CHANDRA ELECTRONIC ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER 18

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT of HEAD 2004

Meeting of the High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) of the
American Astronomical Society

September 8-11, 2004 (Wed. - Sat.)
French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana

Email summary:
* Conference Website - get on the mailing list
* Abstracts due May 24th to be published in B.A.A.S
* Meeting Description


This message has been sent to various email exploders and we apologize
for any duplication.  If you are interested in attending this meeting,
please visit the conference website and sign up to be put on the email
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Conference Website (meeting logistics, registration, and
abstract submission):
http://www.confcon.com/head_2004/head_2004.html

********************************************************************

The High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) will hold its next
Divisional meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana from Wednesday September 8,
2004 through Saturday, September 11, 2004. The meeting will be held at
the historic Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter and will be hosted
by Eureka Scientific Inc.

High Energy Astrophysics continues experiencing a golden age, with the
unprecedented capabilities of Chandra and XMM-Newton, the continuing new
discoveries from RXTE, exciting results from INTEGRAL and HETE-II, and
the development of TeV gamma-ray astronomy.  The upcoming Astro-E2,
Swift, Agile and GLAST missions offer dramatic new capabilities in the
next ~5 years.  At the same time, cosmic ray and neutrino studies such
as Auger, Super Kamiokande, SNO, Amanda and long duration balloon flight
experiments are making great advances.  Discoveries and prospects in
these high energy wavebands are augmented by continuing breakthroughs in
radio, IR and optical observations of high energy objects.

In the midst of all this current activity, NASA is planning its future
missions and science goals, as part of its tri-annual strategic planning
exercise.  Of particular interest to HEAD is the proposed theme for the
Structure and Evolution of the Universe (SEU)'s "Beyond Einstein"
program.  As a result of the reprioritized agency activities, the FY
2005 and out-year budgets for Con-X and LISA have been reduced and the
launch dates deferred.  In addition, the Einstein Probes, medium-size
missions and part of the approved (by OMB) Beyond Einstein Program, and
which have begun concept studies in FY 2004, have also been deferred.

The HEAD Meeting will focus on current results across the full sweep of
High Energy Astrophysics but will also include sessions, in topical
areas, which focus on the major questions and how the proposed Beyond
Einstein program might address these. The emphasis at the meeting will
be High Energy Astrophysics science, not mission (or future) planning.

The HEAD Executive Committee will solicit invited talks to lead off
Sessions, and choose speakers from Abstracts submitted, including
solicited speakers in topical areas that will be focal points among the
pool of submitted contributions. In keeping with traditional HEAD
meetings, there will be no parallel sessions, with mornings and
afternoons devoted to the main science sessions, and evenings reserved
for discussions, posters, and special sessions which participants are
invited to arrange and propose to the HEAD Executive Committee (Chair,
Roger Blandford <rdb3@stanford.edu>). In addition, there will be a
special Teacher Workshop much like the one held at the Honolulu HEAD
meeting, occupying a half day; those interested should contact James
Lochner <lochner@lheapop.gsfc.nasa.gov> for further information.

The Preliminary Program of Invited Speakers and Session Titles will be
announced by around May 10. Abstracts for oral talks and poster papers
will be due by May 24, and the Final Program posted at the AAS meetings
website by July 19, with the BAAS (published) abstracts to be available
at the meeting. Registration opens on May 1st.

We strongly encourage HEAD members, and the wider community, to join us
for this special meeting in September.

Sincerely,
Head Executive Committee

Roger D. Blandford (Chair)           mrdb3@stanford.edu
Stephen Murray (Vice Chair)          ssm@head.cfa.harvard.edu
Matthew G. Baring (Sec./Tr.)         headsec@aas.org
Joel Bregman                         jbregman@astro.lsa.umich.edu
Kathryn Flanagan                     kaf@space.mit.edu
Pat Slane                            slane@cfa.harvard.edu
Deepto Chakrabarty                   deepto@space.mit.edu
Fiona Harrison                       fiona@srl.caltech.edu
Kim Weaver                           kweaver@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov
Jonathan E. Grindlay (Past Chair)    josh@head.cfa.harvard.edu

Press Officer
Ilana Harrus                         imh@lheapop.gsfc.nasa.gov

Local Organizing Committee Chair
John Wefel, Louisiana State Univ.    wefel@phunds.phys.lsu.edu


Please contact John Vallerga (head2004@earthlink.net, 510-530-1688)
for any help with your logistical needs and/or any questions
regarding this meeting.




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