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"The B[e] Phenomenon: Forty Years of Studies"
27 June - 1 July 2016
Prague, Czech Republic

Conference presentation.



























































































Welcome  




Among astrophysical phenomena discovered in the second half of the 20-th century the B[e] phenomenon is observed in stars with the widest variety of masses and evolutionary stages. This phenomenon is defined as the presence of forbidden emission lines, along with permitted ones, and an excess infrared radiation due to circumstellar dust in the spectra of hot stars. Many objects with these features have been discovered in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. Their observed properties, unusual in many cases, challenge minds of astrophysicists and provide an invaluable material forfurther exploration of the Universe.
This website is devoted to the 3rd international conference on studies of objects with the B[e] phenomenon that will take place in Prague in the summer of 2016. Astronomers working in related fields of astrophysics are welcome to join discussions on recent progress in observations andinterpretation of these spectacular objects.

The last announcement
Dear participants,

The conference is approaching, and we would like to give you some useful information and reminders before we meet in Prague.

The welcome reception will begin on Sunday, June 26th, at 18:00 at the conference venue, Computer Science Institute of the Charles University, Malostranske namesti 25, Prague, Czech Republic, 11800. The place is shown on the Venue page of the conference website. There will be signs directing you to the conference rooms. You will be able to register for the conference, receive letters of confirmation of your attendance, conference fee payment, etc., socialize with other participants, and take part in a sponsor's presentation (with beer and food, see the Welcome Party poster on the Conference Poster page of the conference website). The reception will last until 21:00.

If you miss the welcome reception, registration will be available on every conference day before the talks begin and during coffee breaks.

Posters need to be placed on poster boards (size up to 1 m by 1.5 m or 40 by 60 inches) in the hall in front of the main conference room. Posters can be attached to the boards with pins or double-sided tape. Pins and tape will be provided to you or you can bring your own. Posters will be available during the entire conference. Do not forget to take them down on Friday, July 1st, after the conference ends.

Wifi will be available in the conference rooms as well as two computers in the smaller room by the main room and access to a computer lab. The lab will be open for us daily for 8:00 to 20:00. Printing is available for cash.

Food during the conference (other than coffee breaks): the restaurant downstairs is the cheapest place in the surrounding with a good quality food. You will find its menu in a bag that you get with registration. Also we will provide a daily menu at the notice board of the conference. Paying for lunch is your responsibility.

It is preferable that you use the conference computer under Windows to present your talks to save time for switching to your own laptop. Please be ready to make your talk presentation available to share it through the conference webpage.

Instructions for the proceedings paper preparation will appear on the conference website, be announced during the conference, and reminders will be sent to everybody after the conference.

We remind you that information about getting from and to the airport is shown on the Travel and Accommodation page of the conference website.

Let us know if you have any questions by writing to bepstars2016@gmail.com.

See you in Prague!

Conference LOC
Third announcement


The conference is intended to celebrate 40 years of studies of objects with the B[e] phenomenon, some of whose manifestations are among the most puzzling in stellar astrophysics. 

The phenomenon refers to stars of the spectral type B, which show forbidden emission lines in their spectra along with strong excess of infrared radiation due to circumstellar dust. It has been recognized in pre-main-sequence Herbig Ae/Be stars, dusty symbiotic binaries, supergiants with slow winds, young planetary nebulae, and some binary systems that supposedly undergo a non-conservative mass exchange.

 This is the third conference on the subject aimed at summarizing progress in studies of the all above mentioned groups over the last 10 years, presenting recently discovered objects, discussing related objects (such as classical Be stars), and theoretical developments toward understanding causes of the phenomenon.

 

The conference will take place in Prague, Czech Republic on June 27 - July 1, 2016

The conference website is http://bepstars2016.org

 

Conference Venue: Computer Science Institute of Charles University, Malostranské náměstí 25, Prague, Czech Repubic, 11800

Proposals for contributed talks (25 minutes) and posters can be submitted with registration.

Conference Proceedings will be published both online and on paper by one of the respected publishers, such as the Astronomical Society of the Pacific or Revista Mexicana Astronomia y Astrofisica.

Cultural Program will include a trip to the Karlstein castle near Prague and conference dinner.

