Splinter Meeting 2016:
Galaxy Clusters & Cosmology (GCC)

Background:
Large current and upcoming observing programmes (e.g. Planck, SPT, KiDS, DES, HSC, DESI, eROSITA, LSST, Euclid) provide a wealth of information for cosmological and astrophysical investigations. Constraints on the dark sector (dark matter & dark energy) can be obtained via various cosmological probes, such as galaxy clusters, weak gravitational lensing, baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and type Ia supernovae. For many techniques advances in cosmological constraints are closely linked to advances in our understanding of astrophysical processes and contaminants (e.g. intrinsic galaxy alignments, the influence of baryons on the matter power spectrum, the impact of cluster astrophysics on scaling relations between cluster observables and mass, etc.). Observational data can provide constraints on these effects, which can then be compared to results from simulations to test the underlying astrophysical models, yielding more robust model predictions for cosmological exploitation. This illustrates the links between astrophysics and cosmology, and the importance of bringing observers, theorists, and simulators together.

Aim of the splinter:
We would like to use this splinter to bring together the various groups working within this broad range of topics in Germany and the Netherlands (but of course participants from other countries are also very welcome to join). The splinter should provide an opportunity to present recent work, highlight efforts regarding ongoing major projects, and foster collaborations between the teams.
We encourage the members of the community to submit abstracts for contributed presentations ranging from thesis results to overview talks for major projects. We also plan to allocate some time for a broader discussion, e.g. regarding the current and future situation of this field of research within Germany and the Netherlands.

Abstract submission and registration:
Abstracts need to be submitted via the main website of the AG Meeting https://www.ag2016.de, and should link to the GCC splinter. The deadlines for the registration for the AG Meeting are July 30th (regular fee) and August 26th (late fee). The deadline for abstract submission for this splinter is August 26th.

Organisers:
Stefan Hilbert (MPA Garching), Hendrik Hildebrandt (AIfA Bonn), Koenraad Kuijken (Leiden Observatory), Matteo Maturi (ITA Heidelberg), Valeria Pettorino (ITP Heidelberg), Tim Schrabback (AIfA Bonn), Jochen Weller (USM Muenchen)

Please feel free to contact us at ag2016-gcc(at)astro.uni-bonn.de if you have any questions regarding this splinter, or suggestions, e.g. for the discussion. We hope to see many of you in Bochum!