We are pleased to announce that the IAU Symposium (IAUS) 380 “Cosmic Masers: Proper Motion toward the Next-Generation Large Projects” will be held on 2023 March 20-24 in Kagoshima City, Japan. The symposium will adopt a form of a “hybrid” meeting of on-site and online.
Cosmic masers are unique probes of various objects, ranging from young stellar objects (YSOs), asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and post-AGB stars, interstellar medium (ISM), the Milky Way Galaxy, to active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Thanks to their high brightness and narrow spectral features, a number of maser observations using large radio interferometers and very long baseline interferometers (VLBI) have provided high spatial and spectral resolution images, three dimensional velocity fields including proper motions, and annual parallaxes, and hence, basic physical properties.
Since the last IAUS on cosmic masers in 2017, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has achieved comparable resolution to those of previous longer wavelength interferometers. Future large projects such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and the next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) will put forward key science projects utilizing masers. Time-domain and multi-wavelength observations will provide powerful tools to investigate dynamical phenomena in maser sources.
Thus, the forthcoming IAUS on cosmic masers will be a timely opportunity to start discussion on future sciences and synergies with other large scale observations at additional wavelength regimes. Held in Kagoshima, Japan/Asia, it will also promote activities of maser science communities where new regional telescopes and/or international projects are developing.
Photo credit: Kagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau (KPVB)