines
http://www.space.com/26696-weird-supernova-star-explosion-theories.html
http://www.space.com/26960-exploding-white-dwarf-stars-supernova-trigger.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ASTRI/CTA prototype and SST-2M ASTRI/CTA Mini-array
By Giovanni Pareschi, Stefano Vercellone, Elisabete de Gouveia Dal Pino and Markus Boettcher for the ASTRI Collaboration and the CTA Consortium
ASTRI (Astrofisica con Specchi a Tecnologia Replicante Italiana) is a flagship project of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research related to the next generation Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT), within the framework of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) International Observatory. In this context, the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) has inaugurated last 24 September a large field-of-view (9.6 degrees), dual-mirror prototype of the CTA small size telescope in Sicily (Italy). CTA plans to install about 70 small size telescopes to allow the study of the uppermost end of the VHE domain (a few TeV - hundreds of TeV). During the temporal hiatus between the prototyping phase and the full CTA deployment, some sub-arrays of pre-production telescopes will be placed at the final CTA sites. The ASTRI/CTA SST-2M mini-array is one of them. It will be composed of at least seven units, as a result of a collaborative effort among INAF, the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Sao Paulo, Brasil, and the Centre for Space Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. The sensitivity of the ASTRI/CTA SST-2M mini-array will be comparable to that of H.E.S.S., extending it to about 100 TeV. It will allow us to test the array performance in several areas, to validate our Monte Carlo simulations and to perform the first CTA observations of both Galactic and extra-galactic sources.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opportunities at the OAD
by Anna Wolter (INAF, Brera Astronomical Observatory)
Dear Member of IAU Division D
I have received from the Director of the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), Kevin Govender, the following information. I have agreed on acting as point of contact with the OAD for Division D.
There are many opportunities to be taken, and I encourage you to read to the end. There is as much to be received as to give!
The OAD was established in 2011 as part of the IAU Strategic Plan. The office is hosted at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town through an agreement between the IAU and the South African National Research Foundation. The vision of the OAD is simply "Astronomy for a better world" and activities revolve around three Task Forces: (i) universities and research; (ii) children and schools; and (iii) public outreach. The OAD has been coordinating an annual call for proposals and has established regional offices in China, Thailand, Ethiopia and Zambia (so far). You would have seen regular updates via the IAU information bulletins. More information, including a quarterly newsletter, can be found on www.astro4dev.org.
We highlight here some specific areas for possible collaboration, and invite you to engage with the OAD if you have more ideas:
1. Symposia: There are two ways in which the OAD could assist: (i) the OAD could assist with an education/outreach component or possibly put you in contact with additional people in that country/region who would assist in coordinating an outreach programme linked to your Symposium (ii) the OAD could help coordinate IAU symposium proposers (mostly in developed countries) with potential host individuals and institutions in developing countries to help bring an international science meeting to those countries
2. Volunteers: If Division members wish to engage with education and development activities around the world, they can add their details to the OAD volunteers database (http://www.astro4dev.org/work-with-the-oad/oadvolunteers/). Examples of recent opportunities for volunteers include: 1) a global map of projects needing support; 2) Opportunity to run astronomy workshops (expenses paid), United Arab Emirates; 3) Opportunity to help with the 4th East African Astronomy Workshop, Rwanda; 4) Call to translate OAD Newsletter in different languages; 5) A running list of ideas on the OAD website which are looking for skills (http://www.astro4dev.org/oad-ideas-list/)
3. Publicity: The OAD could publicise Division activities to their networks, which include many developing regions. In this sense the OAD could also assist in identifying individuals and organisations from developing regions to participate in Division activities (e.g. attendance of workshops/symposia) and thus expand the reach of the event.
4. Fundraising: The OAD could assist in fundraising for special projects within the Division, especially if those projects relate to the growth and development of the field or involve expanding the reach of the Division's activities. The OAD is always in search of new and innovative ideas.
6. Bridging the GAP: The OAD could help to coordinate potential students from developing countries who wish to attend universities, go to institutions in developed countries, or who are simply looking for mentors in well developed astronomy communities.
7. Focus Meeting at IAU GA 2015: Division members are invited to participate in the IAU Focus Meeting 20 entitled "Astronomy for Development" at the Hawaii GA in 2015. This meeting will be used to engage with IAU members by reporting back on the OAD's activities as well as calling for input and actions on specific areas of need (http://www.iau.org/science/events/1147/)
If Division members wish to engage with the OAD on any of these or other topics please do not hesitate to contact me: Anna Wolter (anna.wolter@brera.inaf.it) or Kevin Govender (kg@astro4dev.org) or visit www.astro4dev.org.
Regards
Anna Wolter
=========================================================================
Dott. Anna Wolter
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
ESO media and outreach representative in Italy
IAU - DIvision D Steering Committee
http://www.brera.inaf.it/utenti/anna/
http://www.eso.org/public/italy.html
anna.wolter@brera.inaf.it
+39- 02 72320321
+39- 331 611 3727
Via Brera, 28
20121 Milano - ITALIA
=========================================================================
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Astrophysics in Ethiopia
by Solomon Tessema (Director of Entoto Observatory and Research Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
There have been recent significant efforts in the way of developing plans to strengthen Astrophysics research and teaching at Entoto Observatory and Research Center for East African Region.
