Fysica2009

On April 24 the annual Netherlands Physics Conference, Fysica2009, will be organized at the Martiniplaza in Groningen!

The organization has put together an interesting program. In the year of astronomy there is also special focus on astronomy. Two focus sessions contain presentations of immediate astronomical interest.

The focus session on the IYA2009 will contain 3 reviews on new observational and instrumental challenges for Dutch Astronomy. Eline Tolstoy will highlight developments in optical and near-infrared astronomy in the presentation "Extremely Large Optical/IR telescopes of the Future". Ewine van Dishoeck will describe the exciting prospects for infrared and millimeter astronomy with special attention to star and planet formation in her presentation "Future millimeter and infrared telescopes: a supersharp view of stellar and planetary nurseries". The revolutionary developments awaiting us in radio astronomy will be reviewed by Marc Verheijen, who will describe the promise of LOFAR, APERTIF and SKA in his presentation "Revolutions in radio astronomy".

The session "from LHC to Planck" will focus on the (very) early Universe. Amongst others, Jan Pieter van der Schaar (UvA) will discuss the inflationary Universe while Andrew Jaffe (Imperial College, London) will review the significance of the Planck satellite, due to be launched at the end of April (the intention had been to take along a movie of the launch, until it got scheduled for 5 days later than fysica2009).

The astronomical focus of Fysica2009 is highlighted by the conference poster (see attachment: design by Niels Bos, on the basis of an illustration by Erwin Platen & Rense Boomsma).

In addition to the astronomy oriented sessions there are also several highly interesting sessions on other aspects of physics. In the evening there is a public programme on Energy in the 21st Century, chaired by Wubbo Ockels.

All of you -- faculty, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students -- are very welcome to attend this event in the Martiniplaza. To do so, please register at the website of the conference, http://www.fysica.nl/

Hoping to see you at the Fysica2009 conference on friday April 24, with kind regards, on behalf of the Fysica2009 organization, 

                                   Rien van de Weijgaert
                                   Peter Barthel
                                   Paul van Loosdrecht    (chairman)
                                   Noortje de Graaf       (NNV)