Tidal+Disruption+Flares

Tidal Disruption Flares Organized by Glennys Farrar

This workshop will bring together theorists and observers interested in the Stellar Tidal Disruption phenomenon. A few overview talks will bring non-specialists up to speed on this rapidly evolving field, including observations and interpretations of Swift 1644+57, observations of other candidate tidal disruption flares (TDFs) at various wavelengths, and theoretical and computational efforts to model TFDs of different types and calculate their rate.

Key topics of discussion will be
 * Important scientific questions that can be addressed via TDF surveys (what the TDF rate teaches about the rate of extreme mass ratio inspirals, discovery of population of intermediate mass black holes, …)
 * Optimizing surveys and follow-up campaigns for the different purposes
 * Mechanisms and signatures of TDFs of different types
 * Identify theory and simulation that is most urgently needed

Preferred time is 2 x 90 min on Tues, Sept 20, 2011, with an option for an additional evening session on Wed, Sept 21, to allow adequate discussion.

Overlap should be avoided with
 * Optical Transient Surveys
 * Extreme Physics
 * Gravitational Waves