13th

Serbian Conference on Spectral Line Shapes in Astrophysics

August 23 - 27, 2021, Belgrade, Serbia

          

 

             

              

SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE

              

The spectral lines, their widths, and, more generally, the shapes, are powerful tools for emitting/absorbing gas diagnostics in different astrophysical objects, (from the Solar system to the most distant objects in the Universe - quasars. The emission/absorption lines of astrophysical objects are produced over a wide range of distances from an observer and under a wide range of physical and kinematic conditions. Therefore, in astrophysical objects the lines from X-ray (e.g. Fe Kα) to the radio (e.g., the radio recombination lines) wavelength range have been observed. On the other hand, the experimental and theoretical investigations of laboratory plasma have been used in spectroscopic astrophysical research; in particular, the same atomic data are needed for line-shape calculations. This conference will bring together astronomers (observers and theoreticians) and physicists from Serbia and elsewhere to review the present stage of research, with the aim of improving our knowledge in this field, and to better understand the significance of emission/absorption lines for future astrophysical investigations.

              

The program will focus on:

  • Stellar and interstellar spectral lines
  • Spectral line phenomena in extragalactic objects
  • Spectral lines in laboratory and general plasma

              

SPECIAL SESSIONS:

During the 13th SCSLSA a Special session was organized, titled "Spectroscopy and polarization of AGNs: From observations to the theory" in memory of the life and work of Prof. Victor Leonidovich Afanasiev. To investigate the innermost part of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), high quality spectral and polarimetric data are needed. The observations of emitting gas close to the supermassive black hole (SMBH), assumed to be the AGN central engine, are especially important. The spectral line shapes and polarization across these lines provide us with the kinematics of emitting gas. For these reasons, the complex spectral and polarimetric observations, in combination with theory, can give more information about the physical processes near the SMBH. Moreover, these studies can be used for measurements of the SMBH mass. In this Session, we are going to collect a number of lectures concerning AGN investigations using observations in spectral and polarimetric modes as well as the theoretical approach which can explain the obtained observational results.

This Session is devoted to Prof. Victor L. Afanasiev, who sadly passed away on December 21, 2020. Prof. Afanasiev was a pioneer in developing instrumentation and techniques for optical observations of AGNs. He made a significant contribution to the polarimetric and 3D spectroscopic observations of AGNs, improved the observational techniques and created new ones which are used for the deeper and more detailed investigations of AGNs.