Workshop 2 - (Sub)Millimeter Astronomy: Introduction to ALMA and Indian perspectives

Workshop Venue: RBM Hall, Chemical Sciences Building, IISc

List of participants: Click here

Programme: Click here

Background and Plan :  
At millimeter (mm) and submillimeter (sub-mm) wavelengths, the electromagnetic spectrum allows us to observe the cold and molecular universe in ways that are impossible at other wavelengths. Astronomers employ submillimeter observations to investigate molecular clouds and their dark cloud cores, with the aim of elucidating the entire process of star formation within cold, dark molecular clouds, seed of planets in protoplanetary disk and probing the secrets of galaxies and Universe. Furthermore, the observations also enable the determination of chemical abundances.

The meeting aims to gather individuals with an interest in research within the field of mm (and sub-mm) astronomy. It will also serve the purpose of unifying the astronomy community in India as a single user group in preparation for the upcoming Indian 6-m sub-millimeter telescope. The agenda includes invited and contributed presentations, highlighting scientific achievements with existing international facilities in the mm/sub-mm domain (e.g., ALMA, JCMT, etc.) and exploring synergies with current and future facilities across different wavelength bands. As an incentive for young researchers and students, there will be a hands-on session demonstrating ALMA's capabilities and the scientific potential of its archival data. This session will provide essential insights into the utilization of ALMA data. Our overarching goal is to establish a robust (sub)Millimeter community, prepared for scientific endeavors utilizing (sub)Millimeter telescopes. Please note that the number of participants will be limited to 100 including the organizers and resource persons. For the proposed hands-on ALMA data analysis sessions, participants will be required to bring their own laptops, and specific guidelines will be provided in advance.

Rationale :  
1. Diverse Science Topics: Introduce and explore (sub)Millimeter astronomy across star formation, protoplanetary disks, and galaxies etc. aligning with Indian research.  
2. ALMA Data Utilization: Empower participants with basic ALMA archival data analysis skills, a cornerstone of modern millimeter astronomy.  
3. Indian Telescope Updates: Provide updates on the Indian (sub)Millimeter telescope, its progress, and technical details.  
4. Science Objectives: Discuss the scientific goals of the upcoming telescope and its synergy with existing Indian facilities.  
5. Student Engagement: Foster the growth of the (sub)Millimeter science community by involving students in relevant projects.

Proposer :  
Dipen Sahu, Manash Samal, Lokesh Kumar Dewangan (PRL), Sarita Vig (IIST), Archana Soam, Mousumi Das (IIA), Bhaswati Mookerjea (TIFR)