The WG1 Expert Meeting on ‘Frontiers in attosecond theory: from atoms to molecules to solids’’ has been approved by the COST Management Committee. The workshop will take place in Han-sur-Lesse (The Ardennes, Belgium) on April 4-8, 2016, at the Domain des Masures.
The chair of the organizing committee is Prof. Bernard Piraux.

The meeting will cover the following topics:
– hole dynamics in inner/valence shells of atoms/molecules
– ultrafast response to electron removal in solids
– ultrafast dynamics in chiral systems
– theoretical methods for ultrafast dynamics

Invited speakers:
Vitali Averbukh (Imperial College, London);  Jamal Berakdar (Martin-Luether University, Halle), Alexander Galstyan (University Louvain la Neuve), Bernard Pons (CELIA, Bordeaux), Armin Scrinzi (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich).

Registration:
Due to the capacity of the venue, the workshop will be limited to 30 participants. The total cost per person is 309 €, and it includes all meals and accommodation for 5 days.
If you plan to attend the workshop, please fill out this form. The deadline for registration is January 29, 2016. Once the list of participants will be known, you will receive the confirmation of your registration as well as more information about the organization of the workshop

The abstract submission deadline  is January 29.
Please send one page abstract to olga.smirnova@mbi-berlin.de  and Bernard.Piraux@uclouvain.be.
Please use the following subject line: Ardennes_abstract_name
and indicate in your email the type of the contribution you wish to present: oral or poster.

Abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee, which includes:
Prof. Henri Bachau (CELIA Bordeaux), Prof. Piero Decleva (Università di Trieste),  Prof. Lars Madsen (Aarhus University), Prof. Fernando Martin (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid).

The DELOCALIZED ELECTRONS IN ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR NANOCLUSTERS will be held on July 22-28, 2016 in Erice (Sicily), Italy
at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture

PURPOSE: A wide range of important effects in nanoscience are connected with the presence and behavior of delocalized and mobile electrons.  Nanoclusters, as important testbed systems for exploring and developing quantum size effects, novel materials, and reaction pathways exhibit a range of phenomena which are highly sensitive to delocalized electrons’ mobility, screening, response, direct and exchange interactions, correlations, etc.
However, these phenomena are frequently discussed in non-overlapping venues, and the aim of the present workshop is to bring together researchers in adjacent fields to examine recent and future developments.  To keep the discussion focused, it will concentrate on free clusters and related systems.

TOPICS
Fundamental quantum phenomena
General shell effects
Ionization and collective states
Optical properties
Molecular and ionic nanoclusters
Nanomagnetism
Quantum fluid clusters
Solvated electrons
Storage rings and traps

FORMAT
The program will include invited talks, selected oral presentations, a poster session and ample free time for individual discussions.  It is especially hoped that graduate and diploma students, postdoctoral fellows, and anyone who is interested in the interdisciplinary richness of the subject will be able to attend the Workshop.

INVITED SPEAKERS
Rodolphe Antoine (University of Lyon)
Markus Arndt (University of Vienna)
Toshiyuki Azuma (RIKEN)
Giorgio Benedek (University of Milano-Bicocca)
Kit Bowen (Johns Hopkins University)
Henrik Cederquist (Stockholm University)
Juraj  Fedor (Heyrovský Institute)
Gleb Gribakin (Queen’s University Belfast)
Hannu Häkkinen (University of Jyväskylä)
Walter de Heer (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Bernd von Issendorff (University of Freiburg)
Koblar Alan Jackson (Central Michigan University)
Franck Lepine (University of Lyon)
Andreas Mauracher (University of Innsbruck)
Catalin Miron (Extreme Light Infrastructure Project)
Mark Pederson (Johns Hopkins University)
Jan Michael Rost (Max Planck Institute, Dresden)
Lutz Schweikhard  (University of Greifswald)
Petr Slavícek (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague)
Frank Stienkemaier (University of Freiburg)
Lai-Sheng Wang (Brown University)
Thomas Zeuch (University of Göttingen)

APPLICATIONS
Persons wishing to attend the Workshop are requested to submit an application (and an abstract, if they wish to make a presentation) by electronic mail, <deamn16@usc.edu>, to the directors, Profs. V. V. Kresin and K. Hansen, following the instructions on the workshop registration page: http://physics.usc.edu/deamn16/Registration.htm
The program includes slots for “hot topic” oral presentations to be selected from the contributed abstracts; please indicate in your submission if you would like it to be considered.

