Related papers: The ICRF-3: Status, plans, and progress on the nex…
One of the aims of next generation optical interferometric instrumentation is to be able to make use of information contained in the visibility phase to construct high dynamic range images. Radio and optical interferometry are at the two…
International efforts play a key role in driving all areas of astrophysics. Strategic planning is essential to explore possible partnerships and joint projects that otherwise could not be afforded, and to maximize their scientific return.…
The VLBI USNO 2016A (U16A) solution is part of a work-in-progress effort by USNO towards the preparation of the ICRF3. Most of the astrometric improvement with respect to the ICRF2 is due to the re-observation of the VCS sources. Our…
SPARC_LAB is a high-brightness electron photoinjector dedicated to FEL radiation production and research on novel acceleration techniques. It has been in operation at LNF since 2005. It is composed of a newly designed brazeless 1.6-cell…
This presentation summarizes how some of the most pressing questions in the field of star and planet formation can be addressed by high angular resolution optical/infrared capabilities, and how many of these capabilities will in fact be…
The NeXT (New exploration X-ray Telescope), the new Japanese X-ray Astronomy Satellite following Suzaku, is an international X-ray mission which is currently planed for launch in 2013. NeXT is a combination of wide band X-ray spectroscopy…
Galaxies are key objects for the study of cosmology, the life cycle of matter, and stellar evolution. X-ray observations have given us a new key window into these building blocks of the Universe, that allows us to investigate their hot…
This contribution reports on the status of LOFAR (the LOw Frequency ARray) in its ongoing commissioning phase. The purpose is to illustrate the progress that is being made, often on a daily basis, and the potential of this new instrument,…
We summarize the remarkable recent progress in ultra-high energy cosmic ray physics and astronomy enabled by the current generation of cosmic ray observatories. We discuss the primary objectives for future measurements and describe the…
Voyager 3 is a concept mission that sends a space telescope to the interstellar medium in a reasonable amount of time. Voyager 3 would take a direct image of an exoplanet using the solar gravitational lensing at the distance of 550…
Planning for the development of a 3rd generation global gravitational-wave detector array is a multifaceted and complex effort that will necessarily need a high level of community input. Interfacing to extant and new stakeholders in the…
IceCube-Gen2 is a planned next-generation neutrino observatory at the South Pole that builds upon the successful design of IceCube. Integrating two complementary detection technologies for neutrinos, optical and radio Cherenkov emission, in…
Since the birth of X-ray Astronomy, spectacular advances have been seen in the imaging, spectroscopic and timing studies of the hot and violent X-ray Universe, and further leaps forward are expected in the future. On the other hand,…
In 2007, a joint IERS/IVS Working Group has been established to consider practical issues of creating the next ICRF generation, ICRF-2. The goal of the WG is to seek after ways to improve the existing ICRF. In this study we investigate a…
This article gives an overview of potential upgrades of second generation gravitational wave detectors and the required key technologies to improve the limiting noise sources. In addition the baseline design of the Einstein Telescope, a…
The upgrade of the VLTI infrastructure for the 2nd generation instruments is now complete with the transformation of the laboratory, and installation of star separators on both the 1.8-m Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) and the 8-m Unit…
Optical positions from the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey have been compared in detail with accurate radio positions that define the second realisation of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF2). The comparison was limited to the IIIaJ…
There exist inconsistencies between the bright and faint Gaia Celestial Reference Frame 3 (Gaia-CRF3), which manifests as a systematic rotation and needs to be independently estimated then corrected in future data releases. We collected 64…
From the scientific objectives of the Next Generation Space Telescope, this paper tries to constrain the design of the NGST Multi-Object Spectrograph. Several technical alternatives are presented that could address the requirements of the…
Advanced Virgo is the project to upgrade the Virgo interferometric detector of gravitational waves, with the aim of increasing the number of observable galaxies (and thus the detection rate) by three orders of magnitude. The project is now…