Working Group on Laboratory Astrophysics

Here, at the bottom of this page, you can find information on Members, Meetings, White Papers, Groups & Networks and Announcements:.

History: Established at the 210th Meeting, May 2007 in Honolulu, in response to recommendations from the scientific community via the 2006 White Paper on Laboratory Astrophysics and the endorsement of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC), which advises the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on selected issues within the fields of astronomy and astrophysics that are of mutual interest and concern to the agencies. The AAS Council set up a steering committee to formulate Bylaws for the Working Group at its 209^th Meeting, January 2007 in Seattle.

Members: Fourteen members nominated by the steering committee on the basis of their professional qualifications relating to their active contribution to Laboratory Astrophysics as a user or provider of laboratory data, and appointed by the Council of the AAS. Among these may be professionals who are not members of the AAS. In addition, the Council will nominate at least one senior officer to serve on the Working Group.

Term: Three years staggered, terms beginning and ending at the close of the Annual Summer Meeting. Members may be re-appointed.

Charge: The Working Group is charged with improving the interaction between the data users (astronomers, astrophysicists, astrochemists, planetary scientists, etc.) and the data providers (laboratory astrophysicists and astrochemists). The providers include experimentalists and theorists carrying out research motivated by problems in astrophysics, astrochemistry and planetary science. The Working Group will include prominent members of the user community, yet still be kept small for efficiency. The activities of the Working Group will be guided by advancing astronomy through the promotion of laboratory astrophysics and astrochemistry. The Working Group represents scientists in six areas of research: atomic, molecular, solid matter, plasma, nuclear, and particle physics. Chemistry is included as part of molecular physics. Since astronomy is primarily an observational science detecting photons, atomic, molecular, and solid-state processes that produce the observed photons will be a main focus. Because our understanding of the Universe also relies on knowledge of the evolution of matter (nuclear and particle physics) and of the dynamical processes shaping it (plasma physics), the focus will incorporate work in these areas as well. Planetary science, involving in-situ measurements of solar system bodies, requires knowledge from atomic, molecular, and solid state physics, in particular. The Working Group may discuss policies with other academic, international, or governmental organizations, as appropriate to advance its activities. The Working Group may act on behalf of the AAS to seek out possible sources of funding for support of the discipline from local and national sources, public and private.

Reports: In accordance with the AAS Bylaws, the Working Group shall submit an annual report of its activities to the AAS Council. A copy of this report shall be presented to the AAS Council at its regular business meeting.

Aspects to be considered by the Working Group include:

Highlight the importance of laboratory and theoretical data for advances in astrophysics and astrochemistry.

Act as a conduit for improving the interaction between data users (astronomers, astrophysicists, and astrochemists) and data providers (laboratory astrophysicists and astrochemists).

Sponsor sessions at AAS meetings that build on earlier successful Topical Sessions on laboratory astrophysics.

Coordinate sessions involving laboratory astrophysics with other organizations, such as those listed below, at national and international conferences.

Provide a communications channel by which astronomers can request needed data.

Work closely with relevant IAU Commissions, Divisions and Topical Groups in the American Physical Society (APS), and the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) within the AAS.

Provide updates on exciting new results and meeting announcements through articles in the AAS Newsletter.

Include all areas of laboratory astrophysics and astrochemistry: X-ray, UV, visible, IR, sub-mm, nuclear, plasma, etc.

Coordinate and sponsor active participation in the next decadal survey and in pre-Phase A for new missions and facilities.

