›Modelling galaxies through cosmic times

Modelling galaxies through cosmic times
14 September 2015 - 18 September 2015

Conference rationale
Our ability to interpret the spectral energy distribution (SED) of galaxies is key to understanding how the physical processes at play in galaxies govern their evolution. Over the past decades, numerous multi-wavelength surveys have been carried out, sampling the ultraviolet to sub-millimetre SED of galaxies from the Milky Way neighbourhood to very high redshifts. To connect this treasure trove to the formation and evolution of galaxies through cosmic times, we need to derive precisely and accurately key astrophysical properties of galaxies: stellar mass, metal content, star formation history, dust mass and temperature, star formation rate, dust obscuration, heating sources, etc. At the same time, major investments have been made to build physically motivated SED models of galaxies with the aim of measuring their physical properties as reliably as possible. The aim of this workshop is to bring observers and modellers together to present their respective approaches in building and interpreting the SED of galaxies. In particular, we will discuss:

- the observed SED and the properties of galaxies: their evolution across cosmic times from the Milky Way to the highest redshifts,
- the building blocks of SED modelling: stellar populations, interstellar dust, young embedded star clusters, AGN,
- retrieving galaxy properties at various scales and redshifts by modelling their SED: radiative transfer and energy balance approaches,
- bringing models and observations together: "observing" galaxies from numerical simulations and comparing with real observations.

The meeting will take place September 14 to 18 at the Institute of Astronomy and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology in the beautiful city of Cambridge (United Kingdom), thanks to the generous funding from the Kavli Foundation and from a grant from the Templeton Foundation held by Prof. Martin Rees. The programme will feature keynote talks by recognised leaders in the field, offer opportunities for contributed talks, include hands-on sessions, and have ample discussion time to foster exchanges among participants.
We strongly encourage the participation of PhD students and young postdocs interested in SED modelling. A registration fee of £100 will be charged to all attendees, and will cover the workshop dinner, welcome package, and tea and refreshments during the breaks. For PhD students and young postdocs, we will offer single room (with shared bathroom) accommodation in Churchill College at a discount rate of £50 for the full five-day duration of the workshop. Other attendees will be asked to book their own accommodation, and will be provided with a list of possible lodging facilities, including en-suite rooms in nearby colleges or conference centers from £50 to £100 per night, as well as a list of hotels in the city centre of Cambridge (£100-£150 per night).
Due to the limited available space (up to 60 participants), we request that all interested participants send in an abstract (talk or poster) or a brief statement of interest to modgal15@ast.cam.ac.uk by the 15th of June 2015. PhD students or postdocs who would like to benefit from the subsidised accomodation at Churchill College are asked to make their interest in the package known by the same date. Additional information can be found on the website, http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/meetings/2015/modelling.galaxies.through.cosmic.times .

Organising committee
Médéric Boquien (co-chair), Ilse De Looze (co-chair), Matthew Auger, Manda Banerji, Francesco Belfiore, Thomas de Boer, Ali Dariush, Paul Hewett, Bethan James, Nimisha Kumari, Paula Younger (Administrator)

Sponsors
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Kavli Foundation and from a grant from the Templeton Foundation held by Prof. Martin Rees.

Scientific Programme
​Confirmed speakers

Maarten Baes (radiation transfer modelling)
Denis Burgarella (energy balance modelling)
Rob Crain (cosmological simulations)
Bruce Draine (dust modelling)
Steve Eales (low redshift multi-wavelength surveys)
Roberto Maiolino (high redshift multi-wavelength surveys)
Claudia Maraston (stellar populations modelling)
Ralf Siebenmorgen (AGN modelling)
Vivienne Wild (comparing observations and simulations)

Provisional programme
Monday 14 September 2015: multi-wavelength surveys

09:00-09:30 Welcome address
09:30-10:45 Low redshift multi-wavelength surveys (Steve Eales)
10:45-11:15 Tea break
11:15-12:30 Contributed talks
12:30-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:15 High redshift multi-wavelength surveys (Roberto Maiolino)
15:15-15:45 Contributed talks
15:45-16:15 Tea break
16:15-17:00 Contributed talks
17:00-18:00 Discussion session: impact of large multi-wavelength surveys
18:30-00:00 Wine & cheese welcoming reception

Tuesday 15 September 2015: stellar populations and dust models

09:30-10:45 Stellar populations modelling (Claudia Maraston)
10:45-11:15 Tea break
11:15-12:30 Contributed talks
12:30-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:15 Dust modelling (Bruce Draine)
15:15-15:45 Contributed talks
15:45-16:15 Tea break
16:15-17:00 Contributed talks
17:00-17:30 Lightning talks: poster presentation

Wednesday 16 September 2015: AGN models, energy balance, and radiation transfer modelling

09:00-10:15 AGN modelling (Ralf Siebenmorgen)
10:15-10:45 Contributed talks
10:45-11:15 Tea break
11:15-11:30 Contributed talks
11:30-12:30 Discussion session: ingredients to model galaxies SED
12:30-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:15 Energy balance modelling (Denis Burgarella)
15:15-15:45 Tea break
15:45-17:00 Radiation transfer modelling (Maarten Baes)
15:45-16:15 Tea break
16:15-17:30 Contributed talks
19:00-00:00 Conference dinner (location TBD)

Thursday 17 September 2015: galaxy modelling modelling and cosmological simuations

09:00-10:45 Hands-on session
10:45-11:15 Tea break
11:30-12:30 Discussion session: energy balance and radiation transfer modelling
12:30-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:15 Cosmological simulations (Rob Crain)
15:15-15:45 Contributed talks
15:45-16:15 Tea break
16:15-17:00 Contributed talks
17:00-17:30 Lightning talks: poster presentations


Friday 18 September 2015: observing simulations

09:00-10:15 Observing simulations (Vivienne Wild)
10:15-10:45 Contributed talks
10:45-11:15 Tea break
11:15-12:30 Discussion session: bringing observations and simulations together
12:30-14:00 Lunch break and end of the meeting

Social Events
Welcome reception — Monday 14 September 2015
At the end of the first day of the meeting, a Wine & Cheese welcome reception will be held in the Hoyle Foyer at the Institute of Astronomy.

Conference dinner — Wednesday 16 September 2015
The conference dinner will be held at Corpus Christi College. Pre-dinner drinks will be served at 7:00 pm, followed by dinner in the nineteenth century dining hall.
Corpus Christi College is one of the ancient colleges in the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary. It bears the distinction of being the only Oxbridge College founded by the townspeople.
Dress: Smart/casual