The meeting "The many tones of accretion" is dedicated to the memory of Tomaso Belloni, whose pioneering work on X-ray timing, spectral states, and variability in compact accreting systems has fundamentally shaped the field. The conference will bring together the high-energy astrophysics community to discuss recent advances in accretion physics, variability, and jet formation in X-ray binaries and related compact objects, while also looking ahead to future directions.
Scientific topics will include
• Accretion onto compact objects: foundations and open problems
• Black hole X-ray binaries: phenomenology and unification
• Neutron star X-ray binaries: similarities and contrasts
• Black holes vs neutron stars: what timing reveals
• Spectral states, state transitions, and hysteresis in X-ray binaries
• X-ray variability as a probe of accretion physics
• Quasi-periodic oscillations: observations and interpretations
• Low- and high-frequency QPOs, accretion geometry, and strong-gravity effects
• Spectral–timing techniques, time lags, and energy-dependent variability
• X-ray spectral modelling, reflection, iron lines, and relativistic effects
• Jets in X-ray binaries, disk–corona coupling, and multiwavelength views
• Radio/X-ray correlations and scaling from X-ray binaries to AGN
• Observational challenges, new X-ray missions, and methodological advances
• Legacy and future directions in X-ray timing studies
