Physics of the Interstellar Medium

Transcription

1 Proposal to establish a DFG priority program Physics of the Interstellar Medium Figure 1: This figure shows the star forming region NGC 602 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Potsdam University leads a large observational program with the Chandra X-ray satellite to study this star-forming region. Total duration of funding: 2 3years Program Committee Prof. Andreas Burkert (Coordinator, University of Munich) Prof. (Vice-Coordinator, University of Heidelberg) Prof. Thomas Henning (MPIA, Heidelberg) Dr. Cornelia Jäger (University of Jena) Prof. Karl Menten (MPIfR, Bonn) Prof. Sebastian Wolf (University of Kiel)

2 Time line of DFG priority program 1573 Physics of the Interstellar Medium November 15, 2009: proposal was submitted May 2010: established by DFG (altogether 13 out of 64 proposals are funded) today/tomorrow: general discussion of ISM SPP November 2010: call for proposals for period I ( ) January / February 2011: deadline for proposal submission April / May 2011: kick-off meeting and proposal evaluation June / July 2011: funding starts for period I ( ) Central entry point: ISM-SPP website

3 Here is a short summary of the letter. The committee especially acknowledges that this is an excellent SPP proposal that fulfills all criteria for a priority program. The ISM is of fundamental relevance for astrophysics in general. Interest in ISM research has grown substantially over the past years. The aim of this proposal is a comprehensive physical understanding of the ISM. The proposed research projects are highly significant and topical and have been carved out clearly. The proposal has managed to combine in an excellent way internationally well established experts in different areas of ISM research, observers, theorists and experimental astrophysicists, with a convincing and well balanced mix of junior and senior scientists. A special strength of the proposal is the idea that larger projects should be supported by at least two project leaders with complementary research experience/interests. Excellent and convincing instruments have been proposed for cooperation: international visitor program, topical workshops, internet platform for data exchange, summer schools...

4 Time line of DFG priority program 1573 Physics of the Interstellar Medium November 15, 2009: proposal was submitted May 2010: established by DFG (altogether 13 out of 64 proposals are funded) today/tomorrow: general discussion of ISM SPP November 2010: call for proposals for period I ( ) January / February 2011: deadline for proposal submission April / May 2011: kick-off meeting and proposal evaluation June / July 2011: funding starts for period I ( ) Central entry point: ISM-SPP website

5 Long-term goals of DFG priority program 1573 Physics of the Interstellar Medium The aim of the ISM SPP is to combine the expertise of researchers in Germany who work on different aspects of ISM physics, investigate experimentally, observationally, and theoretically how various physical processes interact with one another and shape the ISM, and to develop a deep and comprehensive physical understanding of the dynamical, nonlinear, multi-phase ISM that provides a solid base for many fields of astrophysics.

6 ISM SPP rests on 3 pillars: Laboratory studies related to the evolution of the ISM: Research in this area will provide basic data of molecular and ionic reactions as well as transition frequencies and data on dust physics, required for the physical and chemical description of the ISM. Observations are the key to constrain theoretical models and give insight into the structure of the ISM and its dependence on galactic environment. Theory and numerical simulations of the ISM: Various physical ISM processes and especially their coupling are poorly understood and need to be investigated in greater detail. Numerical simulations will determine the spatial density structure and the dynamics of the multi-phase ISM, allowing a detailed comparison with observations.

7 ISM SPP key questions: Which are the drivers of turbulence in the ISM and how does turbulence affect the morphology and the energy of the ISM on different scales? What is the intrinsic structure of molecular clouds? How do molecular clouds form and evolve? How do interstellar dust grains and molecules form and evolve in the ISM and how do they affect physical processes in the ISM? How do stars interact with and shape the multi-phase ISM? How are the processes in the ISM affected by magnetic fields? How do cosmic rays interact with the ISM and many more... This includes Galactic as well as extragalactic studies!

8 ISM SPP proposed budget: personal costs: equivalent of 30 positions TVL 13 (idea: two PIʼs together apply for about on postdoc and one PhD student) special hardware items: VISTA, laboratory items, medium-sized computer cluster travel money: euro / year (~ euro / year per team) funds for workshops: ~ euro / year visitor program: euro / year publication charges: euro / year central organization: 1 position TVL 13 Total proposed budget ~ euro / year

9 ISM splinter meeting today / tomorrow The goal of the ISM splinter meeting at the AG Tagung is to introduce SPP 1573 to the German astronomical community, and bring together scientists interested in this exciting field of research in order to synchronize and exchange ideas about potential SPP projects. It is important that everybody has the opportunity to formulate his or her ideas and present proposals for potential cooperations. Therefore, there will be a staccato of short presentations (7 minutes talks + 3 minutes discussion). We ask all speakers to focus mainly on discussing future research plans and on introducing possible SPP projects.

10 Program of ISM splinter meeting

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