REGISTRATION AND FEES
Registration and travel information and forms are also provided on the aforementioned registration page.
Not only is Erice a comfortable, convenient and charming location, but the Centre makes it possible to offer a single all-inclusive participation fee which includes lodging and all meals in local restaurants.
Subject to sponsor approval, external funding may permit a limited number of reduced workshop fees for graduate students and postdocs.

If you have any questions, please consult the above web page or e-mail DEAMN16@usc.edu.  We hope to see you in Erice.

Directors of the Workshop:
Vitaly Kresin, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Klavs Hansen, University of Gothenburg

Advisory Committee:
Kit Bowen, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

The 2nd meeting of XLIC WG1 “Ultrafast electron dynamics in molecules” will take place on August 29-30, at the University of Edinburgh. The organizer of the COST WG1 meeting is Dr. Olga Smirnova. The local organizer of the COST WG1 meeting is Dr. Adam Kirrander.
The place for the meeting also allows the COST members to  take advantage of the very interesting Faraday Discussions, ‘Ultrafast imaging of photochemical dynamics’ , which will also take place in Edinburgh on August 31-Sept 2, see http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCConferences/FD/Photodynamics-FD2016/index.asp.
If you have not yet taken notice of this Faraday Discussion, please note  that the deadline for the Faraday Discussions abstract (poster) submission is  June 20.

ACCOMODATION

We have reserved 100 rooms on campus, at the student dorms, for the duration of both the COST and the Faraday Discussions meetings.
To reserve accommodation during the meeting please use the link below: http://www.epay.ed.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&deptid=24&catid=17&prodid=2265&searchresults=1
On the booking site, if you click on the Package Option tab, you’ll see two room booking options, one for 3 nights at £240 – this is in a nicer room with ensuite bathroom.
This option 2 is a booking for 5 nights (covering both the XLIC and the FD), in less attractive but more affordable rooms with shared bathroom (approx 4-5 rooms per bathroom).
The deadline for room booking is June 1.
Alternative/additional options for  accommodation  for five days covering both meetings  are offered by the FD meeting booking system: http://www.epay.ed.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&deptid=24&catid=17&prodid=2268&searchresults=1
You can find more options via hotel booking service appointed  for the FD :    http://www.ellis-salsby.co.uk/forthcoming-events/ultrafast-imaging-of-photochemical-dynamics-faraday-discussion.html

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Abstract submission for the WG1 meeting is now open. Submission deadline is June 20.
7 hot topic talks will be selected from all submitted abstracts.
Please send abstracts to: olga.smirnova@mbi-berlin.de and Adam.Kirrander@ed.ac.uk and use the subject line: Edinburgh COST WG1 abstract.
Abstract  (poster) submission deadline for the Faraday discussion is June 20.

BRIEF WG1 MEETING PROGRAMME
NEW! Final programme can be downloaded here: 2ndWG1meeting-program

Session 1: “Ultrafast Non-adiabatic dynamics, Surface hopping, solvent effects”.
Discussion leader: V. Engel.
Invited speakers: M. Barbatti, B. Lasorne, F. Santoro
Session 2: “Synchrotrons, ultrafast optical and X-ray absorption spectroscopies”
Discussion leader: V. Averbukh
Invited speakers:  O. Travnikova, M.A. Hervé du Penhoat, C. Milne
Session 3: “Time-resolved cluster dynamics”
Discussion leader: T. Fennel
Invited speakers: D. Rolles, M. Krikunova, U. Saalman
Session 4: “Imaging and control of molecular dynamics”
Discussion leader: R. Moshammer
Invited speakers: J. Kuepper, R. Forbes, M. Richter, J. Feist
Session 5: “Multielectron dynamics in external fields: advances in theory”
Discussion leader: E. Suraud
Invited speakers: L. Madsen, A. Scrinzi, H. Bachau, S. Patchkovskii
Session 6: “New trends in attosecond spectroscopy”
Discussion leader: M. Ivanov
Invited speakers: J. Mauritsson, A. Brown, M. Dahlström, F. Lepine

