ASPEN

CENTER FOR PHYSICS

 

2006 Winter Conference

on

Cosmology

February 5-11, 2006

 

LOCAL GROUP COSMOLOGY

 

This Conference seeks to explore what we can hope to learn about the formation and evolution of galaxies from resolved observations of the Local Group, i.e. cosmology in the near field. The oldest stars in the Local Group are of an age similar to the look-back time of the most distant galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Major new survey instruments are revealing a vast amount of chemical and phase space information in local galaxies, much of it laid down by conditions in the early universe.

 

All sky photometric surveys have discovered new structures throughout the Local Group. NASA's space telescopes are yielding new insights into the outer parts of galaxies. Chemical studies of halo and dwarf spheroidal stars are giving us important clues about the nature of the First Stars and how the reionization epoch unfolded. Will we be able to interpret these data within a consistent evolutionary framework?

 

This conference will bring together leading observers and theorists to discuss the wealth of new observations available from space-based and ground-based observatories as well as the most recent generation of advanced supercomputer simulations.

 

Application Deadline is October 30, 2005

 

Applications and further information may be obtained from

www.aspenphys.org

Completed applications are to be sent to

jbh@aao.gov.au

 

Organizer

Joss Bland-Hawthorn            Anglo-Australian Observatory

 

Scientific Organizing Committee

K. Freeman                                      Mount Stromlo Observatory

J. Dalcanton                                     University of Washington

A.  Helmi                                             Kapteyn Astronomical Institute

R.  Wyse                                            Johns Hopkins University

K. Sembach                                     Space Telescope Science Inst

M. Steinmetz                                  Astrophysics Institute, Potsdam

 

The Aspen Center for Physics is committed to a significant participation by women and under-represented groups in all of the CenterŐs programs.


Aspen Center for Physics

700 West Gillespie Street

Aspen, CO 81611

phone: 970.925.2585             fax: 970.920.1167        email: jane@aspenphys.org