This workshop is designed to bring together developers of plasma emission codes, experts in atomic physics and radiation transport, and observers who are working to unravel the message in the spectrum. A broad range of physical processes determine the observed spectrum, and a complete simulation of the plasma is an intricate computational problem. The physical state of the gas is often determined by processes at the frontiers of theoretical and experimental atomic and molecular physics. Both the simulations and the atomic physics are driven by the need to understand new observations. The main goals are to identify current uncertainties, future needs, and promote research in quantitative spectroscopy.
Many plasmas are optically thick.
Time dependence and hydrodynamics are all important in sources and must be considered. We will establish a new set of benchmarks in the spirit of the 1994 Lexington Meeting. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has agreed to publish a book as part of their Conference Series . The book will consist of a series of invited reviews that will cover the many research areas that determine conditions in an astrophysical plasma, along with summaries of the poster presentations. The Meeting Proceedings page gives further details.