Conference fee covers the welcome party, coffee breaks, the conference trip to the castle with the dinner on June 29th, and the walking tour "Astronomical Prague" on June 30th.

 

Important Dates:


March 15, 2016 – Late registration opens (registration fee 350/250 Euro, regular/student)

April 15, 2016 – Deadline for the conference registration (limited to 85 participants)

April 15, 2016 – Deadline for the abstract submission

May 20, 2016 – Conference program release

June 26, 2016 – Conference welcome party (Sunday evening)

June 26 – July 1, 2016 – Conference

 

 Main topics:

·      role of the B[e] phenomenon in the Galactic dust formation cycle

·      evolutionary connections between various hot emission-line stars

·      the B[e] phenomenon as an evolutionary stage of single stars and binary systems

·      incorporating circumstellar evolution into stellar evolutionary models

·      role of rotation and mergers in the development of the B[e] phenomenon

·      precursors and descendants of objects with the B[e] phenomenon


 Scientific Organizing Committee:

Anatoly Miroshnichenko (Chair, U. of North Carolina-Greensboro, USA), 

Armando Domiciano de Souza (Obs. de Cote d'Azur, France), 

Jose Groh (Geneva University, Switzerland), 

John Hiller (U. of Pittsburgh, USA),

Ronald Mennickent (U. Concepcion, Chile), 

Rene Oudmaijer (U. Leeds, UK), 

Steven Shore (U. Pisa, Italy)

 Local Organizing Committee:

Daniela Korcakova (Astron. Inst., Charles U., Prague, Czech Republic),

Marek Wolf (Astron. Inst., Charles U., Prague, Czech Republic), 

Sergey Zharikov (Inst. de Astronomia, UNAM, Mexico)


 Invited speakers:

·      Alex Carciofi (U. Sao Paulo, Brazil) 3D non-LTE modeling of gaseous and dusty environments of hot stars (Be, B[e])

·      Isabelle Cherchneff (U.Basel, Swirzerland) Dust formation in evolved stars

·      Sylvia Ekström (U. Geneva, Swirzerland) Evolution of single stars: physics, mass loss, and rotation

·      Cyril Georgy (U. Geneva, Swirzerland) Link of B[e] stars and stellar evolution (in particular with rotation)

·      Michaela Kraus (Charles U., Czech Rep.) Spectroscopic diagnostics of circumstellar disks of B[e] stars

·      Alex Lobel (Royal Obs., Belgium) Modelling and observations of massive binaries with the B[e] phenomenon

·      Anthony Meilland (Obs. Cote d’Azur, France) Probing gas and dust around B[e] stars at the highest angular resolution: A decade of interferometric studies

·      Anatoly Miroshnichenko (UNC-Greensboro, USA) FS CMa objects – products of intermediate-mass non-conservative binary evolution

·      Atsuo Okazaki (Hokkai-Gokuen U., Japan) Physics of classical Be stars and possible connection to the B[e] phenomenon

·      Stan Owocki (U. Delaware, USA) Physics of mass loss and disk formation

·      Rene Oudmaijer (U. Leeds, UK) The B[e] phenomenon in Herbig Ae/Be stars

·      Augustin Skopal (Astron. Inst. Tatranska Lomnica, Slovakia) The B[e] phenomenon in symbiotic binaries

·      Jorick Vink (Armagh Obs., UK) Polarimetry and spectro-polarimetry : theory and application to stars with dusty disks

·      Danny Vanbeveren (Vrije U., Belgium) Evolution of binary stars: physics, mass loss and rotation

·      Hans Van Winckel (U. Leuven, Belgium) Evolution toward the Planetary Nebula phase: binaries with circumbinary dusty discs


