The Physics and Impact of Astrophysical Dust: from Star Formation through Cosmology

Organizers:

Daniela Calzetti, University of Massachusetts Amherst
**Caitlin Casey, University of Texas Austin
*Desika Narayanan, University of Florida
George Privon, University of Florida
**Karin Sandstrom, University of California San Diego

The impact of astrophysical dust on our study of the cosmos is wide-ranging. Roughly half the photons emitted by stars over cosmic time have been absorbed by interstellar dust. Comprised of complex molecules, dust serves as a catalyst for interstellar chemistry, as well as a regulator of the thermodynamics in star-forming regions. The extinction and attenuation properties of dust impact nearly every subfield in astronomy, from the study of star formation through cosmology. As a community, we are poised to make significant steps in our understanding of astrophysical dust in the coming years. The very recently launched JWST is already revolutionizing our understanding of the physics of cosmic dust. The near and mid-infrared spectrographs on Webb are transforming our spatially resolved view of PAHs, while the near infrared cameras are advancing our understanding of extinction and attenuation in this wavelength regime. At the same time, ALMA will continue to provide resolved maps of dust emission from the. most obscured objects in the Universe, while single dish facilities are enabling the discovery of the dustiest starbursts during the Epoch of Reionization. On the theoretical side, the next generation of cosmological simulations are poised to include self-consistent models for the complex interplay between dust evolution, star formation, and stellar/black hole feedback. The time is ripe to convene to discuss state-of-the-art observational and theoretical results, and make headway toward identifying both open problems, as well as areas of consensus.

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*organizer responsible for participant diversity