NEW! PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Travel from Edinburgh airport (in order of convenience)
TAXI: Follow signs in the terminal, the taxi rank is located at the bottom of the building across from the terminal. A taxi from the airport to a city centre location should cost about £25-£30 (credit cards are normally accepted, but check with driver).
BUS: Airport busses to the city centre (bus no. 100) are frequent and depart from outside the terminal building. The bus terminates at Waverley Train Station, in the centre of Edinburgh, with a taxi rank close by for onwards travel. A return ticket is £7.50.
TRAM: One can also travel from the airport to the city centre by tram. The trams depart from a station outside the terminal. Make sure to get off at the right stop (for most, this will be the stop closest to Waverly Train Station i.e. St Andrews Square). Note that the tram is slower than the bus. A return ticket is £8.50.

Travel to Pollock Halls, for those who booked the conference accommodation
The easiest way to travel to Pollock Halls is to take the taxi directly from the airport to Pollock Halls. A cheaper alternative is to take an airport bus (see above) to the final stop at Waverley Train Station and then take a taxi to Pollock Halls for approx. £5 (in addition to the airport bus fare).
Please report at the reception at Pollock Halls (open 24/7). The address of the reception is: 18 Holyrood Park Road, EH16 5AY, Edinburgh (note that google maps for some reason places the location marker inside the campus area, when in fact the reception is located near the entrance).

Conference venue
The conference takes place in Lecture Theatre T250 in the Joseph Black Building at the King’s Buildings Campus of University of Edinburgh (see http://www.ed.ac.uk/maps/maps for campus maps). A registration desk inside the entrance of the Joseph Black Building will be open from 08.20 every morning. The address is:
School of Chemistry
Joseph Black Building
King’s Buildings Campus
University of Edinburgh
David Brewster Road
EH9 3FJ Edinburgh
(GOOGLE MAPS: https://goo.gl/maps/GEuDbJod59T2)
For those staying at Pollock Halls, it is a 9 minute taxi ride (approx. £6) or a 26 minute walk (see e.g. Google Maps for directions).

OTHER

Last but not least, the meeting will occur at the time of the world-famous Edinburgh Theater Festival https://www.edfringe.com/, which many of you might get a chance to enjoy.

REGISTRATION

Please, complete the form below to register. The registration deadline is June 5.

The 4th  XLIC General Meeting (COST Action CM1204) will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, on March 14-16, 2017. It will also host the final XLIC Management Committee (March 14) and the 3rd Young Scientist Forum (YSF).

ABSTRACTS:
Deadline for the submission of abstracts is January 31st, 2017. Abstracts should be written in English and uploaded via the online form.

REGISTRATION:
Interested participants must register before February 14th, 2017, by filling the corresponding form.  All meeting participants must pay a conference package (including lunch, dinner and coffee) for the days attending the meeting. To proceed with the payment, please, fill, sign and send to reservation@hotelpyramida.cz the following form.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
The conference will consist of lectures given by invited speakers, Young Scientist Forum and 2 poster sessions.
NEW: The draft full scientific program, including timetable, talks and list of poster contributions can be downloaded here: XLIC_GM_2017-ScientificProgram (the most updated version should be checked in the meeting website: http://www.jh-inst.cas.cz/xlic2017/programme).

