Scientific Rationale

Compact objects are the endpoint of stellar evolution. The ultimate fate of a star depends chiefly on the initial mass as well as on many other properties, including metallicity, rotation and binarity. Goal of the school is to offer graduate students and young researchers an updated, comprehensive view of the late stages of stellar evolution, the formation pathways and the properties of compact objects: white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes.

This is a particularly favourable time for getting together experienced scientists and young researchers. Recent detections of gravitational waves in conjunction with the observation of the electromagnetic counterparts opened a new window in the study of compact stars, confirming the occurrence of the r-process in neutron star mergers, providing new insights into the equation of state of ultra-dense matter and revealing the existence of stellar-mass black holes exceeding 50 Msun. Moreover, new instrumentation covering different electromagnetic bands, from the infra-red (JWST) to the X-rays (Athena, eXTP), is bound to expand further our knowledge about compact objects and their progenitors, validating present theoretical scenarios or opening up new ones.

The activities of the school will benefit from the presence of world leading experts in the field. Besides Italian researchers, lecturers from different international institutions will attend. Lectures will cover both observational and theoretical topics, moving from the basics of stellar evolution and binary systems to supernova explosions and arriving at white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes. Emphasis will be placed on multimessenger techniques as well as on the most recent and future ground- and space-based observational facilities.

This will offer an excellent opportunity for young scientists attending the school (PhD-students, post-docs and early-career researchers) to foster their professional growth in a high-level, multi-disciplinary environment, where they will become acquainted with different aspects of stellar and compact object astrophysics, from "hard theory" to observations. The vast and diverse expertise and technical skills they will acquire during the school will certainly help them in competing successfully in academic and research institutions.

About the school

The school is organized over a six days period. Classes will be held for six hours/day each working day and on Saturday morning, for a total of 33 hrs. Given the international attendance, English will be the official language of the school.

A school webpage will be maintained, and lecturers will be asked to post their presentations at least a day in advance, so that students can peruse through them. A web forum will be opened and both students and lecturers will be encouraged to use it as a mean to exchange ideas and suggestions. A questionnaire, to be filled on the web page, will allow us to collect participants' feedback at the end of the school. Participants will be limited to 35 and selected on the basis of their CV and reference letters. Attendees from all over the world are expected.

The deadline for registration is June 19, 2022. No fee will be charged and limited financial support for attendees is available upon request.

The school is organized under the patronage of the University of Padova, funded and supported by the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Padova (within the "Progetto di eccellenza" grant) and with the collaboration of the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics - Padova Astronomical Observatory (INAF-OAPD).