The Early Phase of Star Formation
The MPIA conference series at Ringberg Castle, Germany
                   
EPoS 2008 Objectives
Given the importance of stars in astronomy, it seems surprizing that there is still no generally accepted paradigm for the initial phase of the star formation process.

There is ample evidence from observations and theory that the star formation might be influenced or even controlled by the interplay of gravitation, magnetic fields, radiation, chemistry, and turbulence. But it remains to be identified which processes dominate the initial phase of the stellar formation.

While in the previous meeting, general aspects of the field have been reviewed with a focus on errors induced by approximations, EPoS 2008 aims to explore the future of the field.

Special attention will be paid to the observational and theoretical perspectives promising substantial progress in the field.

The conference focuses on early low- and high-mass star formation. The topics covered are: triggered star formation, clustered star formation, cores, chemistry, collapse, fragmentation, jets, competitive accretion, giant molecular clouds, binarity, magnetic fields, initial mass function, turbulence, and early phases of disks.
The EPoS way: Large group, small room, remote location. Consider all aspects. Short talks, intense discussions.