An updated understanding, from a fundamental and deep point of view, of the progress and current problems in the early universe, cosmic microwave background radiation, large scale structure, dark matter problem, and the interplay between them.
Emphasis is given to the mutual impact of fundamental physics and cosmology, both at theoretical and experimental-or observational-levels, within a deep and well defined programme, which provides, in addition, a careful inter-disciplinarity. Special lectures are  devoted to particle/nuclear physics, neutrinos in astrophysics and high energy astrophysics.

In addition, each Course of this series introduces and promotes through special sessions, topics or subjects which, although not being of purely astrophysical or cosmological nature, are of relevant physical interest for astrophysics and cosmology. A special session of this Course is devoted to the physics of Scaling Laws, Fractals and Turbulence and their applications.

Deep understanding, clarification, synthesis, careful interdisciplinarity within a fundamental physics approach, are goals of this series.

By the nature of the domain itself, there are different aspects, approachs and points of view (sometimes complementary to each other, sometimes in contradiction), to a same topic or subject. Special care is taken to provide the grounds of the different lines of research in competition (not only one approach). In this way, participants have an excellent opportunity to learn about the real state of the discipline, and to learn it in a critical way.

In the latest years, the cross-section between these fields has been increasing both at the theoretical and experimental levels: particles, fields and strings, astronomical observations, space satellites data. Such interplay fruitfully influenced research activity setting up Astrofundamental Physics.

Lectures cover from a motivation and pedagogical introduction for students and participants not directly working in the field to the last developments an recent results.

All Lectures are plenary, have the same duration and are followed by a discussion.

The discussion part of this series is as important as the lectures themselves.
All Lectures take place in the P.A.M. Dirac Lecture Hall of the San Domenico-P.M.S. Blackett Institute.

The Course provides an occasion to review achievements, to confront theory and models with observations and among themselves, to exchange information on the latest developments and to discuss future prospects. The Course brings together experimentalists and theoreticians, -physicists, astrophysicists and astronomers- from a variety of backgrounds, young scientists at post-doctoral level, senior scientists and advanced graduate students as well.

PREVIOUS COURSES:  Erice, September 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997.
5th Course (1996) Dedicated to Professor Subramanyan Chandrasekhar
6th Course (1997) Dedicated to Professor Abdus Salam

FILM ON THE ERICE CHALONGE SCHOOL "Aux Frontières du Cosmos" (On Line & ARTE Productions, 52mn, 1997) broadcasted by ARTE Television, dedicated to A. Einstein

PROCEEDINGS  OF THE ERICE CHALONGE SCHOOL , Edited by N. Sanchez & A. Zichichi,
published by World Scientific Pub. Co. and by Kluwer Publ. , NATO ASI Series C.

The contemporary trends in the quantum unification of all interactions including gravity motivate these Courses. The main goal and impact of modern string theory is to provide a consistent quantum theory of gravity. These Courses are intended to provide an updated understanding of the last developments and current problems of string theory in connection with gravity and the physics at the Planck energy scale.

It is also the aim of these Courses to discuss fundamental problems of quantum gravity in the present-day context irrespective of strings or any other models.

Emphasis is given to the mutual impact of string theory, gravity and cosmology, within a deep a well defined programme, which provides, in addition, a  careful interdisciplinarity.

Since the most relevant new physics provided by strings concerns the quantization of gravity, we must, at least, understand string quantization in curved space-times to start.

Curved space-times, besides their evident relevance in classical gravitation, are also important at energies of the order of the Planck scale.
At the Planck energy, gravitational interactions are at least as important as the rest and can not be neglected anymore.

All Lectures are plenary, have the same duration and are followed by a discussion.
The discussion part of this series is as important as the lectures themselves.
All Lectures take place in the P.A.M. Dirac Lecture Hall of the San Domenico-P.M.S. Blackett Institute.

PREVIOUS COURSES: Erice, June 1992, September 1995 and Sesions in September 1996, 1997.

PROCEEDINGS AND REPORTS, Edited by N. Sanchez, published by World Scientific Pub. Co and Kluwer Publ., NATO ASI Series C.
 
 

The purpose of the series of COLLOQUIA is to cover selected topics of high current interest in the interplay between cosmology and fundamental physics.

The main aim is to put in contact fundamental theoretical physics (including string theory) with real physical problems which arise in the study of the universe.
The Paris Cosmology Colloquia bring together physicists, astrophysicists and astronomers.

The format of the Colloquia is intended to allow easy and fruitful mutual contacts and communication.
Sessions last for three days leaving enough time for private discussions and to enjoy the beautiful parisian campus of the Paris Observatory (built of orders from Colbert and to plans by Claude Perrault from 1667 to 1672).

Sessions take place at the "Salle du Conseil" in the historic Perrault building under the portraits of Laplace, Le Verrier, Lalande, Arago, Delambre and Louis XIV.

All Lectures are plenary, have the same duration and are followed by a discussion.  No short talks neither poster sessions are scheduled.

