631. Wilhelm und Else Heraeus-Seminar:

Stellar aggregates over mass and spatial scales

Dense aggregates of stars are the primary building blocks of our luminous Universe. In fact, almost all stars of a galaxy are widely thought to be former or present members of stellar clusters. Stellar aggregates themselves comprise a vastly diverse class of entities; ranging from irregular concentrations of newborn gas-embedded stars, near-spherical gravitationally-bound massive clusters of young stars, massive globular clusters of old stars, to supermassive nuclear star clusters in galactic centers. The sizes of all of these objects typically range from fraction of a parsec to a few parsecs, i.e., they cover a wide range of stellar concentrations. While these objects are known and being extensively studied since the last few decades, it is only recently that we are beginning to realize, thanks to the recent advances in observations and numerical modelling, that all of them are parts of a galaxy-wide active assembling hierarchy - something we are only beginning to visualize.

This conference, which is generously funded and supported by the Wilhelm und Else Heraeus-Stiftung, aims to gather world’s leading experts, young prominent researchers and newcomers on astrophysical dynamical processes, molecular clouds and star-forming complexes, galactic centers and nuclei and exotic binary systems. With the emerging interconnecting picture among these systems and the relevant physical processes, these apparently distinct communities are undoubtedly in need for closer interactions. This gathering would be an excellent opportunity for this.

The seminar will take place in the Bad Honnef Physics Center (Physikzentrum Bad Honnef) located at the foot of the "Siebengebirge" (the Seven Hills) and is very close to the bank of the Rhine River. The center provides a scenic and quiet surrounding and is equipped with sophisticated facilities.