Letters of Intent received in 2016

LoI 2018-1913
Nano Dust in Space and Astrophysics

Topics

The theme of this proposed Focus Meeting is related to studying the astrophysics of nano dust with space in-situ experiments, observations, and laboratory studies structured around the following topics:
Nano dust detection with observations
Nano dust dynamics and detection in situ space measurements
Nano dust properties derived from laboratory experiments and sample analysis
Nano dust in the mesosphere of Earth and atmospheres of planets
Nano dust physical processes: absorption, emission, excitation, destruction
Nano dust chemistry in space and planetary atmospheres

Rationale

Nano dust with sizes smaller than the wavelength of visible light and with a countable number of atoms, has different physical properties than larger dust and because of its large surface area compared to the small mass more efficiently interacts with particles and fields. For many years now nano dust was detected with in-situ instruments from spacecraft in different regions of the solar system (the heliosphere). A notable recent finding is that the nano dust in the heliosphere is deflected by and accelerated in the solar wind. In-situ measurements from sounding rockets also detect nano dust in the upper Earth atmosphere (mesosphere) where it forms from the remnants of impacting meteoroids while other, especially larger dust particles enter intact. Observational results suggest the presence also of nano dust in circumstellar debris disks under conditions similar to the inner heliosphere. Cosmic nano dust dominates the near- and mid-IR emission of the interstellar medium of the Milky Way and external galaxies and astronomical observations provide knowledge on its properties.
This Focus Meeting will bring together space physicists that study nano dust in the heliosphere with specialists from stellar astrophysics, interstellar medium studies as well as terrestrial mesospheric (upper atmospheric) studies to make progress in understanding nano dust particles by combining their knowledge on dust under a wide range of space conditions. Knowledge on the nano dust is also gained from studies of larger particles that progressed through laboratory astrophysics and analysis of returned samples.
A Focus Meeting during the IAU GA in Vienna provides the opportunity to start this multidisciplinary discussion and is also timely. The up-coming space missions Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus to be launched in 2018 are expected to provide unprecedented observations of the inner heliosphere where nano dust forms. The research on the dynamics of nano dust at present progresses motivated by the detection with space instruments on several different spacecraft. Observing near- and mid-IR interstellar medium emission which is dominated by nano dust is one focus of JWST also to be launched in 2018.
This proposal is brought forward by a group of researchers in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, chemistry and space physics. While some potential SOC members are from other disciplines (e.g. atmospheric chemistry), most have been active within the IAU for many years. The group members are organized within the IAU divisions B, E, F, and H and preparations for the Focus Meeting will be coordinated with the communities that they represent:

Nominations for the members of a candidate SOC:
Ingrid Mann, Norway – Co-Chair
Aigen Li, USA – Co - Chair
Anny Chantal Levasseur-Regourd, France
Alexander Tielens, The Netherlands
Chris Wright, Australia
Farid Salama, USA
Geraint H. Jones, United Kingdom
Joseph A. Nuth, USA
John Plane, United Kingdom
Sun Kwok, Hongkong
Thomas Pino, France
We propose a two-full day meeting during the 2018 GA in order to attract researcher from all the different disciplines involved.