Conference Service Mandl

abstract: The last decade has witnessed rapid progress in the astrophysical study of black holes. Observations have shown that many nearby galaxies host supermassive black holes at their centers, and have established an intimate link between the masses of the black holes and the properties of their host galaxies. Measurements in the high-energy X-ray regime have allowed us to study the conditions of matter in the immediate vicinity of black holes, and to probe down to scales very close to the actual event horizon of black holes. Breakthroughs in numerical relativity have made it possible, for the first time, to compute the merging of two supermassive black holes. Within the next ten years, ground-based gravitational wave detectors like LIGO and VIRGO will begin making regular observations of merging stellar-mass black holes out to redshifts of ~0.3, giving us our first-ever direct view of the black holes themselves. Future space-based observatories like IXO will measure X-rays from the first accreting massive black holes in the Universe, while LISA will detect gravitational waves from coalescing supermassive black hole binaries throughout the Universe. Gravitational wave and electromagnetic astronomy have previously been rather disjoint fields of research. A key goal of this seminar is to bring together researchers in these two fields, and to provide a forum for lively discussions, with an emphasis on the electromagnetic and gravitational wave signatures of strong gravity.

abstract: This is the twelfth in the series of Solar-Terrestrial Physics Symposia organized by SCOSTEP (Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics). They are held on an approximately quadrennial basis. The main goal of SCOSTEP is to organize scientific programs in the solar-terrestrial environment. The current program is Climate and Weather in the Sun-Earth System (CAWSES), which has the overall goals of fostering a scientific approach to understanding the short term (Space Weather) and long term (Space Climate) variability of the integrated solar-terrestrial environment, and for its societal applications and CAWSES-II: Toward Solar Maximum runs from 2009 to 2013.

abstract: The conference on the "Physics and Astrophysics of Neutron Stars and Black Holes" is meant as satellite meeting directly preceding (July 16 and 17, 2010) the 38th COSPAR scientific assembly which takes place in Bremen from July 18 to 25, 2010. The meeting will take place at Jacobs University Bremen. The intention is to bring together world-leading experts on topics related to neutron stars and black holes for a focussed meeting aimed at the exchange of ideas and recent results.

abstract: New Insights into the Physics of Supernova Remnants and Pulsar Wind Nebulae

abstract: Variability has been and still is a key issue in AGN science and extragalactic astrophysics. Simultaneous multiwavelength observations of changes in the radiation emission from AGN are of paramount importance in understanding the nature and the evolution of these sources, to break the spectral degeneracy, and to find correlations between different emission components. The recent discovery of very short time variability - on minutes timescales - at TeV energies by HESS and MAGIC is a hot topic.

Present and forthcoming high-energy satellites (Fermi, AGILE, Swift, INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton, Chandra, Suzaku and the planned missions like NuStar, EXIST, Astro-H, IXO and many others) will play a crucial role in studying the variability at different energies (optical to X- and gamma-rays) and timescales.

In the low energy band (radio) a large improvement will come from the VLBI from space, which is expected to improve our knowledge of the physical conditions in the central SMBH and in the accretion disk regions. Both the Japanese satellite VSOP2 and the Russion satellite RADIOASTRON are expected to provide, in collaboration with ground-based radio telescopes, images at micro-arcsecond scales.

A comparison between multiwavelength observations from gamma-rays to radio bands will offer the unique opportunity to discuss