• Philipp Richter (Uni Potsdam): Exploring the gaseous Universe with absorption-line spectroscopy
• Noam Libeskind (AIP): The orientation of satellite galaxies: problems, solutions, and open questions
• Stefan Harst (ZAA, TU-Berlin): Modelling star clusters in extreme interstellar environments
• Alexander Warmuth (AIP): Constraining energy release and particle acceleration in solar flares with hard X-ray observations

Potsdam University, Campus Golm

The 4MOST consortium invites the astronomical community to a workshop on Science with Large Area Spectroscopic Surveys to develop the specific needs for spectroscopic survey facilities in the next decade. This three-day workshop (13-15 Nov 2012) held at the AIP, Potsdam, will enable discussions between scientists from all astronomical fields from both inside and outside the 4MOST consortium, in order to ensure that the capabilities and observational strategies of 4MOST will satisfy the largest range of science opportunities as foreseen by the broader astronomical community.

AIP, Potsdam

Potsdam, Germany

Prospective participants, of any level of seniority, are invited to submit a short abstract of up to 400 words for a poster to be exhibited during the summer school. The poster may report research results or describe work in progress including research plans for new students. Invitations to applicants will be issued after the abstract deadline of 12 August after review by the Science Organising Committee. Preference will be given to abstracts dealing with the main theme of the school - the application of photonics to astronomy.

Schloss Wiesenburg, Wiesenburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Stellar analysis in the Gaia-ESO Survey: towards the first Data Release

The advent of truly large single-fiber spectroscopic as well as multi-wavelength photometric surveys has boosted our understanding of galaxy formation/evolution. The technical possibilities of Integral Field spectrsocopy have the potential to provide another such boost. The goal of this conference is to provide an overview over the range of topics susceptible to be adressed through IFS surveys. We aim to bring together all significant players involved in on-going or future IFS surveys, to take stock of what has already been achieved, what are the immediate perspectives and what might be promises of the future. We also aim to bring in interested scientists from the community, working both in observations and theory, to help develop awareness of the possibilities and to trigger theoretical effort capable of making full use of the observational advances.

Inselhotel Potsdam, Germany

The first STIX-Team meeting of the year has been held at Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP). During this meeting 43 attendees from almost all over Europe discussed all STIX-related issues, such as, management, instrument design, fabrication, software programming and parts procurement.

AIP, Potsdam

The search for high-z galaxies is now entering its maturity, with thousands of sources having being found at z>4. However, both observationally and theoretically, the nature of these sources, their dust enrichment and their impact on the intergalactic medium remain open to debate. The goal of this meeting will be, first, to reach a consensus on our understanding of these objects that have already been observed, and secondly, to summarize the advances expected when state of the art instruments including HST, MUSE, JWST and ALMA come together online.

The investigation of magnetic fields of stars and exoplanets is benefiting greatly from recent advances in high-resolution spectroscopy and polarimetry as well as high-performance computing. This conference will bring together active researchers involved in theoretical and observational studies of stellar and exoplanetary magnetic fields. In the tradition of Potsdam Thinkshops, the conference will offer an efficient exchange of latest results and enough room for discussions of future approaches in between the presentations. The meeting focuses in particular on the stimulation of collaborations among the participants.

AIP, Potsdam, Germany

AIP Campus Babelsberg, Potsdam

Physics of Sun and Star Spots is the first IAU symposium to bring together these two research fields in order to exchange information and promote greater understanding in each field. With plenty of past and current research as well as new instrumentation coming online, this is an exciting time for the study of both sun and star spots. Science topics include the formation and decay of sunspots, solar and stellar magnetism, observational techniques, and a unified approach to understanding sun and star spots.

Los Angeles, United States

The 12th MHD Days are hosted by the Astrophysical Institute of Potsdam, Germany, on Tuesday and Wednesday, 8-9 December, 2009. The workshop focuses on astrophysical and geophysical MHD problems and is open for any related topic of MHD flows and experiments. The conference venue is the lecture hall of the AIP. The conference language is English.

