Meeting Rationale

The Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST) is a proposed next-generation facility for massively multiplexed optical spectroscopy. With its wide field of view, large collecting area, high multiplex, and integral-field capability, WST will enable transformative surveys across cosmology and large-scale structure, galaxy evolution, the CGM/IGM, high-redshift galaxies and reionization, black holes and AGN, Galactic archaeology, resolved stellar populations, time-domain and multi-messenger astrophysics, Solar System science, and survey/data-analysis methodology.

This German Community focussed workshop at the AIP will bring together researchers from the German community with WST science overlaps and the wider international community to explore the science potential of WST and shape future engagement with the project. The meeting will highlight key science drivers, survey strategies, synergies with facilities such as 4MOST, MOONS, WEAVE, DESI, Gaia, PLATO, Euclid, Rubin/LSST, Roman, JWST, ALMA, SKA, and CMB experiments, and opportunities for community participation.

Key Discussion Topics

• Science priorities for WST  
• Survey strategy and design  
• Synergies with current and future facilities  
• Instrument and technical development  
• Theory, simulations, and data infrastructure  
• German and international community engagement  
• Pathways to participation  
• Training and early-career involvement

Acknowledgements

Funding support (partial) to the meeting is provided by EU Horizon. 

Conference information

When: February 15 - 17, 2027

Where: Potsdam, Germany

Contact: Diana Johl, djohl@aip.de