Extreme+Physics

**Extreme Physics**
Organizers: Carole Mundell (//Liverpool John Moores University),// Mark Sullivan (//University of Oxford)//

Never before has there been such a wealth of versatile ground- and space-based facilities with which to detect variable emission across the EM spectrum and beyond, to non-EM signals such as neutrinos and gravitational waves, to probe the most extreme phenomena in the Universe. The variable sky is already providing a wealth of new and surprising observations of phenomena such as GRBs, SNe and AGN that are pushing current theories beyond the state of the art. Multi-messenger follow-up will soon become de rigeur, and upcoming radio and optical all-sky transient surveys will revolutionise the study of the transient Universe. In addition to the technical and data challenges presented by such surveys, and discussed in other workshops in this symposium, a major new challenge will be the interpretation of the wealth of available data and the identification of the underlying physics of new classes of variable (and potentially exotic) objects. Theoretical predictions will be vital for interpreting these future transient discoveries.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together theorists and observers to identify unexplored synergies across three main research areas of extreme physics: Gamma Ray Bursts, Supernovae and, more generically, relativistic jets.

This workshop aims to discuss key outstanding questions in these rapidly moving fields - e.g., composition and acceleration of GRB and AGN jets; GRB progenitors and central engines; origin of the wide range of observed variability timescales in GRB prompt and after-glow light curves and related cosmological applications; the physics of the newly discovered ultra-luminous SN-like optical transients - as well as to speculate what we might hope to discover with future technology.

We propose that the workshop comprise 4 x 45 min sessions organised as structured discussion sessions driven by a series of short, but provocative questions. The final session will involve a panel-led debate (with full audience participation) on a controversial issue followed by a vote.

The sessions are (1) Relativistic Jets (2) GRBs (3) SNe (4) Panel debate.

Schedule constraint: Carole has to leave on Thursday afternoon.