ngVLA High-resolution Frontier Workshop

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ngVLA High-resolution Frontier Workshop

Pulsars, Dynamic Universe, and Precision Astrometry

March 22–24, 2027 - Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC

Registration and abstract submission close December 15, 2026

We invite the community to a three-day, in-person workshop devoted to ngVLA Science use cases that require the highest spatial resolution capabilities, hosted at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC.

The meeting comes at a pivotal moment. In July 2026, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the NSF National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and the U.S. Naval Observatory announced a partnership to build an ngVLA pathfinder — antennas sited at existing NSF VLBA stations and new U.S. locations, with construction and early operations anticipated before the end of the decade (public.nrao.edu/news/ngvla-pathfinder). The pathfinder will deliver high-resolution VLBI observations and operate standalone or folded into the full 263-antenna ngVLA, and it follows successful systems testing of the ngVLA prototype antenna. This workshop brings together the scientists who will make strategic use of those capabilities, and aims to sharpen the science cases that should shape how they are used.

SCIENTIFIC SCOPE

Pulsars, Cosmology, and Fundamental Physics

  • Tests of gravity and strong-field relativity, including pulsars in the Galactic Center
  • Pulsar timing arrays and the nanohertz gravitational wave background
  • Relativity and stellar evolution in compact binaries
  • Dark matter and cosmological phase transitions

Exploring the Dynamic Universe

  • Transient and variable radio sources
  • Multi-messenger astrophysics, including electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave events
  • Astrophysical plasmas across scales
  • Black holes and tidal disruption events

Precision Astrometry

  • Galactic dynamics
  • Celestial reference frame / geodesy
  • AGN jets, intermediate mass black holes, and plasmas
  • Global VLBI

Future facilities, methods, and techniques

  • High-frequency capabilities
  • Novel imaging techniques
  • Calibration methods

FORMAT AND GOALS

The meeting includes invited overviews, contributed talks, posters, and substantial time for discussion. Over three days we aim to sharpen the ngVLA science use cases in light of the pathfinder and its VLBI capabilities; identify the requirements they imply for sensitivity, cadence, rapid response, sub-arraying, commensal observing, and data products; strengthen coordination with the gravitational wave, high-energy, and optical time-domain communities; and foster collaborative work. Students, postdocs, and early-career researchers are especially encouraged to participate.

KEY DATES & LOGISTICS

  • Registration and abstract submission open on October 15, 2026, and close on December 15, 2026. There will be a cap of 75 participants, so please register and submit your abstract early! Late registration and abstract submission will be possible but acceptance is not guaranteed.
  • The initial program will be released in early to mid February 2027. The meeting will be from March 22 to 24.
  • Contributed talk and poster abstracts use the same form: [Form forthcoming]
  • There is no registration fee for this meeting. Some travel support for early-career participants may be available upon request.
  • We strongly encourage participants to book lodging early due to high demand for the cherry blossom season.

SCIENTIFIC AND LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Scientific Organizing Committee: Alessandra Corsi, Eric Murphy, Alexander van der Horst, Megan DeCesar, Lucas Hunt, Kristina Nyland, Rachel Osten, Nathan Secrest, Joan Wrobel

Local Organizing Committee: Alessandra Corsi, Eric Murphy, Alexander van der Horst

Contact: ngVLA-LBSci26@nrao.edu - ngVLA Science Working Groups: ngvla.nrao.edu/page/workinggroups

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