3rd YOUNG SCIENTISTS FORUM:
There shall be a special half-day session with talks given by young researchers (PhD students and post-docs) on March 15. It will include 12 lectures, out of which 6 oral contributions will be chosen by YSF committee based on submitted abstracts. The deadline for abstract submission for YSF was 31^st January 2017.
Applicants asking for the talk at YSF are also required to submit a short CV which is to be emailed to xlic2017@jh-inst.cas.cz. Abstracts submitted after the deadline will not be considered for the selection.
For more details see http://www.jh-inst.cas.cz/xlic2017/home and  http://www.xlic.eu. You can also contact A. Domaracka (domaracka@ganil.fr).
Selected YSF speakers can ask for financial support from XLIC COST Action.
NEW: The list of young researchers selected to give a talk has been published here: https://xlic.qui.uam.es/?p=3369

ACCOMMODATION:
Due to all-under-one-roof format of the conference, accommodation is also available: both single and double rooms for the price of 65 EUR/night. To book your room, please, fill, sign and send to reservation@hotelpyramida.cz the following form before February 14th, 2017.
More information can be found in the meeting website: http://www.jh-inst.cas.cz/xlic2017/accommodation

FINANCIAL SUPPORT:
The participation of  XLIC MC members and speakers will be supported with Action budget (with the exception of MC Observers coming from IPC Institutions). COST will also fully reimburse those young researchers selected for oral contributions in the Young Scientist Forum and, depending on the budget, we will try to cover also expenses from other young participants.
Participants entitled for reimbursement will receive an official notification before the meeting. We strongly recommend to check the COST rules for reimbursement before incurring any expense in:

• COST Vademecum, page 20-24, and /or
• the instructions on how to fill the Travel Reimbursement Request Form (TRR)

Accommodation and meal expenses will be reimbursed on the basis of flat rates. A reduction on maximum flat rates allowed for this particular meeting has been agreed by XLIC MC. The applicable rates are 100 EUR for accommodation and 20 EUR for meal expenses. For participants staying in cheaper hotels less money can be claimed  by requesting the reimbursement for a smaller number of nights/meals.
For travel expenses actual costs can be claimed on the basis of the receipts provided (any restriction applying to travel expenses will be notified to each participant entitled for reimbursement).

IMPORTANT:
Participants selected for reimbursement are kindly asked to keep their expenses as low as possible to ensure a wide distribution of the Action budget.
The submission of claims shall be done after the meeting, but, for any non-regular expense or doubt you may have, please, better ask in advance (info@xlic.eu). E.g. fligths departure/arrivals from/to places other than where the eligible participant is working/residing, extra meals, nights, taxi expenses, etc. shall not be reimbursed if permission is not requested before the meeting.
Please note that claims submitted later than 30 days after the meeting shall not be considered.

The International school on “The Frontiers of Attosecond and Ultrafast X-ray Science” will be held from 19th to 28th March 2017 in Erice, Sicily, Italy.

The primary objective of this new school is to educate the next generation of scientists who will impact the future of attosecond and ultrafast x-ray science. We anticipate that the school will meet on a regular basis every two years and become a foundation for the ultrafast community. Consequently, the main topics of the course are the following: (i) attosecond science and technology, devoted to the generation and application of attosecond pulses to the investigation of electronic dynamics in atoms, molecules, nanostructures and condensed phases; (ii) fundamentals, methods and applications of free electron lasers, synchrotron radiation, ion collisions in atomic and molecular science. Lectures will cover current developments in theory and experiments but are also intended to give the basics of the field.

Please note that, PhD students and post-docs willing to attend the school can apply for scholarships (deadline 30 January 2017). For more details see: http://www.erice-attosecond.it/registration

The school co-organised by XLIC COST Action and sponsored by Politecnico di Milano, Italian Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, Sicilian Regional Parliament, ELI-ALPS and Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture.

The organizers,

Louis Di Mauro, Alicja Domaracka, Mauro Nisoli and  Sergio Martellucci

The CECAM workshop Seeking synergy between dynamics and statistics for non-equilibrium quantum processes will be held in Paris in June 6th-9th.

