ESA Science & Technology - 2013 STE-QUEST Workshop

Introduction

2013 STE-QUEST Workshop
22-23 May 2013
ESTEC
Keplerlaan 1, Noordwijk - The Netherlands

http://sci.esa.int/ste-quest-ws2013

Update - 6 June 2013: The workshop presentations are now available in pdf format, through the "Scientific Programme" link from the right-hand menu.

Update - 10 May 2013: A new pdf file is available from the right-hand menu, with details of the Programme, List of Posters, Participants and the Abstracts.

Update - 1 May 2013: The deadline for submission of abstracts has been extended to 6 May.

Einstein's Theory of General Relativity is a cornerstone of modern physics. It is used to describe the flow of time in the presence of gravity; the motion of bodies, from satellites to galaxy clusters; the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the presence of massive bodies; and the dynamics of the universe as a whole.

Although very successful so far, general relativity, as well as numerous other alternative or more general theories of gravitation, are classical theories. As such, they are fundamentally incomplete as they do not include quantum effects. A theory solving this problem would represent a crucial step towards the unification of all fundamental forces of Nature. Several approaches have been proposed and are currently under investigation (e.g. string theory, quantum gravity, extra spatial dimensions) and all of them tend to lead to tiny violations of basic principles. Therefore, a full understanding of gravity will require observations or experiments able to determine the relationship between gravity and the quantum world. This topic is a prominent field of activity and includes the current studies of dark energy.

Space-Time Explorer and QUantum Equivalence Space Test (STE-QUEST) is a mission conceived to test the different aspects of the Einstein Equivalence Principle by using high-stability and high-accuracy atomic sensors. Submitted in reply to the 2010 Call for Medium-size Missions for the Cosmic Vision plan, STE-QUEST was recommended by the ESA Advisory Structure and selected for an assessment study.

The scope of the workshop is to present and discuss with the scientific community the STE-QUEST science case and the progress achieved in the frame of the mission and instruments studies.

These web pages will be updated with more details of the workshop, such as the programme and transport information, as they become available.

Location
The two day workshop will be held at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), the ESA establishment in the Netherlands, in the conference room Newton. See the "Venue" link in the right-hand menu for full details and travel information.

Schedule

Registration
Participants are required to register for the workshop, using the online registration form, which is accessible below and from the right-hand menu (the form opens in a new window). The deadline for registration is 15 May.

 
Cost
There is no fee for attending the workshop.

Abstract Submission
A template is provided to be used by each participant who wishes to submit an abstract. It can be downloaded from the documentation section in the right-hand menu. Abstracts must be submitted as a word document (.doc or .docx) and may not be bigger than 5 MB.

Submission of abstracts is only possible through the dedicated online submission form, which is accessible below and from the right-hand menu (the form opens in a new window). The deadline for submission of abstracts has been extended to 6 May.

Organising committee
The workshop is organised by the STE-QUEST Study Science Team:

Contact
For any question regarding the workshop, please contact:

Luigi Cacciapuoti (STE-QUEST Study Scientist)
Email: Luigi.Cacciapuotiesa.int
Phone: +31-71-5655516
 

Venue

The workshop will be held at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC).

Address:
Keplerlaan 1
2201 AZ Noordwijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 71 565 6565
Fax: +31 71 565 6040

How to get to ESA/ESTEC

(Note: for transport between the hotels and the workshop venue please see the bus schedule in the Hotel accommodation section below.)

ESTEC is located at the southern tip of the coastal town of Noordwijk.

By car
From Amsterdam: take the A4 (direction Den Haag-Rotterdam) then at the junction follow the A44. Take the exit "Noordwijk-Voorhout", continue to Noordwijk and from there, follow the signs to "ESTEC".
From Den Haag (The Hague): take the A44 (direction Amsterdam) and exit at "Leiden" (exit 8). Follow the N206 towards Katwijk and Haarlem. Take the exit "Katwijk Noord". From there follow the signs to "ESTEC" (small white squares).

By bus
From Leiden Central station: take bus 30 or 31 to Katwijk. The journey takes about 30 minutes and the bus stops in front of the ESTEC entrance gate. Please note that these buses leave more frequently during rush-hour periods but with frequency reducing during normal hours. For the most recent schedule, please check http://9292.nl/en#  or http://www.arriva.nl/secundair-menu/english/.

From other directions: the nearest bus stop to ESTEC is 'Katwijk, Schorpioen' (300 metres from the ESTEC entrance gate). Lines that pass here are bus 90 (from Noordwijk, Nieuw Vennep or Den Haag) and bus 385 (from Noordwijk or Den Haag - this line also passes the Leiden Transferium). For more details see the bus information links above.

By plane
From Schiphol airport, either take a taxi to ESTEC (30 min), or a train to Leiden Centraal (15 min) and then the number 30 or 31 bus (see bus directions above) (30 min). By rental car, follow the "By car" instructions as above from Amsterdam.

Hotel accommodation

For the hotel accommodation, we recommend to contact the BCD Travel office at ESTEC for making your reservation:

BCD Travel
Inplant ESA-ESTEC
Keplerlaan 1
2201 AZ Noordwijk
Tel: 0031 71 5658030
Fax: 0031 20 7188099
Email: estecbcdtravel.nl

A number of rooms in different hotels in the Noordwijk area have been reserved for the workshop attendees, with arrival on 21 May 2013 and departure on 23 May 2013.
Please, reserve your hotel before 1 May 2013. After that date, the special rates are no longer available.

 
Hotel rates are indicative and exclude breakfast.

(*) Note: This rate always includes breakfast.

NOTE: Please mention the reference "STE-QUEST Workshop" when making your hotel reservation.

Scientific Programme

Where available, the presentations can be downloaded in pdf format by clicking on the presentation title in the programme below.