Aim

In order to understand physics, one must understand the structure of spacetime.

This is because both, our most advanced theory of gravity and the description of matter
— general relativity and the standard model of elementary particle physics —
employ the spacetime structure in a pivotal way.

Required background of students

Background knowledge minimally required of students is what one normally would have acquired after the second year of university courses in physics and/or mathematics.

The course aims at graduate students (roughly year 4 to 5) at universities but will be accessible to advanced undergraduates and still very rewarding to beginning postgraduate students.

Modules

The aim of the school is achieved by way of three well-balanced pillars:

• A 15-hour online course on differential geometry (held and made available two weeks before the school)
• A 15-hour lecture course (coherently introducing the theories of general relativity and light)
• A 12-hour satellite lecture program by four different experts (taking you to the research frontier)

• A 12-hour series of tutorials by excellent teaching assistants (to practice the basics)
• A 10-hour series of workshops (where more advanced problems are solved in teams)
• An 8-hour classical papers journal club (linking the modern theory to its historical and philosophical roots)

• Keynote evening lectures on gravitational waves, lensing, the microwave background and quantum gravity
• Tour and practical observations at the Kepler observatory in Linz
• Cinema viewing of the Kepler Opera (providing a window into Kepler's life and time)

Your commitment when being offered a place

With international interest and competition for the 50 Scholarships certain to be high,
serious participants will understand the need to make their own commitment in order for the school to function

• You agree to participate in all parts of the program, by being present at the school and following the online course beforehand. In order to testify to such seriousness of your application, you will declare acceptence of an offer for a full scholarship (if any can be made to you) by payment of a contribution of 200 EUR towards the full costs.
• Due to the widely varying travel costs for participants from all over the world, the regulations of the Heraeus Foundation exclude the possibility to reimburse you for any travel costs. You therefore must ensure before acceptance of an offer that you can provide for your own travel costs, which however your university or department may often help you with.
• Any large community working and living together for two weeks must adhere to certain rules and standards of conduct. With your application you agree to understand that with a culturally diverse group these are to be widely interpreted, but must be finally limited. In order to ensure a splendid experience for everyone throughout the School, you agree that your continued participation in the School is subject to the discretion of the Organizers, who will try to resolve any misunderstandings but not tolerate behaviour in conflict with the interests of the School or its participants.