Letters of Intent received in 2016

LoI 2018-304
The Victor Hess Legacy: Particle Acceleration in Cosmic Plasmas

Topics

I Basic Theory of Astrophysical Particle Acceleration:
Diffusive Shock Acceleration, Turbulent Acceleration, Magnetic Reconnection, Plasma simulations of collisionless shocks, Particle Acceleration in lab plasma

II Solar and Heliospheric Cosmic Rays:
Solar Flares and CME, energetic particle acceleration and transport in the heliosphere, in-situ measurements in the heliosphere, space weather

III Particle Acceleration in Galactic Objects and Galactic Cosmic Rays:
Particle Acceleration in Supernova Remnants, Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Stellar Binary Systems, Galactic Center

IV Particle Acceleration in Extragalactic Objects:
Particle Acceleration in AGN jets, Gamma-ray Bursts, Intracluster Medium

Rationale

High energy particles are ubiquitous in cosmic plasmas. Since the discovery of cosmic rays by Victor Hess in 1912, much progress has been made on understanding particle acceleration in various astrophysical environments such as solar flares, the heliosphere, supernova remnants (SNR), pulsar wind nebulae (PWN), gamma-ray bursts (GRB), AGN jets, and galaxy clusters. This symposium will focus on recent advances in particle acceleration theory, including diffusive shock acceleration, plasma processes in collisionless shocks, turbulent acceleration, magnetic reconnection, and relativistic jets, and will examine their applications in astrophysics and their connection to laboratory plasma experiments.

1. Immediately after Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays in 1912, it became obvious that high energy particles are produced over an enormous range in energy by astronomical objects outside of the Earth. Since then, the origins of cosmic-ray particles have been fundamental yet outstanding problems in astrophysics.
2. It would be very timely to hold this symposium during the 30th General Assembly in Vienna, Austria to celebrate the discovery of cosmic rays about 100 years ago by Victor Hess, an Austrian-American physicist and to bring together astrophysicists at the forefront of research in different astronomical communities.
3. The proposed IAU symposium will emphasize the theoretical aspects of astrophysical accelerators, thereby complementing the biennial series of International Cosmic Ray Conferences, which covers a wide range of topics in high-energy astroparticle physics including large collaborative experimental efforts devoted to cosmic-ray, gamma-ray, neutrino, and dark matter detection.