Rationale
How can the transient community best use the unique capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope? Though JWST will only be launched in 2018, the first proposal deadline is coming up fast: March 3, 2017 for the Director’s Discretionary Early Release Science program. This two-day workshop will bring together JWST and transient-science experts. We will learn about JWST's unique capabilities and discuss the following two questions: How can transient science benefit from JWST? The new space telescope will include imaging and spectroscopy capabilities between 0.6 - 28 microns. What can we expect to discover in the mid-IR, and which transient sub-fields will benefit most from these capabilities? How can we make use of the Director’s Discretionary Early Release Science program? DD-ERS will split up to 500 hours from Cycle 1 among up to 15 teams, and the data will be made public immediately. DD-ERS proposals cannot ask for ToO or purely parallel observations. Transient science can be “piggybacked” onto other astronomy fields, which can make for diverse proposals that can potentially produce valuable datasets for large sections of the astronomical community (e.g., the Frontier Fields, or transients in nearby galaxies). Under these and other restrictions, can transient science be competitive--and worthwhile--for the DD-ERS round of proposals? During this workshop, we will hash out ideas for DD-ERS proposals, with the aim of closing the workshop with 1-2 concrete plans for notices of intent to be submitted by March 3, 2017. Ideas that won’t make this cut will make for potential proposals for Cycle 1 (deadline: March 2, 2018). |
Scientific Organizing Committee
Or Graur (CfA) Edo Berger (CfA) Daniel Eisenstein (CfA) Local Organizing Committee Or Graur Lisa Catella Dates Jan. 17 (10:00) - Jan. 18 (15:30) Venue Phillips Auditorium Harvard-Smithsonian CfA 60 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138 |