POSYDON SCHOOL 2025
23-26 September,
John Hancock Center, Chicago, IL
The first POSYDON school
Learn how to use POSYDON, a state-of-the-art binary population synthesis code now in its second version, and discover its unique capabilities. This four day workshop aims to familiarize participants with the code so they can effectively incorporate it into their own research.
Through a series of hands-on labs, we will explore exciting astrophysical scenarios such as mass-transfer stability, supernovae, binary black-hole populations, and more, showcasing how POSYDON can advance your research goals. By the end of the school, you will be ready to apply your newfound expertise, share your knowledge with colleagues, and push single and binary stellar population research to new frontiers.
Where
NSF-Simons SkAI Institute,
John Hancock Center,
172 E. Chestnut St., Suite 3500,
Chicago, IL, 60611
When
Tuesday to Friday
23-26 September
School Program
Registration & Breakfast
Arrive at the NSF-Simons SkAI Institute (John Hancock Center, Fl. 35) to get building access and register. A light breakfast will be provided.
Lecture Vicky Kalogera
Introduction to POSYDON and binary black hole populations
Morning Lab 1 Basic Binary Populations
The basics of popsynth with POSYDON
Break
Coffee and snacks
Morning Lab 2 Basic Population Analysis
Manipulating & analyzing POSYDON popsynth data
Lunch
Food and beverages provided
Lecture Jeff Andrews
Common Envelope Evolution in POSYDON
Afternoon Lab 1 Controlling CE Evolution in POSYDON
Learn what controls exist in POSYDON's CE evolution
Break
Coffee and snacks
Afternoon Lab 2 Customizing CE Evolution
Learn how to implement a custom step in POSYDON
End of Day
Breakfast
A light breakfast will be provided
Lecture Manos Zapartas
Supernova populations and extracting progenitor properties
Morning Lab 1 Profiles and surface properties
Understanding physical variations, kicks, and collapsing profiles
Break
Coffee and snacks
Morning Lab 2 SNe kicks and types
Learn how POSYDON models different SNe types and their kicks in stellar populations
Lunch
Food and beverages provided
Lecture Mike Zevin
Star Formation History, Cosmology, Transient Rates
Afternoon Lab 1 Calculating Rates
Multi-metallicity & transient populations, initial conditions reweighting
Break
Coffee and snacks
Afternoon Lab 2 Selection Effects
Cosmological rates, star formation histories, and detectability
End of Day
Breakfast
A light breakfast will be provided
Lecture Tassos Fragos
X-ray Binaries & Super-Eddington Accretion
Morning Lab 1 Non-instantaneous Populations
Formation of wind-fed BH-HMXBs
Break
Coffee and snacks
Morning Lab 2 Star Formation History
Simulating the X-ray luminosity function
Lunch
Food and beverages provided
Lecture Max Briel
Stability of Mass Transfer
Afternoon Lab 1 Grid Visualization
Visualizing POSYDON's underlying MESA model grids
Break
Coffee and snacks
Afternoon Lab 2 Running a Grid
The basics of running your own MESA model grids for POSYDON
End of Day
Breakfast
A light breakfast will be provided
Lecture Seth Gossage
Tides & Magnetic Braking
Morning Lab 1 Detached Binary Evolution
Learn how POSYDON handles the evolution of detached binary systems
Break
Coffee and snacks
Morning Lab 2 Custom Physics Prescriptions
Learn how to modify POSYDON's default prescriptions during detached evolution
Lunch
Food and beverages provided
Lecture Aggelos Katsaggelos
Initial-Final Interpolation
Afternoon Lab 1 Interpolation in POSYDON
Understand the different interpolation strategies available in POSYDON
Break
Coffee and snacks
Recap & Farewell
Closing remarks on the week
End of Day
Registration Closed
There is no registration fee, everyone interested should apply and we will do our best to accomodate as many as possible, although space is limited. Registration will close on May 16th, please apply before then using the form below. We will send acceptance letters at
the end of May to let you know if we can accomodate you (please email posydon.school@gmail.com with questions or concerns).
Before applying, please have in mind:
- Breakfast and lunch will be provided daily.
- We request that all participants plan to attend the entire week of the school (Sept. 23 - 26th).
- Participants are not expected to know how to use POSYDON but will need to bring a personal laptop. Pre-installed versions of POSYDON will be provided for participants on Northwestern University's Quest high performance computing facilities.
- We recommend that participants read the instrument papers for POSYDON v1 and POSYDON v2 to familiarize yourself with the code infrastructure.
- Familiarity with Python and command line usage is expected.
- Undergraduate, master's, and PhD students, please obtain the permission of your advisor before applying. We will contact your advisor to confirm that you have finanicial support for accomodation and travel, and that you meet the availability and preparedness requirements. A small number of scholarships may be available to support students lacking financial support, but we can not guarantee this.
Thank you for applying! Registration is now closed. We will respond to let you know who we can accomodate by the end of May 2025.
School Venue
The school is hosted jointly by the NSF-Simons SkAI institute and Northwestern University. Computational facilities required by the classes will be provided for.
John Hancock Center, Chicago, IL
Our first POSYDON school will be held at the John Hancock Center (172 E. Chestnut St.), an iconic member of the city's skyline in the Magnificent Mile district of Chicago, Illinois.
Where to Stay
Participants are asked to secure their own accomodation during their stay. There are a number of hotels surrounding the John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago, but AirBnB may provide some affordable options as well. We will be providing further recommendations regarding AirBnB soon. Below are a few recommendations for hotels in the area with rates typically lower than $220/night.
Instructors
Jeffrey Andrews
University of Florida
Tassos Fragos
Université de Genevè
Seth Gossage
Northwestern University
Vicky Kalogera
Northwestern University/NSF-Simons SkAI Institute
Aggelos Katsaggelos
Northwestern University/NSF-Simons SkAI Institute
Manos Zapartas
FORTH Institute of Astrophysics
Max Briel
Université de GenevèTeaching Assistants
Ilia Kiato
Northwestern University
Kyle Rocha
UC San Diego
Eirini Kasdagli
University of Florida
Dimitris Souropanis
IA FORTH
Monica Gellegos-Garcia
Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
Zepei Xing
Northwestern University
Debatri Chattopadhyay
Northwestern University
Abhishek Chattaraj
University of Florida
Philipp Moura Srivatava
Northwestern University
Meng Sun
NAOCScience Organizing Committee
Jeffrey Andrews
University of Florida
Tassos Fragos
Université de Genève
Seth Gossage
Northwestern University
Vicky Kalogera
Northwestern University/SkAI Institute
Local Organizing Committee
Elise Ahn
NSF-Simons SkAI Institute
Debatri Chattopadhyay
Northwestern University
Erin Cox
NSF-Simons SkAI Institute
Seth Gossage
Northwestern University
Gema Tinoco
NSF-Simons SkAI InstituteSchool Funding
Contact
Address
NSF-Simons SkAI Institute,
172 E. Chestnut St., Suite 3500,
Email Us
posydon.school@gmail.com