The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is no longer a distant future. China, through NAOC, has joined the TMT as a founding partner, and ground-breaking for the TMT project began in October 2014. When completed, the TMT will be one of the most powerful telescopes in the history of astronomy, and it will be one of the greatest astronomical facilities that China will possess in the beginning of the 21st century. It will bring unprecedented opportunity to Chinese astronomy. How to achieve scientific and technical readiness for TMT to maximize its impact is a great challenge that the Chinese astronomy community is facing.
The theme of this year's KIAA-PKU Astrophysics Forum, held on November 2-4, 2014, was "Thirty-Meter Telescope in China: Scientific and Technological Frontiers". The meeting was jointly organized by KIAA and NAOC. Participants included academician Chen Jiansheng, academician Cui Xiangcun, NAOC Director-General Yan Jun, NAOC vice directors Zhao Gang and Xue Suijian. The opening ceremony was attended by Peking University President Wang Enge and NSFC/DMPS vice director Dong Guoxuan. Opening remarks were given by KIAA Director Luis Ho, PKU President Wang Enge, Academician Chen Jiansheng, and NAOC Director-General Yan Jun. In total, there were over 120 participants from 26 institutions and universities in China. A broad range of technical and scientific topics were covered, including the TMT and its connections to other large facilities, China's involvement in instrumentation related to TMT, cosmology, galaxy formation and evolution, active galactic nuclei and black hole physics, stars and stellar systems, and extrasolar planets.
In addition to scientific presentations, there was time allocated for detailed discussion of short-term and long-term strategies in developing optical and infrared astronomy in China. The participants reached the following consensus. One one hand, we need to do the research and get the community trained to use currently available domestic and international observing facilities. On the other hand, we need to accumulate the necessary experience and advantages in technology and science by joining the international collaborations including TMT, and be well prepared for building the big domestic facilities in the future.
Link to meeting poster.
Meeting program and archived presentations, also see attachment below.
List of participants.
2014年度科维理－北京大学天体物理论坛“30米望远镜在中国”会议总结
举世瞩目的30米望远镜（TMT）的建成离我们已并不遥远。中国科学院国家天文台已代表中国天文界加入TMT国际合作计划，并成为30米望远镜国际天文台（TIO）创始伙伴之一。TMT国际合作计划目前的参与国家有美国、加拿大、日本、中国和印度。今年10月，TMT已在夏威夷莫纳克亚山顶开始动工建设。一旦建成，它将成为世界天文史上最具威力的大天文设备之一。作为在21世纪初期中国天文学家能使用的一台极大望远镜，它将给中国天文界带来前所未有的发展机遇。如何在科学和技术上做好必要的准备以便利用TMT获得最大的科学产出已成为中国天文界目前面临的巨大挑战。
本年度科维理－北京大学天体物理论坛于2014年11月2－4日在北京大学举行，会议主题为“30米望远镜在中国：科学与技术前沿”。本次会议由北京大学科维理天文与天体物理研究所和中国科学院国家天文台联合举办。北京大学校长王恩哥院士、北京大学天文系首任系主任陈建生院士、南京天文光学技术研究所前所长崔向群院士、国家天文台台长严俊、党委书记赵刚、国家自然科学基金委数学物理科学部副主任董国轩、科维理天文所所长何子山、国家天文台副台长薛随建、中国三十米望远镜项目科学家毛淑德等出席了开幕式。何子山所长、王恩哥校长、陈建生院士和严俊台长分别致开幕辞，祝愿本届论坛成功举办，并对三十米望远镜项目表示支持。来自国内20多个研究所和大学的120余名天文学家和工程师参加了本次会议，并对TMT相关的技术和科学议题进行了广泛而深入的交流。会议内容包括：三十米望远镜与其他未来的大型天文望远镜之间的协同合作；中国在三十米望远镜仪器开发中的技术创新与突破；三十米望远镜在宇宙学、星系形成与演化、活动星系核与黑洞物理、恒星与恒星系统、太阳系外行星研究中所能实现的科学目标等。
除科学与技术报告外，会议还安排了对中国光学和红外天文短期和长期发展战略的仔细讨论。大家一致认为，一方面我们需要利用国内现有设备和申请利用国际观测设备来开展科学研究和培养观测天文学家，另一方面我们需要借助参加TMT等国际合作来积累技术和科学上的经验和优势，为以后在国内自主建设大天文设备打下基础。
本次会议的海报、日程安排、参会人员名单和合影照片见附件。 以下链接提供了论坛的其它信息，包括会议照片、PPT文件等。
