Event details

Date
July 5, 2027  – July 9, 2027
Location
Sport & Kurhotel at Bad Moos - Via Val Fiscalina 27, 39030, Sexten

Scientific Rationale

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are powered by the accretion of matter onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH). In low-luminosity AGN (bolometric luminosities < 1042 erg/s), the accretion operates differently than in their high-power counterparts. Instead of feeding via a bright, geometrically thin accretion disk, low-power systems are believed to be powered by advection-dominated or radiatively inefficient accretion flows (RIAFs). In this regime, the infalling gas is hot and diffuse, and the energy released is inefficiently radiated away and funneled into kinetic channels that drive collimated outflows or jets emitting from radio to very-high energy bands.
Relativistic jets and radio outflows represent some of the most spectacular manifestations of this accretion and ejection physics. While high-luminosity AGN historically dominated high-energy and early radio surveys, the vast majority of the AGN population in the local Universe resides in this low-power regime. Traditionally dismissed as energetically negligible, a revolution driven by the latest generation, high-sensitivity, and high-resolution facilities is fundamentally shifting this paradigm. Recent observations and advanced hydrodynamical simulations reveal that even low-power, compact, or small-scale jets on (sub-)parsec to kiloparsec scales can strongly perturb their host galaxies.

By driving shocks, inflating bubbles,  and injecting turbulence into  the multi-phase interstellar medium (ISM), these low-luminosity systems act as critical agents of localized feedback, actively shaping star formation and galaxy evolution.

Despite their numerical dominance, our knowledge of the physics, duty cycles, and net impact of low-power radio AGN is still at its dawn. A complete characterization of these cores at lower power and accretion rates is key to significantly improving our knowledge, yet we still lack a unified, multi-scale framework. Specifically, the community faces open questions regarding how SMBH mass, spin, and transitions between accretion states dictate jet launching; whether the diverse, compact observed radio structures primarily reflect the central engine, source age, or dense circumgalactic environments; and how efficiently the the kinetic energy is released into the hosts, while distinguishing them from radiatively driven winds.

This workshop, marking the second edition of the “Jets on the Rocks” workshop series on radio AGN, aims to gather the main experts on the accretion and ejection of SMBHs observed across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The meeting will focus heavily on low-power AGN as viewed at different wavelengths, connecting breakthroughs from the radio, optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray/TeV bands to build a truly panchromatic understanding of these fundamental objects. Over a week, participants will concentrate on the central open questions at the heart of low-power AGN activity, exploring whether the radio-loud/radio-quiet dichotomy reflects distinct physical modes or a continuous spectrum, and tracing how transitions between efficient and inefficient accretion manifest observationally across different energy regimes. By bringing together multi-wavelength and multi-messanger observers using the state-of-the-art facilities and simulators modeling jet-ISM coupling, the meeting will convert recent fragmented results into a clear roadmap for future campaigns and theoretical benchmarks. Structured sessions, posters, and breakout discussions will align diagnostics across scales, culminating in an agreed set of community priorities, practical observational tests, and an actionable plan for coordinated surveys and collaborative proposals.

Organizers

SOC

Ranieri D. Baldi (INAF-IRA, Bologna)
David R.A. Williams-Baldwin (University of Manchester)
Barbara Balmaverde (INAF-OATo, Torino)
Gabriele Bruni (INAF-IAPS, Roma)
Giulia Migliori (INAF-IRA, Bologna)
Ilaria Ruffa (INAF-Arcetri, Firenze)
Eleonora Torresi (INAF-OAS, Bologna)

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Workshop code for bus and payment
JOR27