2018/05/09: PICTURES are online.

2018/05/04: REMOTE ATTENDANCE will be done through Zoom at https://aao.zoom.us/j/219244365

2018/04/30: The WORKSHOP PROGRAM is now available

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In anticipation of an upcoming call for a 3rd generation VLT instrument proposals from ESO, an exciting new concept for an ambitious VLT instrument that will provide near-diffraction limited capabilities at optical wavelengths over a field of view of 30'' is being developed under the name of ‘MAVIS’ (MCAO Assisted Visible Imager & Spectrograph). As part of this process, the Australian Astronomical Observatory and the Australian National University (ANU) in collaboration with INAF, and the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, in association with Macquarie University, Swinburne University of Technology and ONERA, will host the first MAVIS workshop from May 7-9, 2018 at the AAO, North Ryde, Sydney. This workshop will gather instrument makers, adaptive optics scientists and astrophysicists of the Australian and European communities interested in participating in the MAVIS project to discuss its science case, design and performance.

Goals of the workshop

• Mature/advance our instrument and science case ideas with the view of writing the proposal

• Exchange and interaction between scientists and instrument builders

• Review the various instrumental concepts (optical design, alternative design ideas)

• Consolidate the science case and prepare the detailed writing of the science case in the proposal.

Program Overview

Over the three days, we will interleave the instrumental/adaptive optics and science sessions to maximise the interactions between these aspects. There will be four sessions per day, each session being 1.5 hour (9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 13:30-15:00, 15:30-17:00). The last session of each day will be dedicated to discussions (split sessions in smaller groups, with prepared themes and questions to debate).

Below we give an initial breakdown of the workshop content. This will evolve as the SOC finalises the program:

Instrumentation Sessions

• AO Simulation and Performance

• Opto-Mechanical concepts and design

• Real-Time Computers, Imaging concepts and data reduction issues

• Alternative instrument concepts

• Project next steps - the path to Phase A

Science Sessions

• Milky Way and its neighbours

• Resolving the contents of external galaxies

• Probing higher redshifts

Venue and accomodations

The workshop will be held at the AAO headquarters in North Ryde, Sydney. This location is easily accessible by train (or taxi) from the airport. There is convenient accommodation nearby, and it is also accessible from the Sydney city centre.