Letters of Intent received in 2018

LoI 2020-2030
Non-GA Symposium： The Radio Universe Seen through Big Facilities from Millimeter to Meter Bands

Topics

1. Cosmology and dark energy; epoch of re-ionization
2. Radio galaxies, AGN and jets
3. The Intergalactic medium
4. Atomic and molecular hydrogen
5. Magnetic fields in galaxies
6. Nearby galaxies and the Milky Way: HI surveys and dark matter, dark energy
7. The ISM in galaxies and its chemical evolution.
8. The Milky Way Stellar evolution from a radio perspective
9. Pulsars and their physics; strong field tests of gravity

Rationale

The past decade has witnessed major landmarks in constructing and upgrading large-scale radio facilities, e.g. JVLA, LMT, ALMA, FAST, SKA, and its precursors, namely MWA, ASKAP and MEERKAT. Major discoveries, such as FRB and neutron star merger, has substantially change the landscape of radio astronomy. New technology developments, particularly PAF, UWB, and AI/ML, have become ommonplace. It is the right time for radio astronomers to come together to take inventory of the various achievements and to plan out the immediate steps to explore the radio universe in radio bands from the millimeter to meter wavelength. The main aim of the proposed symposium is to bring together the astronomers worldwide, with emphasis on the new developments, cooperation, and synergy among the major radio facilities.

The proposed symposium is to be held in the astronomy town, Pintown County, Guizhou in southwestern China, which hosts the largest single dish antenna (FAST) and home to more than 40 ethnic minority groups.
It has a unique blend of scenery and culture, connecting Southeast Asia to Mainland China. Since its first light at the end of Sept. 2016, FAST has discovered more than 40 pulsars, including MSPs, during its commissioning phase, expected to finish late 2019. The associated development around FAST has helped the hosting county from one of the poorest in China to one with dramatic improvement in living conditions,
education (particularly through supporting a growing female working force), and scientific awareness. The conference participants will have a chance to tour the newly dedicated FAST telescope, help guide its
plan to realize the greater potential, and enjoy the cultural diversity there.

Today, with the benefit of innovative developments in electronics, high-speed computing, computer aided design, and manipulation of large data sets,
 several major radio telescopes are planned, under
construction, and/or transitioning into full operation. 
These telescopes will be the world premier imaging and survey radio instruments, combining 
unprecedented versatility and pushing the observational frontiers of sensitivity, as well as spatial, temporal and spectral resolution. They will give new insights into the formation and 
evolution of the first stars and galaxies, the large-scale structure of the Universe, the
role of cosmic magnetism and the nature of gravity.

The new large facilities will extend our knowledge of gravity and challenge the theory of general relativity. Pulsars will be exploited to search for gravitational waves. Thousands of new pulsars will be used to answer basic questions about the state of matter and their connections to stellar evolution.

With the precision of the new radio facilities, astronomers will investigate the Big Bang by mapping the cosmic distribution of hydrogen, atomic and molecular, in billions of galaxies and may help to identify the nature of dark energy.

The unprecedented combination of sensitivity, angular resolution, spectral resolution and imaging fidelity at short (ALMA) radio wavelengths will facilitate the study of stellar and planet formation, the physical properties of protostars, and shed light on our comprehension of the complex chemistry of the interstellar medium.

In summary, the symposium will help explore the discovery space provided by these powerful facilities, and it will help open the unique windows facilitated by their innovative instrumentation, as well as considering the synergy between them–-all leading toward a broadband view of the radio Universe.