ALFAII Programme Latin American European Network for Astrophysics and Cosmology LENAC Project number

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ALFA-II Programme Latin American European
Network for Astrophysics and Cosmology
(LENAC)Project number II 0275-FA-FFCDProject
title The Formation of Structure in the
UniverseHernán Muriel, Co-ordinator of the
Córdoba Node
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Basic Information

• Our proposal was submitted in October 2002 and
  was awarded 950K Euros
• In the same round 17 other projects were funded.
  The total EU funding in this round was 4.93M
  Euros
• The requested duration was 36 months.

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• Scheme ALFA-II "sub-programme B2" mobility of
  grant holders
• Scientific field astronomy, advanced
  computational techniques, astronomical
  instrumentation.

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Members

• Europe
• Theoretical Extragalactic Astronomy Cosmology
  Group University of Durham UK
• Laboratoire d'Astrophysique - Toulouse France
• MaxPlanck Institut fuer Astrophysik- Garching
  Germany
• Universidad de Barcelona. Barcelona - Espana
  Institut d'estudis espacials de catalunya -
  Barcelona Espana
• Latin America
• IATE - Universidad Nacional de Cordoba -
  Argentina IAFE - CONICET- Argentina
• Departamento de Astronomia - Universidade de Sao
  Paulo. Brazil
• Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica -
  Pontificia Universidad Catolica - Chile
• Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica Optica y
  Electronica - Puebla, Mexico

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Primary Objectives of the network

• To facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills
  and expertise between centres of astrophysical
  research with international reputations in Europe
  and Latin America.
• To train young researchers in advanced
  computational and observational techniques, by
  providing access to world leading facilities and
  expertise that are not available at their
  institution of origin.
• To promote joint research programmes and enhance
  existing collaborations between continents in the
  scientific areas of direct interest to the
  network computer simulations of the formation of
  large scale structure and galaxies, and
  observations of galaxies and clusters of galaxies
  over a wide range of wavelengths.
• To establish a centre for advanced scientific
  computation at a Latin American member of the
  network.

• A Latin American Centre for Computational
  Cosmology. In Year 1, we purchased a 50 node
  Beowulf style PC cluster, with matching funding
  from the EC and Fundación Antorchas. This cluster
  has been installed in Cordoba. Users from other
  nodes can request an account on this machine.

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Model adopted by the network. "good practice"

• Durham meeting of co-ordinators in May 2004
• The selection of grant holders
• Training projects are listed on the LENAC web
  pages, including potential contacts/supervisors
  at each node.
• The co-ordinator at the institution of origin
  advertises these projects.
• Candidate grant holders contact the local
  co-ordinator and the supervisor at the host
  institution. At this point, the CV details of the
  candidate are provided to the supervisor.
  Interpretation of the meaning of various
  qualifications and grades can be given to the
  supervisor by the local co-ordinator. 4) The
  supervisor emails his approval of the potential
  candidate to the local co-ordinator.
• The local co-ordinator ranks the approved
  candidates and assigns them to projects.

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• The nodes that provide the largest numbers of
  grant-holders, Córdoba (Argentina) and Católica
  (Chile), set up small committees to oversee the
  selection of grant holders.
• The role of the committee is to rank the
  candidates and their projects according to the
  following criteria
• The suitability of the scientific topic of the
  research internship.
• The CV of the candidate.
• The course grades of the candidates in the case
  of undergraduate and postgraduate students or the
  publication record, in the case of postdoctoral
  researchers.
• The availability of resources i.e. grant holder
  mobilities. The web-page set up by the local
  co-ordinator at Cordoba.

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Degree of collaboration among partners

• A good example the starting of a network-wide
  project with the goal of providing a scientific
  focus for the training activities of the network.

