Conference Proposal: The Radio Synchrotron Background

自20世纪30年代以来，天文学家一直在研究来自宇宙的无线电波。用射电测量的一个令人着迷的现象是覆盖整个天空的微弱的漫反射光芒。这种发光最好的描述是“无线电同步加速器背景”，其中术语“同步加速器”指的是粒子在绕磁场旋转时产生无线电波。由于新的测量结果，人们对“无线电同步加速器背景”的兴趣最近重新燃起。这种射电辉光是一个谜，因为很难解释它是如何在已知的天体物理过程中出现的。它代表了当代天体物理学的谜团之一。虽然文献中有许多关于这一主题的出版物，但还没有一个科学研讨会。我们将举办关于射电同步加速器背景的第一次科学研讨会，这次研讨会将把在这些重叠领域工作的科学家聚集在一起，首次亲自讨论射电同步加速器背景。这对当代天体物理学中许多活跃的研究领域都有影响。研讨会将激发新的合作和新的调查路线，并可能推动未来关于这一主题的会议。该项目为旅行支助提供资金，使科学家能够出席研讨会，并向公众发表演讲，为科学界提供关于会议结果的报告。研讨会将在里士满大学举行。无线电同步加速器背景是一种新的重新认识的天体物理现象，一直是社区中许多人非常感兴趣的话题。将ARCADE 2气球3-90 GHz的绝对频谱数据与绝对校准的低频单碟式漫射射电测量相结合，揭示了射电同步加速器过剩，其亮度比许多人预期的高出数倍。射电同步加速器背景的起源是当代天体物理学的谜团之一。在不违反约束的情况下，通过已知过程很难产生观测到的表面亮度水平。观测到的射电背景的存在对我们目前对银河系和宇宙中射电辐射的理解提出了深刻的挑战。正如最近的许多出版物所表明的那样，这对天体物理学的许多领域都有影响，包括宇宙射线传播、银河系和银河系外磁场、射电到远红外的关联、射电源计数、X射线源计数、类星体光度函数、暗物质湮灭、微波背景图中前景的极化、第三族恒星、星系团的合并等等。研讨会的特点是全体会议由与会者的多个演讲组成，其间穿插着围绕无线电同步加速器背景研究的不同主题的提问和讨论时间。个别演示文稿的可视组件将以PDF、PowerPoint或类似文件的形式在Web上提供。此外，还将为科学界编写一份关于会议结果的报告。报告中确定的优先事项将由组织委员会综合会议与会者的协商一致意见确定。最后，将建立新的合作和工作关系。

Astronomers have studied the radio waves that come to us from the universe since the 1930s. One fascinating phenomenon that has been measured in radio light is a faint, diffuse glow which covers the entire sky. This glow is best described as the "Radio Synchrotron Background", where the term "synchrotron" refers to particles making radio waves when they spin around magnetic fields. Interest in the "Radio Synchrotron Background" has been rekindled recently because of new measurements. This radio glow presents a mystery because it is difficult to explain how it came to be there with known astrophysical processes. It represents one of the mysteries of contemporary astrophysics. While there have been many publications in the literature on this topic, there has not yet been a scientific workshop. We will hold the first scientific workshop on the radio synchrotron background, which will bring together scientists working in these overlapping fields to discuss the radio synchrotron background in person for the first time. There are implications for many areas of active research in contemporary astrophysics. The workshop will inspire new collaborations and new lines of inquiry, and may spur future meetings on the topic. This project funds travel support toward allowing scientists to attend the workshop as well as for a talk for the public and for a report for the scientific community on the outcome of the meeting. The workshop will be held at the University of Richmond. The Radio Synchrotron Background is a newly re-appreciated astrophysical phenomenon which has been a subject of great interest to many in the community. Combining the ARCADE 2 balloon-based absolute spectrum data from 3-90 GHz with absolutely calibrated single-dish diffuse radio surveys at lower frequencies reveals a radio synchrotron excess that is several times brighter than was expected by many. The origin of the radio synchrotron background is one of the mysteries of contemporary astrophysics. It is difficult to produce the observed level of surface brightness by known processes without violating constraints. The existence of the radio background at the observed levels presents profound challenges for our current understanding of radio emission in the Galaxy and the universe. As demonstrated in many recent publications, there are implications for many areas of astrophysics, including cosmic ray propagation, galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields, the radio to far-infrared correlation, radio source counts, X-ray source counts, quasar luminosity functions, dark matter annihilation, polarization of foregrounds in microwave background maps, population III stars, mergers of clusters, and many more. The workshop will feature plenary sessions made up of multiple presentations by attendees interspersed with and question and discussion periods centered around different topics that study of the radio synchrotron background touches. The visual component of individual presentations, in the form of PDF, PowerPoint, or similar files will be made available on the Web. Additionally, a report will be prepared for the scientific community on the outcome of the meeting. The priorities identified in the report will be determined by consensus of the meeting attendees as synthesized by the organizing committee. Finally, new collaborations and working relationships will be established.