30th June - 3rd July 2025

At the Kavli Institute for Cosmology Cambridge, UK

A meeting to bring together experts on SNe Ia progenitors and explosion physics, the relationship between supernovae and their host environments, and supernova cosmology. 

Abstract submission and registration of interest is now closed. If you have any questions please contact cosmiclighthouses@ast.cam.ac.uk.

Scientific Rationale

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) play a starring role in modern cosmology. They were instrumental to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe and continue to provide precision constraints on dark energy, providing tentative evidence that its equation of state evolves. SNe Ia are central to local measurements of the Hubble Constant, which appear to be in significant tension with the early universe inference.  

The study of SNe Ia sits at the intersection of astrophysics and cosmology. While we can use these objects as distance indicators through the use of empirical relations, many unknowns remain as to the physical nature of these events. There are many unanswered questions related, for example, to the mass of the progenitor white dwarf, the explosion mechanism, and the companion star. These questions are fundamental to our physical understanding of SNe Ia and have widespread implications for cosmology. 

Both the cosmological utility and theoretical progenitor scenarios of SNe Ia are strongly linked to the environments in which they explode. After standardisation based on the properties of their light-curves, SNe Ia in more massive galaxies are more luminous than those in lower mass galaxies. This relationship holds for SNe Ia in galaxies with differing star formation rates, metallicities, colours etc. There is ongoing debate as to the cause of this environmental dependence, specifically whether it is due to intrinsic or extrinsic factors - i.e., differing progenitor scenarios and explosion mechanisms, or dust content, or both! This is the largest systematic uncertainty in modern SN cosmology, and so understanding the cause of this dependance is vital as we approach LSST.

We propose to bring together experts in SNe Ia studies with the wider cosmology community. The workshop will focus on open questions in cosmology and discussion of the progenitor systems and explosion mechanisms of SNe Ia to understand the nature of these events. Sessions will also be dedicated to new breakthrough areas like measuring growth of structure with SNe Ia and how our understanding of improving systematics will impact more nascent cosmological measurements, e.g. fσ₈. 

The aim of this Kavli workshop is to bridge the gap between cosmological and astrophysical studies of SNe Ia, bringing together participants with diverse backgrounds in theory, simulations, statistical methods, and novel future surveys, making for an active and collaborative environment for all. 

The meeting will focus on the following themes:

• SNe Ia progenitors and explosion physics
• Environmental dependence of SNe Ia properties
• Cosmological analyses of SNe Ia

Invited Speakers

 Important Dates and Logistics

7th Feb: Register interest and abstract submission opening.

7th March: Abstract submission and register interest deadline.

21st March: Successful abstract submissions and in-person attendees informed.

4th April: Registration deadline for in-person participation.

27th June: Registration deadline for online participation.

30th June - 3rd July 2025: Conference in Cambridge.

Please note, in-person spaces at this conference are limited. Registering your interest does not guarantee your place. Once abstract selection has been completed, the organisers will be in contact with you to confirm your participation. If capacity is reached, priority will first be given to presenters, and the SOC will select in-person participants prioritising the goal of having a diverse range of science interests, career stages and backgrounds represented.

Conference Timings

Monday 30th June:

9:00 - 9:30 Registration Desk Open

9:30 - 17:30 Conference

17:30 - 19:00 Poster Session and Welcome Drinks

Tuesday 1st July:

9:30 - 17:00 Conference

18:30 - 22:30 Drinks Reception and Conference Dinner at Corpus Christi College

Wednesday 2nd July:

9:30 - 17:30 Conference

Thursday 3rd July:

9:30 - 13:45 Conference

We have booked rooms available all of Thursday afternoon for break-out discussions and collaboration. Please stay and discuss with others for as long as you would like.

Accommodation and Travel

The Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge, is located at the Madingley Rise site, on the north-western edge of the city centre. A small selection of accommodation options particularly close to KICC are listed below:

Hyatt Centric: In Eddington, ~10-15 min walk to Madingley Rise site.

Turing Locke: In Eddington, ~10-15 min walk to Madingley Rise site.

Møller Institute: Co-located with Churchill College, ~5-10 min walk to Madingley Rise site.

You can find a comprehensive list of options available in Cambridge here. 

Rooms in Cambridge colleges may also be available, which are typically cheaper than that of a hotel. Spaces may be limited given it is the end of term-time, but you can find these on UniversityRooms.

Local Bus Transport

The easiest way to get around Cambridge is by the Universal bus service (U1 and U2). They link Eddington with West Cambridge, the city centre (Queens College/Silver Street stop), the railway station and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (including Addenbrookes), running every 15 minutes Monday to Friday. You can find their maps and details here. The closest U1/2 bus stops to Madingley Rise are “William Gates Building” on JJ Thomson Avenue in the West Cambridge site, or “Bulstrode Gardens” on Madingley Road, just outside Churchill College, as indicated on the university map. Please note that most buses prefer contactless payment. Taxis and Ubers are also available.

Catering and Conference Dinner

Lunch, and tea and coffee breaks will be provided on each day of the conference. Two of these will be in-house at the Kavli Institute, and two will take place at the nearby Churchill College. Once your attendance is confirmed, please let us know via the registration form if you have any dietary requirements. 

On the first day of the conference, Monday 30th June, there will be an evening welcome drinks and poster session in the Institute of Astronomy, taking place after the afternoon talks at 17:30 - 19:00.  

On Tuesday 1st July, Corpus Christi College will host us for a drinks reception and conference dinner. This is included as part of your registration, but please do indicate on the registration form if you will attend so we can give final numbers to the college. The drinks reception will start at 18:30 on the Old Court Lawn (weather permitting, otherwise the Old Combination Room), with dinner in the Dining Hall starting at 19:30. The easiest way to get there from Madingley Rise is to take the U1/2 bus to Silver Street or Pembroke Street, followed by a short walk to Corpus Christi, the main gate of which can be found on Trumpington Street - see map here. 

Code of Conduct

By signing up to participate in this conference, you are agreeing to follow the code of conduct. 

Organising Committee

Co-chairs: Aaron Do, Matt Grayling, Lisa Kelsey

Vasily Belokurov, Ben Boyd, Steve Brereton, Suhail Dhawan, Will Handley, Erin Hayes, Kaisey Mandel, Sandro Tacchella, Alison Wilson 

Contact Details

cosmiclighthouses@ast.cam.ac.uk