*** IAU Division D Bulletin N. 8: January 1st, 2016 ***

 

INDEX:

 

* LAXPC on ASTROSAT

* Meeting report: Extragalactic relativistic jets: cause and effect

* Sgr A* monitoring in July 2016

* AHEAD Announcement of Opportunity Cycle 1

* Upcoming Meetings

 

 

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* LAXPC on ASTROSAT

 

ASTROSAT is India's first dedicated astronomy space mission, which was launched on September 28, 2015. The Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) instrument became fully operational on October 19, 2015 and the instrument is functioning normally. After switch on, we performed purification of detector gas and gain adjustment, which responded well and detector energy resolution improved to 10-14% at 30 keV. We also did in orbit calibration by observing the Iron line in CAS A (supernova remnant), which suggests about 20% energy resolution at 6.4 keV. The background is very stable. We did a cross scan across the Crab, which suggests that all three LAXPC detectors are aligned within 8 arc min based on preliminary analysis. We observed the standard source the Crab nebula, 4U 0115+63; a pulsar, few black hole X-ray binaries like GRS 1915+105, Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3 and have got high quality data.

 

 

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*  Meeting report: Extragalactic relativistic jets: cause and effect

 

The International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) - TIFR program on “Extragalactic Relativistic Jets: Cause and Effect”, which was organized in partnership with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), was held on the new ICTS campus in Hesaraghatta, north Bangalore, from 12-20 October 2015.

 

A brief Report of the meeting can be found here -

https://www.icts.res.in/media/uploads/Program/Files/ERG2015-Report.pdf

 

 

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* Sgr A* monitoring in July 2016

 

The Spitzer Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have allocated time for simultaneous monitoring of Sgr A*, the variable source at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.  The plan is to have two campaigns lasting 24 hours each.  Further details are at

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/irac/gc/

 

We invite others interested in monitoring Sgr A* to consider

scheduling observations during the Spitzer/Chandra monitoring in

order to enhance the value of all data sets.

 

 

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* AHEAD Announcement of Opportunity Cycle 1

 

The AHEAD (Integrated Activities for High Energy Astrophysics*) project solicits proposals for its program of transnational visits. This program offers access to some of the best European test and calibration facilities, training/mentoring on X-ray data analysis and visits of

scientists/ engineers at all expertise levels.

 

AO-1 Call Opening:      10 December 2015

Submission Deadline:    15 January 2016, 17:00 CET

 

Three main calls are included in this AO.  For further information and links to the three AO-1 Calls:

http://ahead.iaps.inaf.it/?page_id=210

 

* AHEAD is a Research Infrastructure Program funded by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union. Its main goal is to integrate and open research infrastructures for high energy Astrophysics. For general information on AHEAD:

http://ahead.iaps.inaf.it/

 

 

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* Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, Workshops and Schools

 

 

Neutron Stars : A Pathfinder Workshop

6-13 January, 2016 : Pedagogic School

14-15 January, 2016 : Discussion Meeting

NCRA-TIFR, Pune, India

http://www.ncra.tifr.res.in:8081/~sushan/nsws16.html

 

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11th meeting for International Astronomical Consortium for High

Energy Calibration (IACHEC)

February 29 - March 3, 2016

Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India

http://www.iucaa.ernet.in/iachec/index.html

 

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XMM-Newton: The Next Decade

May 9-11, 2016

European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Madrid, Spain

http://xmmworkshop.esa.int/

 

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The first XIPE science meeting

May 24-26, 2016

Valencia, Spain

http://www.isdc.unige.ch/xipe/index.php/home

 

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Supernova Remnants: An Odyssey in Space after Stellar death

June 6-10, 2016

Chania, Crete, Greece

http://snr2016.astro.noa.gr/

 

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Active Galactic Nuclei: What's in a name?

June 27 - July 1, 2016

ESO, Garching, Germany

http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2016/AGN2016

 

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16th Canadian Conference on General Relativity and Relativistic Astrophysics (CCGRRA16)

July 6-8, 2016

Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada

http://www.sfu.ca/physics/cosmology/CCGRRA-16/

 

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The Multi-Messenger Astrophysics of the Galactic Centre (IAU Symp. 322)

July 18-22, 2016

Palm Cove, Far North Queensland, Australia

http://galacticcentre.space/

 

 

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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 an e-mail to A.L.Watts@uva.nl by *** March 21st, 2016 ***.  This will appear in the next Bulletin issue, due April 1st, 2016. Thank you in advance for your inputs, and best regards.

 

Anna Watts

Secretary of IAU Div D Steering Committee

Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam

A.L.Watts@uva.nl

http://staff.fnwi.uva.nl/a.l.watts/