FIR Fine Structure
Lines Workshop

A workshop on far-IR fine-structure lines

The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) is happy to announce a workshop on far-IR fine-structure lines. This 4 day conference will take place June 8th - June 11th, 2015, at the Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany.

This meeting will review recent observational and theoretical results of studies on fine-structure lines as probes of the ISM physics. We aim to bring together a diverse community with both modelers and observers, ranging from Galactic environments, to nearby galaxies, and to the high-redshift universe.

Invited speakers

Tanio Diaz Santos (Univ. Diego Portales, Chile)
Jacqueline Fischer (Navel Research Lab., United States)
Rowin Meijerink (Leiden Univ., Netherlands)
Tohru Nagao (Ehime University, Japan)
Sarah Ragan (Univ. of Leeds, United Kingdom)
JD Smith (Toledo Univ., United States)

Follow us on Twitter (#fsl2015_hd) and Facebook (here).

This workshop is generously supported by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Priority Program 1573.

Rationale

The far-IR fine-structure lines (e.g. [CII] 158 µm, [OIII] 88 µm, [NII] 122 µm, etc.) are powerful probes of the physical conditions of the various ionized, atomic, and molecular phases of the interstellar medium (ISM) in which they arise. They are usually optically thin and weakly affected by extinction due to dust. As such, these lines serve as important coolants of their respective phases of the ISM - in some cases they are the dominant coolants. Given their brightness, the FIR fine-structure lines are potentially a vital tool in studying the physics of gas and its connection with star formation both in our own and in other galaxies, even at the earliest epochs of the universe. Yet if we are to to fully realize this potential we must address the open questions posed by early work (e.g., what causes the «CII Deficit»?).

The astrophysical power of the FIR fine-structure lines and desire to address open questions surrounding them motivate this workshop. Exciting results from Herschel studies of the FIR fine-structures lines in nearby systems (e.g. KINGFISH, GOALS, GOT C+) are now regularly appearing in press, while high-z detections of the lines with ALMA, PdBI, Herschel, ZEUS, etc. are now nearly commonplace. Furthermore, SOFIA is making important observations of the lines in the Milky Way via the GREAT and FIFI-LS instruments.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together modelists and observers who use far-IR fine-structure lines to understand the physics of the ISM both at small and large scales, from Galactic environment to local galaxies and to the highest redshifts. In particular, we will discuss:

1. Observational results on far-IR fine-structure lines in the Milky Way, in nearby galaxies, and at high-z.
2. Theory and models of fine-structure line emission.
3. Power and limits of fine-structure lines as probes of the ISM physics.
4. The future of fine-structure line studies in the light of the next generation of instruments.

Registration form

Registration is now closed. We look forward to see you in Heidelberg!

Workshop program

The workshop program is available here (full version, including abstracts) and here (without abstracts). Keynote talks will be 25 min long + 5 min for questions; contributed talks will be 15+5 min.

Unconference proceeding

In order to summarize and share the outcomes of the workshop, while sparing the participants the burden of writing individual proceedings, we plan to jointly write an "unconference" proceeding. On the final day of the workshop we have time scheduled so that we can break into groups based on session topic and jointly write a short summary of what was presented on the workshop and what is next for the study for the FIR fine-structure lines. Afterwards the organizing committee will edit the document and post to the arxiv. Given the very exciting working currently ongoing with the FIR fine-structure lines, we think the unconference proceeding from this workshop will be a very helpful document for future studies. We have prepared a blank form for the proceeding (available here) that can be updated by all the participants.

Social dinner

The social dinner will take place on Wednesday, June 10, at Semann's, on a boat on the Neckar River. The restaurant is about 15 minute walk from the workshop hotels, or can be reached by taking the city buses (lines 31, 32 or 35) from Bismarckplatz to the Kongresshaus bus stop. A map with the relevant locations is available here.

Important dates

Abstract Submission Deadline: Monday, February 16th, 2015

Final Program Announced: Monday, March 2nd, 2015

Hotel Reservation Deadline: Wednesday, April 15th, 2015

Registration Open: Monday, March 2nd, 2015

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 1st, 2015

Workshop: June 8-11, 2015

The venue

The conference will take place at the Haus der Astronomie, a unique Centre for Astronomy Education and Outreach in Heidelberg, Germany. Its distinctive design is inspired by the spiral arms and bulge of the Whirpool galaxy. The Haus der Astronomie is located on the Königstuhl mountain, right next to the MPIA institute. The workshop will take place in the central lecture theatre, the Klaus Tschira Auditorium, which seats an audience of 100 and features a digital planetarium system. Several small meeting rooms will also available to participants for unconferenced discussions.

Accommodation

Heidelberg is a touristic jewel. As such, finding good accommodation in Summer time may not be trivial. We reserved blocks of rooms in a few hotels close to the city center (see below) and very close to the pick up point of the workshop bus (see the Transportation page of this web site for more information). In order to benefit from reduced prices, please reserve your rooms before April 15th, 2015 using the reservation code FSL_2015. All the prices listed here include breakfast.

This is a map of Heidelberg, showing the location of the hotels:

(powered by viamichelin).

Getting to Heidelberg

The nearest international airport to Heidelberg is Frankfurt Airport. There are three simple ways to get to and from the airport to Heidelberg.

1. The TLS shuttle is a shared-taxi service that will meet you at the airport and will drive you direct to your hotel in Heidelberg. It costs 35€ (one way) and requires booking in advance.
2. The Lufthansa Shuttle is a bus connection between the Frankfurt airport and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Heidelberg. It leaves at specific times from a stop outside the arrivals area in Terminal 1 and will leave you close to Bismarckplatz in Heidelberg. Passengers who flight with Lufthansa benefit from a reduced fare (21€ one way, instead of 24€).
3. The cheapest option is the train. There a several direct trains to Heidelberg from Frankfurt Airport, and many more which require only a small change at Mannheim (close to Heidelberg). Fares range between 19€ and 25€ (one way, for a second class ticket).

Apart from Frankfurt airport, you can reach Heidelberg via Stuttgart airport, and then with a train.

Heidelberg is also served by many international trains, either directly or via Mannheim.

Transporation to the workshop venue

A bus will pick up the participants near Bahnhofstrasse, behind the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and deliver them at the conference venue. The exact location of the bus stop meeting point is marked on this map. The bus will run with the following schedule:

June 8: departure from Crown Plaza Hotel 8:30 - return: 18:00
June 9: departure from Crown Plaza Hotel 8:30 - return: 18:00
June 10: departure from Crown Plaza Hotel 8:30 - return: 17:45
June 11: departure from Crown Plaza Hotel 9:00 - return: 13:50.

Alternatively, the participants can reach the conference venue with public transportation:

1. Taking the 39 bus from Bismarckplatz / Rohrbacher Str., you get off at the bus stop Sternwarte, and then walk for 5 min across the Observatory buildings until you reach MPIA.
2. Alternatively, with the 30 bus from Uniplatz, which arrives directly at MPIA.

Local Organising Committee

Roberto Decarli
Carl Ferkinhoff
Maria Kapala
Laura Zschaechner

Contacts

To contact the organizers, please send an email to
fsl2015 at mpia.de