                TOPICS covered in this Series include:

Phase Transitions in Cosmology, QCD and Neutron Stars.
Evolution out of the Equilibrium of Quantum Fields.
Inflation.
Fundamental Strings  in Cosmology, Black Holes and Quantum Gravity.
Cosmic Microwave Background.
Large Scale Structure and Dark Matter.
Gravitational Lensing.
Fractals and Scaling Laws in Astrophysics and Cosmology.
Turbulence and its applications.
High Energy Astrophysics, the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays, Gamma-ray Bursts.
Neutrino oscillations and Neutrinos in astrophysics. Supersymmetry searches.

PREVIOUS COLLOQUIA:  Observatoire de Paris, June 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE COSMOLOGY COLLOQUIA, Edited by H. J. de Vega and N. Sanchez, published by World Scientific Publ.
 

The Daniel CHALONGE MUSEUM and The Paul DIRAC MUSEUM,"ERICE, the City of
Science", inaugurated during the Courses of this School, exhibit permanent collections of pictures, documents and instruments, on astrophysics and on particle physics.

The Museums, together with the ERICE SEISMOLOGICAL STATION of the Ettore Majorana Centre, can be visited along the year.

Request for Informations to visit the Museums must be addressed to the Secretariat of the Ettore Majorana Centre in Erice.

The Museums and the Seismological Station participate in the

Exhibits retrace also the Activity and Highlights of the  Ettore Majorana Foundation since its creation in 1963 with the International School of Subnuclear Physics and the International Seminars of Planetary Emergencies.

The International School of Astrophysics Daniel Chalonge has the pleasure to announce the creation of  a new programme: the International Programme of Cosmology Daniel Chalonge.  This is a Theory Research Programme running over the whole year, conceived as a hard core for theoretical research in cosmology.

The goal of this Project is to contribute to a theory  of  the universe (and particularly of the early universe) up to the marks, and at the scientific height of, the unprecedented  accuracy, existent and expected, in the observational data.
The impressive development of modern cosmology during the last decades is to a large extent due to its unification with elementary particle physics and quantum field theory.
The cross-section between these fields has been increasing  setting up Astrofundamental Physics. The early universe is an exceptional (theoretical and experimental) laboratory in this new discipline.

From a fundamental physics point of view, progress in the field can not be expected to come only from the observational input. Theory has an essential  role in making input and  progress in the field. Scientific research and scientific progress in this field are the basis and the reason of this Programme

This Programme does concentrate the task on those real problems  which are basic and fundamental in modern cosmology, with powerful theoretical approachs, and their observational consequences.
Moreover, the methods (analytical and/or numerical) developped and applied in this Programme can be useful in other problems of astrophysics, requiring hard theoretical approach as well.

This Programme combines strong expertise in order to  make a convergent effort around hard theory problems, which are essential and fundamental in the field.

The results of this research are exposed in particular in the events (Courses, workshop, Colloquia) organized within the framework of the International School of Astrophysics Daniel Chalonge.

The debate and contradictory discussion on research at the frontier of knowledge and on novel subjects are source of scientific progress.
In the spirit of the Courses and Colloquia of the International School of Astrophysics Daniel Chalonge, the International Programme of Cosmology Daniel Chalonge sets up and encourages subjects at the frontier of knowledge, and the scientific discussion, within a perspective of synthesis, enlightenment and unified knowledge.

The Programme develops, supports and promotes research in the following domains:

-Towards a complete theory of Inflation with reliable observational predictions: Inflation with the out of equilibrium and selfconsistent evolution of quantum fields in the framework of semiclassical gravity.

-Towards a complete theory of Inflation with reliable observational predictions: the problem of Inflation in the framework of string theory.

-String theory in curved spacetimes, physical effects and reliable observational consequences: strong gravitational fields, black holes, primordial universe, spacetime singularities.

-The problem of black hole evaporation (and its final state) in the framework of string theory.

-Towards a complete theory, statistical and dynamical, of selfgravitating systems in astrophysics and cosmology: Fractals and scaling laws in astrophysics and cosmology. Selfgravitating N-body
problem, turbulence in the presence of gravity, renormalisation group and field
theory. Confrontation of theory with observations and new theoretical predictions.

This Programme is a Theoretical Physics approach to Cosmology and Astrophysics, with the theory of  elementary particles, modern statistical physics, quantum field theory and string theory.
The point is the development of predictives theories, the extraction of conclusive results, the confrontation of  results to observations and the prediction of novel ones.

     Moreover, three Cornestone Projects help these researches:

          "THIRD MILLENNIUM","CHALONGE I" and "YOUNG TALENTS"

"THIRD MILLENNIUM" offers an expertise  in the subjects and fields above
refered, sets up  and encourages the scientific debate and contradictory
scientific discussion on fundamental problems concerning the above refered
subjects.

"CHALONGE I" is a "theoretical  spatial satellite" dedicated to collect in
terms of scientific progress the new results in the field.

"YOUNG TALENTS" offers a scientific formation and guide to young scientists,
doctoral and post-doctoral levels, in the subjects above refered.
In addition, it provides fellowships to young people to participate and to
expose new developments in the events (Meetings, Workshops, Colloquia) of the
International School of Astrophysics Daniel Chalonge.

The three Projects encouredge the participation of scientists (young and
senior) of different disciplines in the events (Courses, Workshops, Colloquia)
organised in the framework of the International School of Astrophysics Daniel
Chalonge.