Dissecting Galaxies Near and Far: High Resolution Views of Star Formation and the ISM

Santiago, Chile, March 23 - 27, 2015

Registration and Welcome cocktail: March 22 (Sunday) , 17:00 - 20:00 (ESO Office)

Angular and spectral resolutions are fundamental limitations for our understanding of the properties of galaxies in the nearby and distant Universe. A new generation of instruments and powerful observatories, as well as planned future facilities, is pushing the boundaries of resolving power over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The advent of state-of-the-art facilities with high angular resolution and spectral resolution capabilities coupled with high sensitivity, such as ALMA, allows the interstellar medium and star formation properties of galaxies at intermediate redshift to be probed in unprecedented detail along with their local Universe counterparts.

A workshop to discuss the scientific results and upcoming opportunities afforded by these new capabilities is timely. What scientific and technical synergies are possible in the era of high-resolution studies of galaxies near and far?

The aim of this workshop is to bring together astronomers whose interests are furthering our understanding of star formation and interstellar medium processes at high spatial and spectral resolution. Emphasis on synergies between current and future facilities capable of carrying out such observations, particularly synergies with ALMA, and between the extragalactic and Galactic communities, will be encouraged. The workshop location and timing, a few weeks prior to the ALMA Cycle 3 proposal deadline, will provide a rich scientific environment with an emphasis on current and future ALMA capabilities.

The meeting will take place over 5 days. There will be 4 days of invited and contributed talks, plus poster sessions and a half-day social activity/excursion. On the last day there will be an optional ALMA proposal collaborative workshop that aims to bring together ideas and collaborations for ALMA Cycle 3 proposals. Following the meeting there will be an optional visit to the ALMA Array Operations Site (at participants' own cost) for a limited number of participants.

For further information, please contact cvlahaki@alma.cl

Conference email: galaxies2015@eso.org

Sponsors: ESO, ALMA