One of the major difficulties in achieving an accurate theoretical descriptions of non-equilibrium processes in quantum mechanical systems is framed by the desire to provide a representation of the system of interest that is as realistic as possible, in a manner that is computationally tractable. The coupling of electronic and nuclear motion involving excited states, the quantum nature of the nuclear degrees of freedom, and the application of time-dependent driving forces, are just few examples of the effects that must be addressed in order to simulate these processes. Each of these effects poses unique challenges to theoretical progress. A number of exact and approximate quantum dynamics techniques are being developed and refined in order to provide algorithms that respond to the demand for a balance between computational efficiency and physical accuracy. Currently available techniques are typically based upon two different, but equivalent, formulations of many-body quantum mechanics, the wave function approach or the density matrix picture.

The proposed workshop aims to bring together the two principal molecular quantum dynamics communities (wave-function methods and density matrix approaches). The scope is threefold, (i) to identify and explore common goals and obstacles, (ii) help in fostering new ideas to connect these approaches, and bridge the apparent gap between approximate dynamical and statistical descriptions, (iii) identify possible routes to extend dynamics approaches to the domain of statistics.

At the workshop, experts are asked to uncover the fundamental details of the methods in pedagogical lectures. These lectures will be followed by extensive discussions, during which contributed speakers and participants are welcome to put forth some of their doubts and problems in the relation between dynamics and statistics.

Further information can be at:          https://www.cecam.org/workshop-1483.html

Preliminary invited speakers are:

Nandini Ananth (Cornell University, USA) Sara Bonella (CECAM, Switzerland) Irene Burghardt (Goethe University, Germany) Eitan Geva (University of Michigan, USA) E. K. U. Gross (Max-Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Germany) Raymond Kapral (University of Toronto, Canada) Dvira Segal (University of Toronto, Canada) Jeremy Richardson (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) Graham Worth (University College London, UK)

The European Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics and the European Quantum Electronics Conference will take place from Sunday 25 June to Thursday 29 June 2017 in Munich (ICM), Germany as part of the World of Photonics Congress and the Laser World of Photonics 2017, the world’s leading laser trade fair.

The Congress will be the largest, most comprehensive and prestigious gathering of optics and photonics scientists and engineers organized in Europe in 2017.

A full list of topics and committees can be viewed on the conference website at http://www.cleoeurope.org/  and we hope you will agree that the high quality of plenary, keynote, tutorial, invited speakers and short courses promises to make this conference unmissable!

The chairs invite you to come to Munich during June 25 – 29, 2017 and participate in Europe’s most exciting photonics and quantum electronics event. The historical and cultural atmosphere of Munich in June also provides a perfect environment for scientific and professional networking and is a tremendous source of scientific inspiration.

Contributed papers can now be sent on line via https://sciconf.org/cee2017/submit.

Please remember the deadline for the submissions: Thursday January 19, 2017, 23:59 CET.

Submissions should consist of a 35-word abstract and a single A4 page summary in pdf format.

Conference topics cover a very wide spectrum of technical areas including laser development, new optical materials, nonlinear optics and nonlinear dynamics, ultrafast phenomena, telecommunications technologies, atom and quantum optics, quantum information, precision metrology, fibre optics, optical sensing, photonic crystals, nanophotonics and metamaterials etc.  A particular highlight of the 2017 programme will be a series of special symposia surveying recent advances in the following emerging areas of:

• Free Electron Lasers and Applications
• Advanced Microscopy and Nanoscopy
• Photonics in Cancer Detection and Therapy
• Optics of Topological Insulators
• Perovskite Optoelectronics

More details can be found at http://www.cleoeurope.org/

The conference is organised by the European Physical Society and its Quantum Electronics and Optics Division (QEOD), in cooperation with the IEEE Photonics Society and the Optical Society (OSA).