AIP, Potsdam, Germany

Spectroscopy has a long tradition in Potsdam and is a key method in modern astrophysical research throughout all wavelengths. Applications range from the measurements of magnetic fields on the surface of the Sun over detailed measurements of abundances in stellar atmospheres to the kinematics of the universe on its largest scales. Spectroscopic facilities are key utilities on space and ground based telescopes, and future observational landmarks such as ALMA and the E-ELT primarily focus on spectroscopic methods. The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft (AG) in the International Year of Astronomy 2009 is devoted to 'Deciphering the Universe through Spectroscopy'.

Campus Griebnitzsee, Potsdam, Germany

The formation of galaxies is the result of the complex interaction of many different processes. Observations at different frequencies trace different galactic constituents, while semianalytic models of galaxy formation are an attempt to combine these different aspects into a coherent picture of galaxy formation in a cosmological context. Theoretical arguments and hydrodynamic simulations have brought a new comprehension of the way galaxies accrete and cease to accrete gas. These developments have also renewed interest for some key open problems in galaxy formation: the link between stellar populations and dynamical evolution, the formation of massive star forming galaxies at high redshift, the formation of discs, and the thermal and chemical evolution of the intergalactic and intracluster medium. The workshop "Open Problems In Galaxy Formation" will bring together the different perspectives of theorists and observers from all wavelengths in order to identify the outstanding problems where we can make substantial progress in the next five years, also thanks to new observing facilities such as MUSE, ALMA, and the JWST, and to promote a closer collaboration between theory and observations.

Mercure Hotel, Potsdam, Germany

This workshop of the AAO, the AIP, the ANU, and the University of Sydney will discuss the study of the history of our Milky Way Galaxy and the Local Group using large-scale surveys of the velocities and physical parameters of stars. What was the sequence and process of formation of the Galaxy? What can we learn from substructures identified in the disc and halo of our Galaxy? How do galactic bulges form? Can we find examples of the first stars in our Galaxy, and how do they relate to the formation of the metal-poor galactic halo? How is the chemistry of stars related to their ages? And, most fundamentally, what can our Galaxy tell us about the validity of our cosmological standard model (and thus the nature of dark matter and dark energy) on small scales? The workshop will also have the pleasant additional function of celebrating the contributions of Professors Mike Bessell and John Norris of the Australian National University.

Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia

Magnetic fields in star-forming regions; the multi-scale field of the Sun and its interior; the Jupiter-Io system; heliospheric and interplanetary fields; Earth's magnetic field; surface fields of cool and hot stars and of degenerate objects; planetary-nebulae shaping by magnetic fields, jet and accretion-disk fields: from stars to AGNs and beyond; fields around stellar black holes and magnetars, Supernovae, the magnetic field of the galactic center; the galactic field; fields of spiral galaxies; instrumentation and techniques for measuring magnetic fields across all wavelengths, from the ground and space, with emphasis on soon-to-come facilities (optical, IR, FIR/sub-mm, radio).

Puerto Santiago, Tenerife, Spain

RHESSI is a NASA Small Explorer Mission dedicated to the study of particle acceleration and explosive energy release in solar flares. The satellite was launched by a Pegasus rocket into a low earth orbit on February 5, 2002. The 8th RHESSI Workshop will take place at the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (AIP), situated in the Babelsberg suburb of Potsdam, Germany, on September 2-6, 2008. The event is being organized by the AIP Solar Radio Group.

AIP, Potsdam, Germany

The Network of European Observatoires in the North is pleased to announce a workshop on Integral Field Unit observations and data reduction. The aim is to provide the opportunity for potential IFU users to obtain practical experience in observational techniques, data reduction and analysis. Various types of IFU set-ups will be represented (e.g., fibre instruments, lens arrays, slicers) and participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups on data from instruments of their choice, under the direction of experienced tutors.

AIP, Potsdam, Germany

The splinter meeting includes sessions on LBT instrumentation, key science projects, and future exploitation of the LBT.

Würzburg, Germany