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The grant-holder visits over the 3 years
Year 3 to-date _______________ LA - EU        
27EU - LA          3LA - LA         17TOTAL  
        47Total months - 101 Year 3 further
proposed visits _______________ LA - EU        
13EU - LA          2LA - LA          8TOTAL  
        23Total months - 45

• Year 1________________
• LA - EU         23EU - LA          1LA - LA
          10TOTAL   34Total months - 77

• Year 2_______________
• LA - EU         25EU - LA          3LA - LA
          22TOTAL   50Total months - 126

There are still 6 original slots vacant
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Tutor visits

• Year 1 (Co-ordinators' meeting in Durham)LA -
  EU - 8EU - EU - 5Year 2LA - EU - 2EU - LA -
  10 (IGUACU)LA - LA - 4EU - EU - 1Year 3 so
  farLA - EU - 4EU - LA - 4LA - LA - 9 (Brazil
  workshop)

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Workshops with international participation  - all
attended by participantsfrom other Latin
American Institutes - created visibility and
raised profileof ALFA Project, especially the
Iguacu meeting

• Guillermo Haro -June 27- July 8 2005Tonantzintla
  - Puebla,  Mexico7 grant-holders participated1
  tutor from Durham gave lecture
• Guillermo Haro -July 23 - August 5
  2006Tonantzintla - Puebla,  Mexico10 -
  grant-holders participated2 tutors from LA nodes
  lectured plus 1 from Canada who is closely
  associated with - at least - the Durham group
  (Julio Navarro)
• IAG - LENAC XIII Advanced School of Astrophysics
  combined with ALFA workshopIguacu Brazil - April
  7 - April 12 200628 Grant-holders from LA
  attended8 tutor/professors from EU4
  tutor/professors from LA
• LENAC Workshop Galaxy Evolution in Different
  Environments29 Oct - 1 Nov 2006 Guaruja,
  Brazil10 tutor/professors attended and lectured
  (3 European)

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List of Publications by Alfa Participants in the
LENAC Network

• 1) astro-ph/0602026 abs, ps, pdf, other
• Title Spatial clustering of USS sources and
  galaxies
• Authors Carlos G. Bornancini (1), Nelson
  Padilla (2), Diego G. Lambas (1), Carlos De
  Breuck (3) ((1) IATE, Observatorio Astronomico
  Cordoba, Argentina, (2) Pontificia Universidad
  Catolica, Chile, (3) European Southern
  Observatory, Garching, Germany)
• Comments Accepted for publication in MNRAS,
  5 pages including 3 PostScript figures and 1
  table
• 2) astro-ph/0512160 abs, ps, pdf, other
• Title Cluster infall in the concordance
  LCDM model
• Authors Maximiliano C. Pivato (1), Nelson
  D. Padilla (2), Diego G.
• Lambas (1) ((1) Grupo IATE, Observatorio
  Astronomico de Cordoba, Argentina, (2)
  Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, PUC,
  Chile.)
• Comments 8 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to
  MNRAS
• 3) astro-ph/0511450 abs, ps, pdf, other
  (Proceedings)
• Title Study of the relationship between the
  gamma ray bursts and their host galaxies
• Authors S. E. Nuza (IAFE), P. B. Tissera
  (IAFE), L. J. Pellizza (CEA), D. G. Lambas (OAC),
  C. Scannapieco (IAFE), M. E. De Rossi (IAFE)
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• 23) astro-ph/0603690 abs, ps, pdf, other
• Title Cross-correlation of WMAP 3rd year
  and the SDSS DR4 galaxy
• survey new evidence for Dark Energy

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Aspects that explain the good results obtained

• The previous experience in the relation between
  different nodes
• Good communication between the different nodes at
  the beginning of the program
• The continuous improving of the general and local
  rules
• The real compromise of the European nodes (UK,
  MPA)

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How the established networks can continue to work
without external financing

• At the end of year 2 the node co-ordinators held
  a meeting during to discuss their plans for
  year three and also, to plan future training
  activities beyond the end of LENAC
• There was universal enthusiasm to continue the
  collaborative links which have been made possible
  by LENAC and to develop the training provided
  within the network
• The co-ordinators made an unequivocal expression
  of interest in making a future application to any
  new training network programme which replaces
  ALFA-II
• Follow-up support to grant holders. The European
  network nodes have been successful in providing
  independent financial support for a number of
  former grant holders to allow them to receive
  further training, through PhD studentships and
  postdoctoral fellowships

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Real Impact

• The LENAC programme has been tremendously
  successful in sustaining existing collaborations,
  and, most importantly, providing an environment
  in which new research projects can be started. A
  particularly satisfying aspect is the
  interactions between nodes which previously had
  not been in contact with one another.
• Many new bilateral collaborations have been
  started.