The Radio Synchrotron Background: Conference Summary and Report

Abstract

We summarize the radio synchrotron background workshop that took place July\n19-21, 2017 at the University of Richmond. This first scientific meeting\ndedicated to the topic was convened because current measurements of the diffuse\nradio monopole reveal a surface brightness that is several times higher than\ncan be straightforwardly explained by known Galactic and extragalactic sources\nand processes, rendering it by far the least well understood photon background\nat present. It was the conclusion of a majority of the participants that the\nradio monopole level is at or near that reported by the ARCADE 2 experiment and\ninferred from several absolutely calibrated zero level lower frequency radio\nmeasurements, and unanimously agreed that the production of this level of\nsurface brightness, if confirmed, represents a major outstanding question in\nastrophysics. The workshop reached a consensus on the next priorities for\ninvestigations of the radio synchrotron background.\n