The Ethiopia Space Science Society strives to build a society with a highly developed scientific culture.
Please find details and specific information on this and on East African Astronomical Society Meetings at the official site of the Entoto Observatory and Research Center (EORC):
www.eo.org.et
and at the official site of the Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS):
ethiosss.org.et
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rossi Prize Nominations
The top prize from HEAD, the Rossi prize is awarded annually for "a significant contribution to High Energy Astrophysics, with particular emphasis on recent, original work." Although any scientist can be nominated, the nomination itself must come from a HEAD member and should be sent to the Secretary at headsec@aas.org. There is no specific format for nominations, although I can note it is helpful to include a suggested citation for the award. More details, including past winners, are available at http://www.aas.org/head/rossi/rossi.prize.html. Nominations are due to me by email (headsec@aas.org, Subject line "Rossi Prize Nomination" please) by October 15th -- only six weeks away!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEAD Elections
[from the HEAD Bulletin of 2 September 2014]
The HEAD elections are just around the corner. Voting will open in late November and close a month later. In this vote, we will be electing two new Executive Committee members. A nominating committee has been appointed, but our bylaws also allow "Any member of the Division proposed as a candidate for a post on the Committee by not fewer than ten (10) members of the Division at least 7 weeks before the Regular Meeting shall be deemed to be nominated to the post, provided the nominee has stated to the Secretary a willingness to serve if elected." Nominations from the membership should be sent to the HEAD Secretary directly, in the form of a single email listing the position nominated for, the nominee's name and email address, and of course the names and emails of the ten or more HEAD members who support the nomination. If this is not sent by the nominee themselves, a separate email from the nominee stating their willingness to serve is needed as well. These nominations should be submitted NO LATER THAN November 18th.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Satellite AOs:
NuSTAR Guest Observer Cycle 1: Due date 25 November 2014
More info at: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/nustar/nustar_prop.html
XMM-Newton Cycle 14: Due date 10 October 2014
now with NuSTAR, Swift & INTEGRAL time:
More info at: http://xmm.esac.esa.int/external/xmm_science/AO14/
Note that joint time with NuSTAR, Swift, and INTEGRAL are all available as part of this AO.
Delay of Suzaku Cycle 10
The Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for the Suzaku Guest Observer Program has been released around early September of each year since cycle 2 (2006). As you may know, however, the electric power condition of Suzaku has become severe by degrees, and now the XIS and the HXD can be operated simultaneously only while the solar angle and the orbit both satisfy certain conditions. As a result, it is found that all observations of the targets with priority A and B cannot be completed by the end of March 2015. The operation team has started to consider further reduction of the electric power consumption, in order to increase the period during which contemporaneous XIS and HXD observations can be performed. In the meantime, the Steering Committee has decided to extend the currently running AO-9 cycle by two months. Accordingly, the next AO (AO-10) is now planned to be released around early November this year, followed by a proposal submission deadline in mid-January 2015. More info at: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/suzaku/news/ao10delay.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reports on Chalonge Schools
by Norma Sanchez (CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, LERMA)
Ecole Internationale d'Astrophysique Daniel Chalonge : On line Conferences, News and Highlights from the Chalonge CIAS Meudon Workshop 2014 in the historic Castle, Observatoire de Paris at Meudon, France, 4, 5 and 6 June 2014
Great enthousiasm in this new Workshop series with new results, new participants and a appealing cristalization of the Warm Dark Matter results.
HIGHLIGHTS :
3.5 keV line detection in the X-ray spectrum of galaxy clusters. keV lines from Warm Dark Matter theory and plans of detection with the Astro-H X-ray Observatory. Star forming signatures for Warm Dark Matter. Lensing high redshift WDM constraints. 21 cm line signatures. Sterile neutrino detection experiments including keV sterile neutrinos KATRIN, ECHO, HOLMES. The relic neutrino background experiment PTOLEMY. The Planck CMB data analysis is revisitated and corrected with neutrinos and sterile neutrinos. Non-relativistic approximation does work for Leptogenesis and baryon asymmetry with heavy neutrinos. Filamentary structures, surface density and scaling laws in interstellar clouds and WDM, star and galaxy formation.Galaxy equation of state, scaling laws, universal rotation curves and cored profiles remarkably observed and reproduced. Galaxy theory in remarkable agreement with observations includes the fermionic WDM quantum pressure.
