Workshop2010:rationale

Gaia will repeatedly monitor the whole sky in the optical. The Gaia Science Alerts stream therefore represents a unique opportunity, and holds a significant responsibility. Triggers from transient phenomena are the first data that the astronomical community will see from the satellite. It is up the Gaia Science Alerts Team to make sure that the alert stream is accurate, reliable, interesting and free from (or at least acceptably low in) contamination. It is vital to make sure that the astronomical community is ready for these Gaia alerts, and that Gaia starts delivering science quickly. In addition, we will raise public awareness about (and involvement with) the satellite very early on in the mission.

The motivation for the workshop:

• To focus community attention on the scientific possibilities that will arise from the Gaia Science Alerts data stream, and to make sure that astronomers are prepared and motivated to exploit the data as it arrives.
• To invite the community to influence the scope of the science alerts processing algorithms and alert strategies, to ensure that returns from the mission are maximized, and that exciting opportunities are not overlooked.

Target participants:

1. Experts on the Gaia mission and data flow system, together with developers and scientists working on the Science Alerts System.
2. Astronomers who are actively involved or interested in ongoing or planned surveys for transient phenomena, for example the Palomar Transient Factory, the Catalina Survey, the Supernova Factory, PanSTARRS, LSST, WASP, OGLE, ASAS.
3. Active researchers into transient phenomena, such as Supernovae, Microlensing Events, Gamma Ray Bursts, Classical Novae, ExtraGalactic variability, CVs, Be stars, massive stars and so on.
4. Scientists who are involved in the distribution of Alert information, e.g. from eSTAR and GCN
5. Individuals who are interested in the outreach possibilities of Gaia Science Alerts.