Letters of Intent received in 2015

LoI 2017-266
Southern Horizons in Time-Domain Astronomy

Topics

1. Recent developments in TDA science, technologies and data
2. TDA-related developments in South Africa
3. Summaries of ongoing TDA activities, of all time-spans and frequencies
4. Overviews of new science from TDA, both realized and anticipated
5. TDA as a tool for education, citizen science and astronomy outreach
6. Serendipitous, periodic, secular and aperiodic variations, both as reviews and in focused workshops
7. New science by coordinating technology and collaboration
8. Handling and managing data from new surveys
9.Software tools for discovering and interpreting variability
10. Applying statistics to detect variations of any kind

Rationale

A substantial fraction of astronomical research involves the study of time-dependent variability. Numerous ground-based large-scale surveys such as Pan-STARRS, OGLE and LSST, and space-based ones such as MOST, Kepler, Gaia, TESS and XMM-Newton, are expressly investigating the time domain to measure events on all time-scales. Many of the time-domain analyses use similar techniques, but sometimes new methodologies are developed for one particular time-domain aspect and those need to be discussed and shared. IAU S285 (Oxford, 2011) came at a time when the analysis of many of those surveys was just beginning, and set the scene by surveying the whole gamut of time-domain astronomy (TDA) with reviews of past, present and future activities in those fields. It was particularly successful in bringing together expertise from many different branches of research in order to discuss commonalities of the observed phenomena and their interpretations, as well as broad applications of the techniques employed.

The ensuing six years have seen consolidation and growth in many TDA-related areas, and we now plan a Symposium on TDA that will focus on selected topics while still maintaining that uncustomary breadth of outlook. Topics for discussion will concentrate on, though not be restricted to, developments (both scientific and technological) that have occurred in the last six years, and what can reasonably be expected - or what should be occurring - during the next five. The innovative format plenary sessions in the morning, parallel workshops in the afternoon --that proved extremely popular at S285 will again be adopted.

The University of Cape Town and the South African Astronomical Observatory have offered co-to host the proposed Symposium. Research at those two facilities has always had a strong component of TDA, and will continue to do so in future. Since 2011, in particular, SALT has been operating in full observing mode with certain instruments specifically constructed for detecting rapid periodic events. Also since 2011, the decision was made to place half of the SKA in South Africa; its precursor telescope, MeerKAT, is now largely constructed and operations are planned to commence in mid-2017. The Symposium is therefore expected to have substantial input from the radio astronomy community, while also anticipating an increasing focus on Galactic features that are rarely the topics of meetings held in the North. One major focus will be the specific new science expected from SA's new installations in the framework of global TDA projects and networks. Contributions from amateur astronomers are especially significant in South Africa, and will be featured. In addition, the topic of Variability lends itself well to citizen science and public outreach, so the Symposium will benefit too from contacts through the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development, also located at the SAAO in Cape Town. The involvement of students on the LOC will be strongly encouraged, as will (in return) student presentations on their own TDA projects. Participants from the University of the North-West and the University of Johannesburg, where TDA astronomical research is the major study, are also expected to contribute.

November 2017 sees the annual meeting, in Cape Town, of the SALT Board of Directors, and also the pan-African annual SKA South Africa postgraduate bursary conference in nearby Stellenbosch, and we propose to hold our Symposium back-to-back so as to enable wide participation by interested astronomers from across the continent. (The dates given above are only provisional). The venue will either be a Cape Town hotel with suitable conference facilities, or (more likely) one of the out-of-town conference centres such as Stellenbosch. The dual advantage of the latter is the lower cost compared to a downtown hotel, and the fact that the Symposium can be entirely accommodated on-site and can effectively take over the facilities for the duration of the meeting. Transport to/from Cape Town Airport (actually on the side of the city near to Stellenbosch) can be organized.

The co-Chairs and the current members of the SOC all have experience in planning and organizing major international meetings. The Chair of the LOC will be the Head of Department (Professor Woudt) from UCT; his Department will be able to look after financial arrangements.