The International Conference
SN 1987A, Quark Phase Transition in Compact Objects
and Multimessenger Astronomy

2-8 July 2017

Scientific basis

The international conference on this urgent topic will be held in Russia for the second time. The success of the first workshop held in October 2015 persuaded the organizers that such meetings arranged in locations of unique Russian Observatories – Special Astrophysical Observatory of RAS (SAO RAS), Baksan Neutrino Observatory of Institute for Nuclear Research of RAS (BNO INR RAS) and the International Observatory Peak Terskol – are well needed. The feature of this conference is that it is related to two significant dates: the 50-th anniversary of Baksan Neutrino Observatory and the 30-th anniversary of the supernova SN 1987A. Observation of its neutrino signal was the direct experimental confirmation of the extremely important role of neutrino in the process of explosion of massive stars. The Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope (BUST) was one of the four neutrino detectors which registered neutrino events from SN 1987A.

The holding of the conference by efforts of BNO INR RAS, SAO RAS and Terskol Observatory is determined by the character of fundamental problems of the modern astrophysics included in its program. Solution of such problems demands development of methods combining optical astronomical observations and experiments with neutrino telescopes, cosmic-ray recording sets and detectors of gravitational waves. The conference’s scientific program covers a wide range of problems of the modern astrophysics including the problem of existence of quantum-chomodynamic (QCD) phase transitions and matter states at high temperatures and densities. Such conditions are likely to be achievable only in astrophysical objects – collapsars of stellar mass, for example, the objects whose formation is related with collapse and explosion of hot and dense cores of massive stars observable as gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. Nowadays the quark-gluon plasma is a new direction both in the high-energy physics and in the study of stellar compact objects. The phase transition to the state of quark-gluon plasma is surely related to the mechanism itself of explosion of massive (such as SN 1987A) supernovae, and the energy of such a transition can be a source of cosmic gamma-ray bursts. Neutrino which are observed with modern detectors (including domestic ones, such as BUST) can be signals of transition of matter to quark matter. Equipment of modern gravitational detectors is also developed for such signals. Participation of astronomers in the programs aimed at the study of boxes of localization of neutrino and gravitational events was discussed many times already (e.g., see the report of a special commission: The summary of the EMMI Rapid Reaction Task Force on "Quark Matter in Compact Stars", October 7-10, 2013, FIAS, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, arXiv:1402.6911).

At the conference a considerable part of time will be dedicated to up-to-date opportunities of experimental observation (electromagnetic identification) of sources of cosmic neutrino and gravitational waves, and to discussion about prospects of development of studies in this field. The conference will include review lectures of leading experts in the conference topic, original oral presentation and poster sessions. A special session will be dedicated to the supernova SN 1987A. Presentations by young Russian researchers will be especially welcomed. Participation of leading Russian and foreign scientists will promote the further achievements in the study of this field of astrophysics in Russia and the training of skilled researchers.

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