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 S.F. Sánchez & A. Riera |
ANNOUNCEMENT |
The XVII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics (WS), organized by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), is dedicated to the emerging observing technique of Integral Field Spectroscopy (3D Spectroscopy), with the aim of facilitating the use of this technique for forefront research. The WS welcomes a maximum of 70 PhD students and young Post-Docs, and provides each year a unique opportunity for the participants to broaden their knowledge in a key field of Astronomy.
The goal of the XVII Winter School is to inform young researchers about the scientific potential of Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) in the Optical and NIR. Latest scientific results obtained with IFS and possible future applications will be presented as a motivation into the subject. The students will receive an overview about 3D technologies and instrumentation. They will be familiarised with the newest techniques for data reduction and analysis. Practical details about the available instrumentation, observational procedures, and data analysis packages will be given. This school is supported by the Euro3D Research Training Network "Promoting 3D Spectroscopy in Europe" http://www.aip.de/Euro3D/
Integral Field Spectroscopy (also known as 3D Spectroscopy or Spectral Imaging) is a technique that allows one to simultaneously obtain a collection of spectra from a number of spatial elements, covering a 2-dimensional region on the sky. It combines the two classical observing techniques of “Direct Imaging” and “Spectroscopy” into one. The method, developed during several decades, has reached its maturity with recent technological advances to tackle a range of cutting-edge astronomical problems.
However, many astronomers are still unfamiliar with the application of IFS in Astronomy. We lack among young researchers the expertise required to reduce and to interpret 3D data. Therefore, the WS goals are :
(i) to provide a comprehensive
overview of state-of-the-art 3D instrumentation
(ii) to introduce new and powerful data analysis tools for the efficient evaluation
of 3D data sets
(iii) to show the potential of this observational technique in current Astronomy,
presenting selected examples of forefront science cases
The Winter School will particularly emphasize the practical aspects of observation, data reduction and analysis in IFS. There will be a hands-on tutorial, presenting practical examples of all relevant steps from the planning of observations, observing, data reduction and analysis to the presentation of the results.
To achieve these goals, the WS lectures will be given by nine experienced scientists who are actively working on a variety of forefront research projects, of both theoretical and observational nature, and who have played a key role in major advances of IFS over the recent years.
The school is primarily intended for doctoral students and recent postdocs in any field of research in Astronomy. Participants of the WS will have the opportunity to display their current work by presenting a poster contribution (1m square panels). Dedicated sessions to discuss some of the posters might be organized within the WS.
The WS will take place in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain). The lectures will be delivered in English and will be published subsequently in a dedicated monograph. Speakers will present their topics in a series of five or six lectures. Strong emphasis will be given to interaction between speakers and students through discussion sessions, coffee breaks, and some excursions. Visits to the IAC's Headquarter in La Laguna, the Teide Observatory in Tenerife and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma will be scheduled as part of the activities, with a focus on instruments involved in IFS.
The registration fee is Euro 1300.-, which covers the Conference Fee and full-board accommodation. Other WS activities and a copy of the monograph will be provided at no additional charge.
Those interested in attending
the WS should send a Curriculum
Vitae, a short summary of their current research project and a letter
of reference from their thesis advisor, or Head of Department, by
filling out the web forms in above links or by mailing to the address below.
These should reach the IAC before June 30th.
Selected candidates will be informed by July 30th.
