Newsletter Issue 2/2019

(Re)solving the jet/cocoon riddle of a gravitational wave event

An international research team has combined radio telescopes from five continents on 12 March 2018 to prove the existence of a narrow stream of material, a so-called jet, emerging from the only gravitational wave event involving two neutron stars observed so far. The observations leading to this research result have received funding from RadioNet under the Transnational Access programme.

„Within Europe we utilize the RadioNet consortium for an efficient use of our members’ radio telescopes. The observations described here combine radio observatories all over Europe and worldwide. They require quite a bit of effort in coordination and infrastructure for achieving such excellent results”, explains Prof J. Anton Zensus, director at MPIfR and the coordinator of the RadioNet consortium.

The results are published in Science; G. Ghirlanda, et al.

© Artist’s impression of the jet of material launched after the merger of the two neutron stars; Katharina Immer (JIV-ERIC)

New sky map detects hundreds of thousands of unknown galaxies

An international team of more than 200 astronomers from 18 countries has published the first phase of a major new radio sky survey at unprecedented sensitivity using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope. The survey reveals hundreds of thousands of previously undetected galaxies, shedding new light on many research areas including the physics of black holes and how clusters of galaxies evolve. A special issue of the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics is dedicated to the first twenty-six research papers describing the survey and its first results. More

© ASTRON

Registration open: A Centenary of Astrophysical Jets

RadioNet is the main sponsor of the conference A Centenary of Astrophysical Jets: Observation, Theory, & Future Prospects, which will take place on 23-26 July 2019 in Jodrell Bank.

The RadioNet infrastructures (e-MERLIN, EVN, LOFAR) as well as beneficiaries have contributed immensely towards the scientific inquiry into astrophysical jets over the past decades. The conference provides an ideal platform to highlight these contributions. Additionally, the conference will bring together multi-wavelength observers and theorists from around the globe; it will contribute to the collaborations across the electromagnetic spectrum. Registratrion is open.

Background Image © R. Laing (SKAO)

EWASS 2019

The European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS, formerly JENAM) is the annual meeting of the European Astronomical Society (EAS). With more than 25 years of tradition, it has imposed itself as the largest conference for European astronomy. In addition to plenary sessions and the award of prestigious prizes, the conference hosts many symposia held in parallel, as well as special sessions and meetings.

EWASS 2019 is to be held in Lyon, France from 24 to 28 June 2019. The conference is expected to welcome more than 1000 astrophysicists from all over Europe and even beyond.

RadioNet has been invited to attend the Special Session SS38 - European Forum of Astronomical Communities.

First CTA Symposium: Registration open

The first CTA Symposium with the title “Science opportunities with CTA” will take place in Bologna 6-9 May 2019.

This first symposium will focus on the novel investigations CTA will bring to the field and its synergies with other wavebands and messengers. It will also cover instrument characteristics, analysis tools and opportunities for guest investigators and how coordinated observations with CTA will have a significant impact on the exciting new era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astrophysics. Registration is open.

POLICY NEWS

BREXIT - No-deal-scenario

Brexit Preparedness: Given the increasing risk that the United Kingdom may leave the EU on 30 March this year without a deal (a “no-deal” scenario), the European Commission has adopted a final set of contingency proposals in the area of the Erasmus+ programme, social security coordination and the EU budget. UK beneficiaries of EU funding would continue to receive paymenst under the current contracts, provided that UK continues to honour its financial obligations under the EU budget. (Press release from 30 January 2019, more).

BREXIT and Horizon Europe - Workshop Proceedings

This document summarises the presentations and discussions of the workshop on “Brexit and Horizon Europe”, which was held on 21 November 2018. The effects of the Brexit on the Horizon Europe Programme were assessed. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies, at the request of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). More

ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES

RadioNet's Transnational Access programme ensures free of charge access to the best European radio astronomical research infrastructures. This opportunity is open to all European researchers and to some extent to researchers from non-EU countries. More

Call for Proposals on IRAM Telescopes

A new Call for Proposals for IRAM telescopes is available at the IRAM web page.

A detailed description of the observing capabilities of the 30m telescope and the current status of the NOEMA interferometer are given in two separate documents (30m & NOEMA). Proposals should be submitted through the Proposal Management System (PMS).

The submission deadline: 14 March 2019.

© IRAM

International LOFAR Telescope Regular Proposal Call

The International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) is a powerful next-generation radio telescope for frequencies below 240 MHz that offers revolutionary new observing capabilities thanks to its phased-array technology with digital beam-forming.

LOFAR delivers correlated visibility data for synthesis imaging, plus in/coherently added single and multiple station data (several beam-formed modes) as well as transient buffer read-out, for example for studies of pulsars, transients, and cosmic rays. Cycle 12 will run from 1 June - 30 November 2019.

Submission deadline: 6 March 2019.

© ASTRON, ILT

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

- UMAN — Head of Engineering for the Observatory

- JIV-ERIC — Software engineer

Check also EURAXESS

UPCOMING EVENTS

supported by RadioNet

• Planet-forming disks in the ALMA and SPHERE Era on 4 March 2019

• Eating VLBI workshop on 15 April 2019

• Multi-messenger astronomy with SKA precursors and pathfinders, a capacity building workshop on 12 May 2019

• Zooming in on star formation on 10 June 2019

• New Perspectives on Galactic Magnetism on 10 June 2019

• Astrochemistry: From Micrometers to Megaparsecs on 24 June 2019

• EWASS 2019 on 24 June 2019

• EVN TOG meeting on 26 June 2019

• A centenary of astrophysical jets: observation, theory and future prospects on 23 July 2019

Links to these and to other related events are in our Calendar.

EDITORS:

RadioNet Management
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Auf dem Hügel 69 // DE 53121 Bonn

Subscription (Unsubscription) send e-mail: RadioNet@mpifr.de

RadioNet has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730562, and contribution from the partner organisations