Second announcement


Forty years ago, David Allen and Jean-Pierre Swings announced their discovery of the B[e] phenomenon. Its main features are the presence of forbidden line emission in spectra of B-type stars and strong infrared excesses due to circumstellar dust. Objects that display the phenomenon also exhibit strong permitted emission lines, such as H I and Fe II. The phenomenon was subsequently observed in stellar systems of a large range of masses and ages surrounded by large and/or dense disks. These groups include pre-main-sequence Herbig Ae/Be stars, dusty symbiotic binaries, compact proto-planetary nebulae, peculiar supergiants, and a group of likely intermediate-mass binaries called FS CMa type objects.
The impact of studying the B[e] phenomenon on modern astrophysics has been significant. Some examples include the discovery of circumstellar disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars that led to a new theoretical approach to the dusty disk modeling and planet formation; long-term monitoring of the binary Luminous Blue Variable Eta Carinae, whose study changed our understanding of the post-main-sequence evolution of the most massive stars; and the discovery of multiple maser and laser line emission in the enigmatic object MWC349A.
The decade since the previous conference has been full of new results from multicolor photometry, high-resolution spectroscopy, interferometry, long-term monitoring programs, and discoveries of new objects with the B[e] phenomenon in the Milky Way and other galaxies. We propose to bring together theorists and observers to discuss the recent progress and current state of the field.

The conference will take place in Prague, Czech Republic on June 27 - July 1, 2016

The conference website is http://bepstars2016.org

Main topics:
• The B[e] phenomenon in Herbig Ae/Be stars, supergiants, symbiotic binaries, proto-planetary nebulae
• the B[e] phenomenon as an evolutionary stage of single stars and binary systems
• role of the B[e] phenomenon in the Galactic dust formation cycle
• incorporating circumstellar evolution into stellar evolutionary models
• role of rotation and mergers in the development of the B[e] phenomenon
• precursors and descendants of objects with the B[e] phenomenon


Scientific Organizing Committee:
Anatoly Miroshnichenko (Chair, U. of North Carolina-Greensboro, USA), Armando Domiciano de Souza (Obs. de Cote d'Azur, France), Jose Groh (Geneva University, Switzerland), John Hiller (U. of Pittsburgh, USA), Ronald Mennickent (U. Concepcion, Chile), Rene Oudmaijer (U. Leeds, UK), Steven Shore (U. Pisa, Italy)
Local Organizing Committee:
Daniela Korcakova, Marek Wolf, Hana Mifkova (Astron. Inst., Charles U., Prague, Czech Republic), Sergey Zharikov (Inst. de Astronomia, UNAM, Mexico)

Current list of confirmed invited talks:
• Alex Carciofi (U. Sao Paulo, Brazil) 3D non-LTE modeling of gaseous and dusty environments of hot stars (Be, B[e]) 
• Isabelle Cherchneff (U.Basel, Switzerland) Dust formation in evolved stars 
• Sylvia Ekström (U. Geneva, Switzerland) Evolution of single stars: physics, mass loss, and rotation
• Cyril Georgy (U. Geneva, Switzerland) Link of B[e] stars and stellar evolution (in particular with rotation) 
• Michaela Kraus (Astron. Inst., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) Spectroscopic diagnostics of circumstellar disks of B[e] stars
• Alex Lobel (Royal Obs., Belgium) Modelling and observations of massive binaries with the B[e] phenomenon
• Anthony Meilland (Obs. Cote d’Azur, France) Probing gas and dust around B[e] stars at the highest angular resolution: A decade of interferometric studies
• Anatoly Miroshnichenko (UNC-Greensboro, USA) FS CMa objects – products of intermediate-mass non-conservative binary evolution
• Atsuo Okazaki (Hokkai-Gokuen U., Japan) Physics of classical Be stars and possible connection to the B[e] phenomenon
• Stan Owocki (U. Delaware, USA) Physics of mass loss and disk formation
• Rene Oudmaijer (U. Leeds, UK) The B[e] phenomenon in Herbig Ae/Be stars
• Steve Shore (U. Pisa, Italy) What is to be Done?
• Augustin Skopal (Astron. Inst. Tatranska Lomnica, Slovakia) The B[e] phenomenon in symbiotic binaries
• Jorick Vink (Armagh Obs., UK) Polarimetry and spectro-polarimetry : theory and application to stars with dusty disks 
• Danny Vanbeveren (Vrije U., Belgium) Evolution of binary stars: physics, mass loss and rotation
• Hans Van Winckel (U. Leuven, Belgium) Evolution toward the Planetary Nebula phase: binaries with circumbinary dusty discs

