NSF Award
1557628
Astronomers have studied the radio waves that come to us from the universe since the 1930s. One <br/>fascinating phenomenon that has been measured in radio light is a faint, diffuse glow which covers the <br/>entire sky. This glow is best described as the "Radio Synchrotron Background", where the term <br/>"synchrotron" refers to particles making radio waves when they spin around magnetic fields. Interest in the "Radio <br/>Synchrotron Background" has been rekindled recently because of new measurements. This radio glow <br/>presents a mystery because it is difficult to explain how it came to be there with known astrophysical <br/>processes. It represents one of the mysteries of contemporary astrophysics. While there have been <br/>many publications in the literature on this topic, there has not yet been a scientific workshop. <br/><br/>We will hold the first scientific workshop on the radio synchrotron background, which will bring <br/>together scientists working in these overlapping fields to discuss the radio synchrotron background in <br/>person for the first time. There are implications for many areas of active research in contemporary <br/>astrophysics. The workshop will inspire new collaborations and new lines of inquiry, and may spur <br/>future meetings on the topic. This project funds travel support toward allowing scientists to attend the <br/>workshop as well as for a talk for the public and for a report for the scientific community on the <br/>outcome of the meeting. The workshop will be held at the University of Richmond. <br/><br/>The Radio Synchrotron Background is a newly re-appreciated astrophysical phenomenon which has been <br/>a subject of great interest to many in the community. Combining the ARCADE 2 balloon-based absolute <br/>spectrum data from 3-90 GHz with absolutely calibrated single-dish diffuse radio surveys at lower <br/>frequencies reveals a radio synchrotron excess that is several times brighter than was expected by <br/>many. The origin of the radio synchrotron background is one of the mysteries of contemporary <br/>astrophysics. It is difficult to produce the observed level of surface brightness by known processes <br/>without violating constraints. <br/><br/>The existence of the radio background at the observed levels presents profound challenges for our <br/>current understanding of radio emission in the Galaxy and the universe. As demonstrated in many <br/>recent publications, there are implications for many areas of astrophysics, including cosmic ray <br/>propagation, galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields, the radio to far-infrared correlation, radio source <br/>counts, X-ray source counts, quasar luminosity functions, dark matter annihilation, polarization of <br/>foregrounds in microwave background maps, population III stars, mergers of clusters, and many more. <br/><br/>The workshop will feature plenary sessions made up of multiple presentations by attendees <br/>interspersed with and question and discussion periods centered around different topics that study of <br/>the radio synchrotron background touches. The visual component of individual presentations, in the <br/>form of PDF, PowerPoint, or similar files will be made available on the Web. Additionally, a report will <br/>be prepared for the scientific community on the outcome of the meeting. The priorities identified in the <br/>report will be determined by consensus of the meeting attendees as synthesized by the organizing <br/>committee. Finally, new collaborations and working relationships will be established.
