The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) project, developed by the US community under the lead of the of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), has recently been identified as one of the top-priority new ground-based observatories in the recent US decadal report. As such, it is expected to be a key facility for the US astronomical community to be constructed by the next decade, and a key complement to facilities targeting lower radio frequencies like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). At the same time, the project is looking to provide opportunities for international cooperation. In response to this opportunity, an exploratory get-together for members of the German community interested in this project was held at the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in December 2022 in Bonn, which has been met with great interest and has brought forward a number of interesting ideas. Building on this initial success, a follow-up meeting has now been announced with a focus on the science opportunities with the ngVLA, and any related science interest within the German community.
The “Second Workshop on German Science Opportunities for the ngVLA” will be held in Leipzig on September 27, 2023. The primary goals of this new meeting are to present the key science cases of the ngVLA, and to share science visions which could be enabled by the ngVLA in the 2030s and beyond. The organizers explicilty encourage participants to share ideas that connect to other large facilities, including those to become available in the more immediate future. The meeting will also be attended by key members of the US ngVLA effort, including NRAO director Tony Beasley, and ngVLA project Scientist Eric Murphy, who will be able to answer any questions about the project.
Registration for the meeting as well as more and updated information on the event page. Registration is requested until August 15, 2023.
Meeting participants will also be welcome to participate in the “ngVLA open day event”, which will take place during the afternoon on September 28, 2023, also in Leipzig. As part of this event, the German company mtex antenna technology and NRAO will reveal key components of the 18-metre ngVLA telescope prototype. Additional details regarding this event are provided at here
For colleagues who are planning to attend both events, there will be the opportunity for additional informal break-out discussions the morning of September 28. To plan for the required space for those meetings, registrants are asked to indicate whether or not they plan to participate in these break-out meetings. Suggestions for specific topics of these discussions are also invited.
The organizers are looking forward to meet many readers of the Radionet Newsletter in Leipzig for stimulating scientific discussions.
Dominik Riechers & Matthias Kadler (co-chairs of the SOC)
Image (c) NRAO