Bridging Scales

Bridging Scales at Cosmic Dawn and Reionization: Stars, Galaxies, Black Holes and the Intergalactic Medium

12-16 July 2027 at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

This conference provides comprehensive coverage of the first billion years of cosmic history. By bridging the gap between leading theorists, observers, and instrumentalists, we aim to foster discussions on the most critical developments in the study of Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization. Key themes will include:

• Sources of reionization (highlighting recent JWST and ALMA detections at high redshifts) and observational constraints
• The physical properties of the intergalactic medium and its evolution driven by sources of light and heat
• 21-cm cosmology and other atomic/molecular line mapping (including Lyα, [CII], and CO)
• The processes of metal enrichment and evolution of early stellar populations: metal-poor stars, supernovae, stellar black holes and X-ray binaries  
• The physics of Population III stars and observational constraints

This conference will comprise eight sessions focusing on the following topics:

1. Sources of reionization - theory and models
2. Sources of reionization - observations
3. Intensity mapping and 21-cm - theory and models
4. Intensity mapping and 21-cm - observations
5. Pop III star physics: formation, evolution, and fate - theory and models
6. Pop III stars - observations, including high-redshift observations from JWST and stellar archaeology
7. Metal enrichment and evolution of stellar populations - theory and observations
8. Synergies and multi-wavelength constraints for Cosmic Dawn and EoR - theory and observations

For any enquiries, please contact bridgingscales@ast.cam.ac.uk. Please feel free to also contact the co-chairs Anastasia Fialkov (afialkov@ast.cam.ac.uk ) and Lily Whitler (lw851@cam.ac.uk).

We are grateful for the support of the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge, which is sponsoring this event. 

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Confirmed invited speakers:

• Adam Lidz, University of Pennsylvania
• Ása Skuladottir, University of Florence
• Girish Kulkarni, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
• Jonathan Pritchard, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
• Jordan Mirocha, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Laura Pentericci, INAF, National Institute for Astrophysics
• Piyush Sharda, Leiden University
• Valentina D’Odorico, INAF, National Institute for Astrophysics

Scientific Organising Committee:

• Harry Bevins, University of Cambridge
• Vasily Belokurov, University of Cambridge
• Tzu-Ching Chang, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Eloy de Lera Acedo, University of Cambridge
• Xiaohui Fan, University of Arizona
• Anastasia Fialkov, University of Cambridge
• Avishai Gilkis, University of Cambridge
• Boryana Hadzhiyska, University of Cambridge
• Stefania Salvadori, University of Florence
• Debora Sijacki, University of Cambridge
• Sandro Tacchella, University of Cambridge
• Lily Whitler, University of Cambridge

Local Organising Committee:

• Joy Dufresne
• Anastasia Fialkov
• Ceren Kaser
• Cormac O'Connell
• Amanda Smith
• Eleni Soumpourou
• Lily Whitler
• Housekeeping Team

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