Among the related Organizations that the Working Group may interact with are:

1) Astronomical and related Organizations

a) IAU Commission 14/ Atomic & Molecular Data

b) IAU Commission 29/ Stellar Spectra

c) IAU Commission 34/ Interstellar Matter

d) AAS DPS

2) Other Professional and Governmental Organizations

a) APS (Divisions on Astrophysics; Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics; Nuclear Physics; Plasma Physics, and their associated forums as well as the Topical Group on Plasma Astrophysics)

b) American Chemical Society (ACS) (Divisions of Physical Chemistry, Geochemistry, and Organic Chemistry)

c) American Geophysical Union (AGU) (Planetary Sciences, Space Physics, and Aeronomy Sections)

d) International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) (Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics and Gravity International Committee (PANAGIC))

e) International working groups and organizations (Molecular Universe of the European Union, Physics & Chemistry of the ISM (PCMI) in France, Laboratory Astrophysics (FGLA) in Germany, etc.)

f) NASA (Science Mission Directorate/Astrophysics, Solar System)

g) NSF (Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry)

h) DOE (Offices of Basic Energy Sciences, Nuclear Physics, and High Energy Physics)

i) Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Members Meetings White Papers Groups & Networks Announcements Return to Top

Working Group Members

MichaelA'Hearn (University of Maryland) --- UV/Vis spectroscopy, planetary science (2009-present)

Nancy Brickhouse (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) --- databases for modeling (2007-present)

Paul Drake* (University of Michigan) --- plasma physics/high density plasmas (2007-present; Past-Chair 2010 - 2011))

Steven Federman* (University of Toledo) --- UV/visible atomic and molecular physics (2007-present; Past Chair 2007 - 2008)

Gary Ferland (University of Kentucky) --- modeling (2007-present)

Murthy Gudipati (JPL) --- Planetary ices (2009-present)

Wick Haxton*(University of Washington) --- nuclear physics (2007-present)

Eric Herbst (Ohio State University) --- astrochemistry (2007-present)

Stefano Profumo (UC Santa Cruz) --- particle astrophysics (2009-present)

Farid Salama* (NASA/Ames) --- UV/visible, IR spectroscopy including solids as well as planets (2007-present; Past Chair 2008-2010)

Daniel Wolf Savin* (Columbia University) --- atomic and molecular collisions (2007-present; Chair 2011 - 2012)

Hendrik Schatz (Michigan State University) --- nuclear astrophysics (2011 - present)

Lucy Ziurys (University of Arizona) --- mm/sub-mm spectroscopy (2008-present)

Ellen Zweibel (University of Wisconsin) --- astronomical plasmas (2010-present)

*Steering Committee: Paul Goldsmith (JPL, 2007-2008), Paul Drake (U Michigan, 2008-present), Steven Federman
(U Toledo, 2007-present), Wick Haxton (UC Berkeley, 2010 - present), Farid Salama (NASA ARC, 2007-present),
Daniel Savin (Columbia U, 2007-present).

Past Members:

Paul Goldsmith (JPL) --- mm/sub-mm spectroscopy (2007-2008)
Keith Olive (Univ. Minnesota) --- particle astrophysics (2007-2009)
Adam Frank (University of Rochester) --- astronomical plasmas (2007-2010)
John Cowan (University of Oklahoma) --- nuclear astrophysics (2007-2011)
Michael Mumma (NASA/GSFC) --- IR spectroscopy, planetary science (2009-2011)

Chair:
Steven Federman (University of Toledo) --- (2007 - 2008)
Farid Salama (NASA/Ames) --- (2008 - 2010)
Paul Drake (University of Michigan) --- (2010 - 2011)
Daniel Savin (Columbia University) --- (2011 - 2012)

Members Meetings White Papers Groups & Networks Announcements: Return to Top

Meetings Hosted by the WGLA:

2008: Bridging Laboratory with Astrophysics
A Meeting in a Meeting (MiM), 212th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, June 2-4, 2008, St. Louis, Missouri

2009: Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: From the Infrared to the Submm
A Meeting-in-a-Meeting (MiM), 214th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, June 8-10, 2009, Pasadena, California.

2010: Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: Laboratory Plasma Astrophysics
A Meeting-in-a-Meeting (MiM), 216th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, May 24-26, 2010, Miami, Florida.

2011: Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: Particle Astrophysics
A Meeting-in-a-Meeting (MiM), 218th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, May 23-26, 2011, Boston, Massachusetts.

2012: Bridging Laboratory with Astrophysics
A Meeting in a Meeting (MiM), 220th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, June 10-14, 2012, Anchorage, Alaska.