Over the last few years there have been repeated claims of dipolar anisotropies in a number of cosmological observations. These include dipoles in the number counts of distant astrophysical objects, like quasars and radio galaxies for example, as well as dipoles in certain cosmological parameters, such as the Hubble and the deceleration parameter. In view of these reports, the emerging question is whether the associated observations reflect some underlying generic anisotropy of the universe we live in, whether they are late-time additions triggered by the on going process of structure formation in particular, or they are mere artefacts of our gross misinterpretation of the data.

The aim of the workshop is to review the above mentioned issues, both from the observational and from the theoretical point of view, to consider possible explanations and to discuss their potential implications for the future of cosmological research. For instance, if the reported dipoles are signatures of real spacetime anisotropy, we might need to reconsider the validity of the cosmological principle itself. On the other hand, assuming that the aforementioned dipolar anisotropies are due to our misinterpretation of the cosmological data, we should probably have to review the current scenarios of large-scale structure formation. In either case, the implications could prove pivotal for our understanding of the nature and the evolution of the universe we live in.

The workshop appeals to a broad audience of researchers working on both theoretical and observational cosmology, with experience and expertise levels ranging from that of senior researchers to those of postgraduate students. Advanced undergraduates, with interests in cosmology, should also be able to follow and appreciate most of the presentations. This is also true for astrophysicists and physicists with expertise other than cosmology.

The workshop proceedings will be published by Springer in the series Astrophysics & Space Science Proceedings. 

​The meeting is organized by the Cosmology Group at the Astronomy Lab of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the venue is in the university campus, near the city centre. The event is part of the three-year research project "Tilted Cosmology", funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research & Innovation.

Christos Tsagas, Kerkyra Asvesta & Jessica Santiago 

(Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

Leandros Perivolaropoulos

(University of Ioannina)