The ON LINE PRESENTATIONS (in .pdf format) and poster presented by student Takanao Tsuyuki are available here http://chalonge.obspm.fr/Programme_CIAS2014.html
Contents: Peter BIERMANN , Dieter BODEKER, Esra BULBUL, Hector DE VEGA, Kai DOLDE, Anstasia FIALKOV, Loredana GASTALDO, Andrea GIACHERO, Marc KORZECZEK, Marco LOMBARDI, Yann MAMBRINI, Nicola MENCI, Andrei MESINGER, Fabio PACUCCI, Sinziana PADUROIU, Paolo SALUCCI, Norma G. SANCHEZ, Takayuki TAMURA, Takanao TSUYUKI, Christopher G. TULLY
The PHOTO ALBUM capturing moments of the stimulating atmosphere created by all lecturers and participants is available here http://chalonge.obspm.fr/albumCIAS2014/index.html
We thank all again, both lecturers and participants, for having contributed so much to this Workshop and we look forward to seeing you again in the next meetings of this series
NEW (August 2014) : A New Model to describe the galaxy structures "Newton, Fermi and Dirac meet together in galaxies through dark matter" http://www.obspm.fr/un-nouveau-modele-pour.html?lang=en
***
Highlights from the Chalonge School 18th Paris Colloquium 2014 held in Paris, Observatoire de Paris HQ, in the historic Perrault building, 23, 24 and 25 July 2014
CMB Observations and its implications for Cosmology: A Status Report. Polarisation of the Cosmic Microwave Background: Toward an Observational Proof of Cosmic Inflation. Beyond the Power Spectrum: Cosmology with Spectral Distortions and the PIXIE mission. Fermionic Warm Dark Matter and the Thomas-Fermi galaxy structure theory. Cosmological and astrophysical signatures of Warm Dark Matter. Galaxy Structure Observations and Cored Density Profiles. Changing Direction It is Time for Warm Dark Matter X-ray and Phase Space Density Constraints on the Properties of the Dark Matter Particle. The Fertile Phenomenology of Sterile Neutrinos. Gravitational lensing in Warm Dark Matter cosmology: the cross section for giant arcs.
Cosmology with Gaia. The dusty universe unveiled by Herschel. High energy sources in the epoch of reionization of the Universe Synergies between CMB and SKA radio observations . Observational overview on galaxy formation and evolution. Neutrino masses, phases and mixings: Theory vs. Experiments. A Status Report . Absolute scale of the active neutrino mass and the search of sterile neutrinos at the KATRIN experiment The tensor to scalar ratio and large scale power suppression from fast- roll initial conditions Warm Dark Matter Cosmology and Galaxy Theory in agreement with observations. New Results. Open Session. Panel Discussion on BICEP2. Cosmology Now and Tomorrow. The James Webb Space Telescope and the First Light.
The ON LINE PRESENTATIONS and POSTER presented by student Hareth Mahdi are available here: http://chalonge.obspm.fr/Programme_Paris2014.html
Contents : Peter BIERMANN, Daniel BOYANOVSKY,
Carlo BURIGANA, Christopher CONSELICE, Asantha COORAY, Hector DE VEGA, Gianluigi FOGLI, Gerard
GILMORE, Alan KOGUT, Eiichiro KOMATSU, Anthony LASENBY, Hareh MAHDI, Felix MIRABEL, Paolo SALUCCI,
Norma SANCHEZ, George SMOOT, Casey WATSON, Christian WEINHEIMER, Rogier WINDHORST
The ALBUM of PICTURES capturing moments of the stimulating atmosphere created by all lecturers and participants is available here: http://chalonge.obspm.fr/album2014/index.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, Workshops and Schools
8th Korean Astrophysics Workshop:
Astrophysics of High-Beta Plasma in the Universe
November 10-13, 2014
Shine Ville Resort, Jeju Island, Korea
http://sirius.unist.ac.kr/kaw8/
Joint Chandra Calibration/CIAO Workshop
Boston, 17 November 2014
Registration deadline: 15 October 2014
For more details check out the Chandra Calibration/CIAO Workshop website:
http://cxc.cfa.harvard.edu/ciao4.6/workshop/nov14/index.html)
or send email to ccc@cfa.harvard.edu
15 Years of Science with Chandra Symposium
*18-21 November, 2014Park Plaza, Boston *
The Symposium Registration is now open: deadline 15 October 2014
Please register at http://cxc.harvard.edu/symposium_2014/
First Andean School of Astronomy and Astrophysics: Modern overview of cosmology
(The talks will be mainly held in Spanish)
8-12 December 2014
Details at: http://departamentodefisicaeventos.epn.edu.ec/
Supernova Remnants: An Odyssey in Space after Stellar death
Chania, Crete, Greece, June 6-10, 2016
http://snr2016.astro.noa.gr/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you wish to share with IAU Div D any information about matters that may be relevant to the activities of Div D Members, please send e-mail to elena.pian@sns.it by *** December 21st, 2014 ***. This will appear in the next Bulletin issue, due January 1st, 2015.
Thank you in advance for your inputs and best regards.
Elena Pian
Secretary of IAU Div D Steering Committee
Associate Astronomer - INAF-IASF Bologna, Italy
www.iasfbo.inaf.it/~pian
elena.pian@sns.it