Nordic Conference in Theoretical High Energy Astrophysics

Abstract

These proceedings contain papers presented at the Nordic Conference in Theoretical High Energy Astrophysics, held in Copenhagen 14–16 September, 1997. The conference was organised jointly by the Danish Space Research Institute (DSRI) and the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA). Financial support was also received from the Nordic Academy for Advanced Study (Nordisk Forskerutdanningsakademi, NORFA).The aim of the meeting was to summarize current issues in the field as well as to show the excellent opportunities that exist in the Nordic countries to perform high level research in x- and gamma-ray astronomy. Special focus was placed on the missions Spectrum-Röntgen-Gamma (SRG) and INTEGRAL, where several Nordic countries are involved. These new generation observatories will be launched soon after NASA's Advanced X-ray Astronomy Facility (AXAF) and ESA's X-ray Multiple Mirror (XMM) mission. Together these four missions will boost x- and gamma-ray astronomy into its most exciting era so far.Astrophysicists are now routinely using satellite observations covering the whole electromagnetic spectrum, including the x- and gamma-rays. However, it should be kept in mind that somebody must plan, design, and build the science instruments, and most importantly obtain the funding for those instruments. Here DSRI has played the major role in the Nordic countries.Following the WATCH instruments on board GRANAT and EURECA, DSRI is currently building the two mirror systems, theBragg spectrometer, and four proportional counters of the SODART telescope on board SRG. DSRI is also the PI-institute for the x-ray monitor JEM-X of INTEGRAL (ESA). Finland has joined DSRI in these hardware tasks, and the University of HelsinkiObservatory and the METOREX company are currently finalizing the SIXA spectrometer and gas systems for the proportionalcounters of the SODART telescope, and the microstrip proportional counters for JEM-X.Norway participates in INTEGRAL's imaging detector IBIS and has traditions in studying high energy phenomena on the Sun.The Stockholm Observatory has a strong theoretical group involved in the SRG and INTEGRAL software and science. NORDITAin Copenhagen has close contacts with the Nordic theoretical physics community. Together with the neighbouring institutes, DSRI, the Niels Bohr Institute, the Theoretical Astrophysics Center (TAC), and Copenhagen University Observatory, they form a strong group for the interpretation of data coming from SRG and INTEGRAL.During the conference, concerns were expressed regarding the difficulties of national funding agencies to follow their committments of their funding plans for satellite missions. In particular, the notice of further delays of the SRG launch was considered as a disaster. For this reason, the participants of the conference decided to send a signed communique to the prime minister of the Russian federation, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, to express their concern and with the hope that the previously agreed plan for the launch of the SRG could keep its timeline. This communique is included in these proceedings.The organizers wish to thank all the invited and contributing speakers, and the poster paper authors for creating a very exciting conference. Let us hope that the present proceedings will further stimulate theoretical and observational work in high energy astrophysics, resulting in efficient scientific return from the SRG and INTEGRAL observatories as well as AXAF and XMM.Finally, we thank those who helped us in the editorial work of these proceedings: Allan Hornstrup, Hans Ulrik Nørgaard-Nielsen, Martin Pohl, Jamila Oukbir, Kristian Pedersen, Pasi Hakala, Diana Hannikainen, Juhani Huovelin, Panu Muhli, Jukka Nevalainen, and Tuomo Tikkanen.