Conference
WHEN
January 12-16, 2026
WHERE
NYU Abu Dhabi
WHO
NYUAD Center for Astrophysics and Space Science
Open to the Public
Registrations are now closed. Scholars who wish to attend are encouraged to contact the conference organizers at nyuad.cass.info@nyu.edu.
Astrophysical collisions are central to the genesis of structure and life in the universe. Early on, particle collisions transformed the cosmic dark ages, big bang nucleosynthesis produced light nuclei, while denser species grew through nuclear collisions in stellar cores. The aggregation of planetesimals also yielded planetary systems and conditions favorable to life. On larger scales, stellar mergers in binary systems, globular clusters, and galaxy centers are responsible for exotic objects such as kilonovae, black holes, and gravitational waves. High-energy collisions occur in outflows produced by these exotic stellar objects, which could result in elusive neutrinos and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. Galaxy collisions can also dramatically alter the shape and state of all progenitors, while galaxy cluster collisions on even larger scales may inform us on the baffling nature of dark matter. The signatures and impact of astrophysical collisions prevail on all cosmic scales, yet the mechanisms for and outcomes of collisions in the Universe remain uncertain.
We are organizing a conference to review the state of the art in our understanding of the mechanisms and scales of collisions in the Universe. The connection between subfields of astrophysics will be emphasized. Major topics to be discussed at the conference include the physics of elastic and inelastic collisions in astrophysical contexts, predicting the outcome of small and large-scale astrophysical collisions, the production of the highest energy particles, modelling the sources of gravitational waves, observing and simulating galaxy mergers, constraining dark matter interactions, and more. These broad topics will appeal to all astrophysicists on a quest to constrain and master core processes in the growth of structure on all cosmic scales.
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