Scientific Rationale


In the last decade we have witnessed impressive advancements in the accuracy of Doppler shifts measurements in astronomy and of high-precision spectroscopy in general. Even if the main (and most recognized) driver for this development is the search for exo-planets, extremely interesting applications include the analysis of QSO absorption lines to determine the variability of the fine structure constant and the analysis of the isotopic ratio of interesting species, such as, for instance Li6/Li7 in metal poor stars or D/H in QSO absorption lines. Another field in strong expansion is the determination of stellar oscillations through radial velocity measurements, a technique that is providing interesting results, sometimes in apparent contradiction with photometric determinations.

The random measurement uncertainty depends on the inverse of the Signal-to-Noise ratio, therefore high accuracy requires a high photon flux and a large photon collecting capability. As a consequence, not only the scientific domains using this technique benefit tremendously from the use of 8-meter class telescopes, but, also, they will fully exploit the tremendous gain provided by future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs), as clearly shown by the preliminary study of CODEX at OWL. Even if most applications so far have been at optical wavelengths, IR high-resolution spectroscopy should soon approach the same accuracy regime. We do therefore expect an interesting contribution from and for this community as well.

In summary, then, we propose to gather together scientists to discuss all the scientific topics related to various aspects of high precision spectroscopy (determination of Doppler shifts, accurate line profiles, isotopic ratios, etc.). In addition to presentations on the state-of-the-art of research in the field, part of the program will be devoted to future programs and instruments, including those for ELTs. In addition to presenting their current results, we would like to ask all the speakers to highlight also their limitations and to indicate, when possible, future avenues to progress.

Main Topics

  • Abundances and isotopic ratios in stars and Inter Galactic Medium
  • Fundamental constants
  • Stellar oscillations
  • Beyond photon noise
  • Extra-solar planets: radial-velocity and spectroscopy
  • Future Developments

Announcements

  • First announcement (November 2005)

  • Second announcement (March 2006)

  • Final announcement (August 2006)

Contacts

For any question or information please contact us at: