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Acireale (Catania), Italy
16-20 May 2005

This IAU sponsored symposium will consider Massive Star Formation (MSF) from the perspective of their gas and dust ENVIRONMENTS, the physics of their FORMATION, their initial phases of EVOLUTION, and their connections to STAR BIRTH CLUSTERS. We will bring together astronomers from several disparate communities: interstellar medium, stellar astrophysics, stellar dynamics, and star formation in galaxies. Observations from a wide range of energies will be considered, including X-rays, optical, IR, and radio wavelengths. Related theoretical studies will be included, as will new and relevant data from the SPITZER mission.

We believe that:
1) a better understanding of the problems of MSF can be achieved,
2) an assessment of where we are in solving those problems will result,
3) ideas for future programs to attack remaining issues will follow.

Unlike other fields of stellar astrophysics, MSF is nearly entirely hidden from view in the visible but amenable to observation at hard X-Ray, IR, mm, and radio wavelengths. These observations typically deal with the surrounding ionized medium and the natal dust clouds from which the properties of the underlying newly born stars need to be inferred. This conference will specifically consider massive star birth processes in terms of the evolution of the newly born stellar object and that of its environment.

Two competing hypotheses have been proposed for massive star birth; accretion of ambient gas in molecular cores and mergers of intermediate mass protostars. In this meeting, we plan to asses the observational and theoretical evidence of the role of these two processes, as well as to discuss issues such as the evolutionary sequence from Starless Molecular Cores, to Hot Molecular Cores, to Hypercompact HII regions, to Ultracompact HII regions, to Classical HII regions.

We also plan to address other important topics outlined in the program below.

ORGANIZATION OF THE SYMPOSIUM

The symposium will consist of four and one-half days of meetings, from 08:30 to 18:30, with two one-half hour coffee breaks and three hours for lunch. Invited Talks of 30 minutes length each and Contributed Talks of 20 minutes length each will be scheduled. Posters will provide an important part of the presentations. The following draft of the program with the tentative Invited Talks is given to provide a framework of the main threads of the conference. The topics listed already have tentative speakers associated but they have not all been contacted as yet. Contributed talks are welcomed.

OUTLINE OF PROGRAM

I. Introductory Framework

The Role of Massive Stars in Astrophysics
Orion, The Nearest MS Birth Region
MS Birth in the Galactic Center

II. Star Birth Sequence: The Natal Precursors

Initial Conditions for MS Birth
Ices as Tracers of MS Birth
Chemistry of the Molecular Cores
The Role of Magnetic Fields on MSF
Hot Molecular Cores
Formation of Discs
The Disc-Jet Connection
Dissipation of Stellar Disks
Hypercompact HII Regions
Radio Observations of UCHII Regions
Spitzer Observations of MSF Regions

III. Star Birth Sequence: The Stars

Stellar Evolution Before the ZAMS
Protostellar SEDs and IR Colors
Accretion Processes
Binary Mergers
Massive Star Outflows
Jets from YSOs
Chandra Observations of MSF
X-Ray Studies of MSF
Parameters of ZAMS Stars
Parameters of Massive YSOs
Winds in ZAMS O Stars

IV. Star Birth in a Cluster Environment

Clustered Massive Star Birth
Cluster Formation in Molecular Clouds
Molecular Cores/Clusters in the MCs
Turbulence and Star Birth
Infrared Studies of Newly Formed Clusters
IR Observations of UC HII Regions
Protoclusters: Massive Star Birth
NIR Studies of GHII Region Clusters
Super Star Clusters: Implication for MSF
Upper Mass Limit in Clusters
Population III stars

V. Conference Summary

What have we learned? What are the main unsolved problems? Where do we go from here?

Natal Molecular Clouds
Massive Star Birth Sequence
Star Birth in Clusters

ACCOMMODATION

The Symposium will be hosted in the Congress Center La Perla Ionica in Sicily (Italy), in the town of Acireale, close to Catania. The place is a quiet and pleasant resort on the Ionic Coast, not far from Taormina and at the foot of the Etna Volcano. The Congress Center offer a range of convenient room rates, which will be advertised as soon as possible on this web site.

IAU GRANTS

A limited number of IAU grants for individual participants will be available. The IAU grants can be used primarily for room and board of candidates unable to provide this by themselves. The application form for an IAU grant can be found in

http://www.iau.org/IAU/Activities/meetings/travappl.html

and should be submitted by e-mail, FAX, or regular mail to:

Ed Churchwell Washburn Observatory
University of Wisconsin-Madison
475 North Charter Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
U.S.A.
FAX: +1-608-263-6386
(churchwell@astro.wisc.edu)

The deadline for application to an IAU grant is November 30 2004.

REGISTRATION

Registration is possible through this web site. The registration fee will be 200 Euro to be paid in cash upon arrival at the meeting.