Cosmic Flows: Myth, Reality, and Prospects

Observations of peculiar motions of galaxies are our only direct probe

of the three dimensional distribution of the underlying mass density in the nearby universe.

The great potential of these observations in constraining models for the growth of

structure in the Universe has not yet been fully realized.

Despite the impressive progress made in the field, disagreements remain between different methods of analysis.

This workshop will discuss the limitations of the observational data and  relevant methods of analysis in great detail.

The role of future observations of large scale structure as well as  high precision measurements of

proper motions of nearby galaxies will also be discussed.

Specific topics to be discussed will include:

* Current catalogues of observational data of distance indicators.

* Methods for extracting peculiar velocities from distance indicator measurements.

* Methods for predicting  large scale velocity fields from redshift surveys:

  - linear method

  - nonlinear methods (e.g. least action method)

* Comparison between predicted and directly observed peculiar velocities:

   implications for cosmological parameters and the biasing relation.

* Individual moments of peculiar velocities.

* The reconstruction of the nearby density and velocity fields

* Constrained simulations from peculiar velocities

* Statistical measures of peculiar velocities

* Dynamics of the Local Group of galaxies:

  - nonlinear reconstruction of nearby galaxy orbits.

  - prediction of individual nearby galaxy masses.

* Indirect effects of peculiar velocities: redshift distortions.

* Constraining models for structure formation  in both DE-models

  and non-standard gravity scenarios.

* Future surveys and prospects.