Little Red Dots

Andrés Escala (University of Chile)

Francesco Flammini Dotti (New York University Abu Dhabi)

Muhammad Latif (United Arab Emirates University)

Dominik Schleicher (Sapienza University of Rome)

The recent discovery of “Little Red Dots” (LRDs) as a population of compact, high-redshift galaxies has sparked significant interest and debate within the community. Observational findings have rapidly expanded, while their theoretical interpretation remains uncertain, with multiple competing scenarios proposed for their nature, origin, and evolution.

This upcoming workshop provides a timely platform to bring together observers and theorists to discuss the latest progress in the field. By facilitating the exchange of new observational results and theoretical developments, the workshop aims to critically assess current models, identify key open questions, and address existing tensions between data and theory.

The workshop will also serve as a forum to explore the physical nature of LRDs, evaluate their implications for early galaxy and black hole formation, and outline future directions. In particular, discussions will focus on leveraging upcoming observational facilities and advanced simulations to refine our understanding. By fostering collaboration and dialogue across disciplines, the workshop will help shape a more coherent framework for interpreting LRDs and guide future research efforts.

The main talks of the workshop will be by invitation, but there will also be the opportunity to give additional flash talks from interested participants. Attendance and participation in general is free due to the online format.

We thank for support via the Center for Astrophysics and Related Technologies (CATA; ANID BASAL project FB21003).