Conference Venue: Computer Science Institute of Charles University, Malostranské náměstí 25, Prague, Czech Republic, 11800
Proposals for contributed talks (25 minutes) and posters can be submitted with registration.
Conference Proceedings will be published both online and on paper by one of the respected publishers, such as the Astronomical Society of the Pacific or Acta Polytechnica CTU.
Cultural Program will include a welcome party, a tour of the astronomical Prague, a trip to one of the castles near Prague with conference dinner.
Important Dates:
November 1, 2015 – Early registration opens (registration fee 300/200 Euro, regular/student)
February 1, 2016 – Deadline for booking accommodation at the student dormitory
February 15, 2016 – Third and final announcement
March 1, 2016 – Late registration opens (registration fee 350/250 Euro, regular/student)
April 15, 2016 – Deadline for the conference registration (limited to 85 participants)
April 15, 2016 – Deadline for the abstract submission
May 1, 2016 – Conference program released
June 26, 2016 – Conference welcome party (Sunday evening)
June 26 – July 1, 2016 – Conference 

Please distribute this information among your colleagues and display the conference poster, which is available from the conference website (click the Conference Poster link).





First announcement

Forty years ago David Allen and Jean-Pierre Swings announced their discovery of the B[e] phenomenon that involved the presence of forbidden line emission in optical spectra of 65 Galactic Be-type stars along with strong infrared excesses due to circumstellar dust.


After the first two decades of a slow progress in its understanding due to the objects' faintness, sparse data, and heterogeneity of the group, its potential for refining the picture of stellar evolution started to emerge. The phenomenon turned out to be observed in stellar systems of a large range of masses and ages surrounded by large and/or dense circumstellar disks. Examples of the impact of studying the B[e] phenomenon on modern astrophysics include the discovery of circumstellar disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars that led to a new theoretical approach to the dusty disk modeling and planet formation; a long-term monitoring of the binary Luminous Blue Variable Eta Carinae, whose studies changed our understanding of the post-main-sequence evolution of massive stars; and the discovery of multiple maser and laser line emission in the enigmatic object MWC349A.


The first conference on objects with the B[e] phenomenon (Paris, France, 1997) has established that objects from four groups with understood nature (pre-main-sequence Herbig Ae/Be stars, type D symbiotic binaries, compact Proto-Planetary Nebulae, B[e] supergiants) exhibit the phenomenon. The nature of the remaining half of the original group was not determined, and these objects were called “unclassified”. The second conference (Vlieland Island, the Netherlands, 2005) introduced new methods of studying disks of B[e] supergiants, a new technique of revealing binary systems (spectro- astrometry), and a growth of the “unclassified” group that was renamed to “FS CMa-type objects” following the name of the prototype star showing the B[e] phenomenon.


The time since the second conference (10 years) has been full of new results obtained with multicolor photometry, high-resolution spectroscopy, interferometry, long-term monitoring programs, and discoveries of new objects with the B[e] phenomenon in the Milky Way and closest galaxies. There is also a growing tendency to explain the presence of the phenomenon by evolution of binary systems with non-conservative mass loss. The time has certainly come to review and discuss these new results and ideas.


Therefore, we propose to bring together theorists and observers, those who have been studying the phenomenon and related objects for a long time and those who recently got interested in them, to discuss the progress, new ideas, and the current state of the phenomenon investigation.


All five subgroups of objects with the B[e] phenomenon will be discussed in separate sessions. The questions we will address at the conference include but are not limited to the following:

What is the role of the B[e] phenomenon in the Galactic dust production cycle?


Is there an evolutionary connection between B[e] objects and other massive and intermediate-mass objects, such as classical Be stars?


What is the range of masses and orbital parameters of close binaries that can develop the B[e] phenomenon?


Are all B[e] supergiants binary systems? How to find pre- and post- B[e] phenomenon objects?


What is the mechanism that is responsible for production of lithium in objects with the B[e] phenomenon?


What are the best luminosity indicators in objects with veiled stellar features?


What is needed to incorporate circumstellar evolution into stellar evolutionary models (including binaries)?


What is different in objects with dust which do not exhibit forbidden lines?


The conference will take place in Prague, a beautiful city in the center of Europe with a rich astronomical history and significant contributions to the study of Be and B[e] objects.