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                       Second  Announcement
        Extreme Horizontal Branch Stars and Related Objects
      16 - 20 June 2003, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK 
         Web page: http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/ehbmeet/
          Conference e-mail: ehbmeet@astro.keele.ac.uk
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Dear colleague,
 Registration is now open for our workshop on "Extreme Horizontal Branch
Stars and Related Objects" to be held at Keele University,
Staffordshire, UK, during 16 - 20 June 2003.

 The workshop aims to disseminate recent results on the properties,
formation, and evolution of Extreme Horizontal Branch stars and related
objects and to assess the impact of these results on other areas of
astrophysics. 

 The total cost will typically be about GBP350 including registration,
breakfast, lunch, dinner (except Wednesday evening), tea/coffee,
accommodation on Keele Campus and a copy of the proceedings. You can
register to attend the workshop on a day-by-day basis. Please note that
we have no means of funding participation.

 To register, complete  the on-line registration form at 
  http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/ehbmeet/Registration.html

 The deadline for early registration is Wednesday 16 April 2003

 The deadline for all registrations is Tuesday 6 May 2003

 Registrations received after Wednesday 16 April will incur a 
 late registration fee of GBP50.

 Full payment must be received by Keele University prior to 12th May.

 Please pass on this announcement to any of your colleagues who may like
to attend the workshop who we may have missed from the mailing list. 

Scientific background
---------------------
 Extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars are core helium-burning stars
with extremely thin hydrogen envelopes. They form the majority of
bright stars in surveys for extremely blue objects, where they are
classified as subdwarf-B (sdB) stars. They also appear in the
colour-magnitude diagrams of some globular clusters beyond the blue
tail of the normal horizontal branch, though it is not clear why some
clusters show this feature and other do not.  EHB stars and related
objects are the source of much of the far-UV flux from elliptical
galaxies and galaxy bulges which will be detected by the Galaxy
Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The formation of EHB stars
remains, in general, a matter of debate. Recent results for galactic
EHB stars show that the majority are close binary stars so mass
transfer and mass loss due to interactions between the stars clearly
plays a role. EHB stars are an excellent tool for studying evolution in
close binary stars. About 1 percent of EHB stars pulsate with periods
of a few minutes. Asteroseismology can be used to measure fundamental
parameters for these stars directly. EHB stars are also a laboratory
for studying the effects of diffusion, weak stellar winds, radiative
levitation and gravitational settling. These processes are seen to
affect the peculiar composition of EHB star atmospheres and also play a
role in the driving mechanism for pulsations and, perhaps, the
subsequent evolution of the star.  



Outline of programme
--------------------

          Morning                        Afternoon
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Sunday                                   Registration and Reception
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Monday    Evolutionary models            EHB stars in clusters
          and the UV-upturn
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Tuesday   Binary EHB stars               Galactic EHB stars I
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Wednesday Galactic EHB stars II
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Thursday  Asteroseismology               Pulsating EHB stars
          of EHB stars
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Friday    Progenitors and progeny of
          sdB stars and related objects
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We are planning a visit to the Gladstone Pottery Museum for Wednesday
afternoon followed by a meal in Keele Hall. The original plan to visit
Chatsworth House on Wednesday afternoon proved not to be feasible, but
we will arrange a trip to Chatsworth for the following Saturday if there
is sufficient demand. 

 
Scientific Organising committee
-------------------------------
Uli Heber , Bamberg
Simon Jeffery, Armagh
Sabine Moehler, Kiel
Pierre Maxted, Keele
Ralf Napiwotzki, Bamberg
Philipp Podsiadlowski, Oxford
Jan-Erik Solheim, Oslo
Francois Wesemael, Montreal
Sukyoung Yi, Oxford

Location
--------
 Keele University lies in the Staffordshire countryside a few miles
from Stoke-on-Trent and within easy reach of Manchester and Birmingham
international airports. The campus is in the grounds of the former
Sneyd family estate. Within easy driving distance are several ruined
abbeys, castles, Roman ruins, the medieval towns of Shrewsbury and
Chester, the Potteries and Ironbridge, the birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution. Keele provides a self contained conference venue. Campus
accommodation has been booked at Keele for the interval 16-20 June
inclusive. 

 If you have any queries please contact the local organising committee
by e-mail (ehbmeet@astro.keele.ac.uk), phone (+44 (0)1782 583457) or
fax (+44 (0)1782 712378).


 Sincerely,
           Local Organising committee
            Pierre Maxted 
            Pat Thompson
            Nye Evans 
            Barry Smalley