The 6th INTEGRAL workshop ``The Obscured Universe'' will take place at the Space Research Institute (IKI), Moscow, Russia on July 2-8, 2006 (the working days July 3-7).

The main goal of this workshop is to consider (via invited and contributed talks and posters) the scientific problems in the field of high energy astrophysics which are possible to solve using the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory INTEGRAL as well as to present and discuss the scientific results already obtained by this observatory and its coordinated observations with on-ground telescopes and other spacecrafts.

INTEGRAL is ESA's mission (in collaboration with Russia and NASA) launched on October 17, 2002 and dedicated to the fine gamma-ray spectroscopy and precise imaging of celestial sources in the energy range 15 keV to 10 MeV with concurrent X-ray and optical source monitoring. The observatory is in its extended mission phase. The majority of observing time has been given to the scientific user community at large through a single peer-review process.

Presentations of the workshop shall cover the following scientific topics:

  • X-ray binaries (IGR sources, black-holes and neutron stars)
  • Isolated neutron stars (gamma-ray pulsars, soft gamma-ray repeaters)
  • Accretion and physics of compact objects, strange stars, microquasars
  • Nucleosynthesis (SNe and SNRs, gamma-ray lines, diffuse emission)
  • Surveys, extragalactic and unidentified sources, AGNs and blazars
  • Super/massive black holes in AGNs, ellipticals, nucleus of the Galaxy
  • INTEGRAL and dark matter, cosmic background
  • Gamma-ray bursts
  • Highlights from other high energy missions
  • INTEGRAL status and instrument overviews (invited talks only)
  • Science data processing and analysis (posters only)
  • Future instruments and missions (posters only)

Oral reports should consider the subject in the broad context with emphasis on physical processes and phenomena. The reviews of both types (observational and theoretical) are welcome.

Deadline for abstract submission/pre-registration is March 1, 2006.

All contributions will be refereed by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and published as one volume of the ESA-SP series.

Due to restrictions of the venue the amount of participants will be limited to 250.

The workshop is co-sponsored by IKI, ESA/ESTEC, RAS (Russian Academy of Sciences) and RFBR (Russian Basic Reseach Foundation). The workshop fee will be 8500 Rbls (equivalent of 250 Euro). We can accept workshop fee only in roubles by cash. For you convenience cash mashine is located inside IKI building.