The CLEO^®/Europe-EQEC conference series provides a unique European forum, offering informative reviews and discussing recent advances covering a wide spectrum of topics, from fundamental light-matter interactions and new sources of coherent light, to technology development, systems engineering and applications in industry and applied science.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Munich!
Giulio Cerullo, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Valerio Pruneri, ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences & ICREA, Spain

CLEO®/Europe General Chairs

Thorsten Ackemann, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom

Christine Silberhorn, Universität Paderborn, Germany

EQEC General Chairs

Jörg Schreiber, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching, Germany CLEO®/Europe-EQEC Local Chair

The two ICPEAC satellite meetings:

• The 25th International Symposium on Ion Atom Collisions (http://atom.curtin.edu.au/isiac)
• International Symposium on (e,2e), Double Photoionization and Related Topics with the 19th International Symposium on Polarization and Correlation in Electronic and Atomic Collisions http://atom.curtin.edu.au/e2epol

still welcome abstract submissions until the end of April. The confirmed invited speakers are available at the respective Scientific Program links.

We look forward to your participation,

Alisher Kadyrov, Chair of ISIAC

Igor Bray, Chair of (e,2e)-pol

The local organizing committee of the Catalan Chemical Society (SCQ) cordially invites you, on behalf of the Division of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry (DCTC) of the European Association of Chemical and Molecular Sciences (EuCheMS), to participate at the 11th European Conference on Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, September 4 – September 7, 2017, in Barcelona.

The conference will reflect recent advances, developments and trends in the field and its impact on related molecular sciences and technology. EuCO-TCC 2017 will provide a unique information and communication platform and will cover a wide range of subjects related to computational chemistry, theoretical chemistry, material sciences, biology and drug design, and from fundamental academic research to industrial applications.

This invitation is addressed to scientists in academia, industry and in governmental institutions. You are all warmly welcomed to share your most recent findings and ideas and to continue the tradition of EuCO-CC conferences (Nancy 1994, Lisbon 1997, Budapest 2000, Assisi 2002, La Londe le Maures 2006, Tale 2006, Venetia 2008, Lund 2010, Sopron 2013, Fulda 2015).

Outstanding keynote speakers will outline recent trends in vary fields of interest. The scientific program will be completed by exhibitors presenting latest methods and applications in the field of computational chemistry.

The recent development of novel light sources like x-ray free-electron lasers and table-top lasers for high-harmonic generation, which are capable of delivering controllable sequences of intense sub-femtosecond ionizing pulses, has opened the way to monitor and control electron dynamics in atoms and molecules at its natural time scale, the attosecond (Chem. Rev. 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00453). The description of the coherent superposition of electronic continuum states that the interaction of such pulses with molecules generates goes beyond the capabilities of standard quantum-chemistry packages, which have been designed to describe the lowest bound states. Furthermore, stationary state-based pictures based on lowest-order perturbation theory are, in most cases, inapplicable. The purpose of this school is to introduce state-of-the-art ab-initio, hybrid and TDDFT numerical methods that can cope with ultra-fast dynamics in the electronic continuum of molecules, with an emphasis on unbound states in strong-fields and on the need to go beyond single-active-electron models to properly account for electron correlation. The course is directed to advanced master students, PhD students and young post-doctoral researchers in atomic and molecular physics, theoretical chemistry and applied mathematics, with an interest in developing new software for coherent control of electronic dynamics in systems of chemical interest.

The tutorial will be organized in 5 theoretical sessions and 4 practical sessions in the computer lab. Both theoretical and practical sessions will be of 4 hours. The school comprises four didactic blocks. The first block has an introductory character. It offers an overview of the field and a tutorial on strong field physics. The following three blocks focus on systems of increasing complexity and will be devoted to the description and use of new computational methods for fast time evolution in correlated systems in non-perturbative conditions (see description below). The school will end with a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art results in attosecond pump-probe and strong field molecular science obtained with ab initio “exact” simulations in small systems, on the one side, and with TD-DFT effective-field simulations, capable of coping with larger systems, on the other side. The future perspectives, challenges and mutual interaction of these two complementary approaches will be discussed.

More information: https://www.cecam.org/workshop-1552.html