SIGRAV GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CONTEMPORARY RELATIVITY AND GRAVITATIONAL PHYSICS

Villa Olmo, Como (Italy)

The Schools are directed to PH.D. students and young Post-Docs in Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics who are interested in widening their knowledge in the fields of Physical Cosmology, Relativistic Astrophysics, General Relativity, Experimental Gravity and the Modern Quantum Theories of Gravitation. The Schools wish to introduce students to current problems, highlighting their importance and potential scientific impact. Lecturers will report on theoretical, observational and experimental aspects of the research, reviewing latest achievements in the field.

VIII Edition

GRAVITY: WHERE DO WE STAND?

Villa Olmo, May 11-15, 2009

PROGRAM

Gravitation, the weakest of the four known fundamental forces in nature, stands on a special footing among the other interactions. It is at the same time simple and complex. Simple in its fundamental working, as curvature of spacetime. Complex in its machinery of intertwining scales: small distances, planetary systems, compact astrophysical objects, galaxies and large scale structures, all the way up to cosmology and the working of the universe as a whole. Thanks to the ongoing technological advances it is now possible to explore the nature of gravitation , in the different domains in which it is effective, with unprecedented accuracy. It is the purpose of the school to provide the state of the art in several of these domains: Newtons law and its possible modifications at very short distances and at cosmological distance scales; post-Newtonian effects around the earth and in the solar system; strong field gravity in binary systems of compact objects; efforts towards directly detecting gravitational waves; and the challenges that the attempts at unifying all fundamental forces in the framework of a consistent quantum theory pose to Einsteins vision of the universe.

COURSES

• Clifford Will (Washington University, USA): Gravity: Newtonian, post-Newtonian and General Relativistic (5 hours)
• Valerio Iafolla (IFSI-INAF, Rome Tor Vergata, Italy): Newtonian Gravity and its Classical Tests (Equivalence Principle, Measure of G, 1/r² Dependence) (4 hours)
• Luciano Iess (Rome La Sapienza, Italy): Post-Newtonian Gravity I (Gravity Tests in the Solar System, in particular Cassini, GAIA and BepiColombo) (2 hours)
• Simone DellAgnello (LNF-INFN, Frascati, Italy): Post-Newtonian Gravity II ( probing Gravity with 2nd Generation Lunar Laser Ranging) ( 2 hours)
• Roberto Peron (IFSI-INAF, Rome, Italy): Post-Newtonian Gravity III (Gravitomagnetism and other Physics with the Lageos Satellites) ( 1 hour)
• Andrea Possenti ( INAF- Osservatorio di Cagliari, Italy): Strong Field Gravity (the Role of Binary Pulsars in testing Gravity Theory) (4 hours)
• Eugenio Coccia ( Rome Tor Vergata and INFN - LNGS, Italy): Gravitational Waves ( Theory, Sources, Detectors) ( 4 hours)
• Ignatios Antoniadis (CERN, Switzerland): Possible Low Energy Manifestations of Strings and Gravity ( 5 hours)

Course abstracts are available by downloading HERE.

Schedule of Lectures is available by downloading HERE.

Scientific and Organizing Committee: Vittorio Gorini (Insubria, Como), Ugo Moschella (Insubria, Como), Roberto Peron (ISFI-INAF, Rome)

SIGRAV Council: Massimo Bassan (Rome, Tor Vergata), Carlo Bradaschia ( INFN-VIRGO, Cascina, Pisa), Salvatore Capozziello (Naples), Valeria Ferrari (Rome, La Sapienza), Mauro Francaviglia (Turin), Luca Lusanna (Florence), Ugo Moschella (Insubria, Como), Luigi Stella (Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Monteporzio Catone, Rome), Gaetano Vilasi (Salerno)

There will be room for short communications by the participants. Those who want to submit a communication proposal should send a short abstract to grschool@centrovolta.it. Proponents will be informed about acceptance of their contribution in due time.

Registration

Participants will be accommodated in hotels in Como and will be requested to pay an inclusive fee of EURO 650,00 covering accommodation (in rooms to be shared with other participants), breakfasts and lunches.

Those wishing to forgo this possibility are requested to pay a registration fee of EURO 270,00 also covering lunches (hotel reservation is possible by downloading HERE the proper accommodation form). Accommodation is not guaranteed after April 2nd 2009.

Some support to cover local expenses may be available; those who need support should mention it in their registration and send a short Curriculum Vitae and a summary of current research (maximum two pages A4). Please note that no support to cover travel expenses will be available.

Registration forms are available for download HERE or at grschool@centrovolta.it . On line payment is possible through the proper page.

For information also contact directly the Organizing Secretariat at Centro A.Volta: mariagiovanna.falasconi@centrovolta.it, tel. +39 031 579814, fax +39 031 573395.

SPONSORS

• SIGRAV (Italian Society for Gravitational Physics)
• INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics)
• University of Insubria
• Department of Physics and Mathematics of the University of Insubria at Como
• IFSI-INAF, Rome
• Galileian Plus S.r.l., Rome

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES

Villa Olmo School 2009
	Monday 11	Tuesday 12	Wednesday 13	Thursday 14	Friday 15
09.00 – 09.30	Gorini – Peron	Will	Will	Possenti	Antoniadis
09.30 – 10.00	Iafolla
10.00 – 10.30
10.30 – 11.00
11.00 – 11.30		Coffee break	Coffee break	Coffee break	Coffee break
11.30 – 12.00	Coffee break	Antoniadis	Peron	Antoniadis	Possenti
12.00 – 12.30	Dell'Agnello
12.30 – 13.00		Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
13.00 – 13.30	Lunch
13.30 – 14.00
14.00 – 14.30
14.30 – 15.00		Will	Iafolla	Antoniadis	Possenti
15.00 – 15.30	Dell'Agnello
15.30 – 16.00		Coccia		Iess	Scarpa
16.00 – 16.30	Coccia
16.30 – 17.00		Coffee break	Coffee break	Coffee break	Coffee break
17.00 – 17.30	Coffee break	Coccia	Lusanna	Iess	Scarpa
17.30 – 18.00	Coccia		Students		Odintsov
18.00 – 18.30		Students
18.30 – 19.00