The General Assembly of Galaxy Halos (IAU S317) Structure, Origin and Evolution Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Symposia and Colloquia Series

The proceedings of IAU S317 offer an updated view of the stellar halos of galaxies, from the local universe to more distant systems, discussing differences and similarities among them. They review the results of ongoing large photometric and spectroscopic surveys and compare them to the predictions of new generation simulations at the forefront of our technical capabilities. Structures are analysed on both large and small scales, with attention given to the kinematical and chemical properties of their smallest and oldest components. A number of excellent reviews on state-of-the-art research, covering fields such as first stars, galactic archaeology, stellar halos in cosmological simulations, discrete constituents of stellar halos - from field, isolated stars to globular clusters and planetary nebulae - are accompanied by contributed papers presenting the results of original research by top-level specialists in the area. IAU S317 benefits researchers with interests encompassing stellar and galactic astrophysics and galaxy evolution.

1. Global properties of stellar halos from the Milky Way to external galaxies; 2. Halo stars and chemical evolution; 3. Discrete constituents of stellar halos in the Milky Way and in external galaxies: planetary nebulae and globular clusters; 4. Dwarf galaxies; 5. Probing the dynamics of galaxies with smooth halos and stellar substructures; 6. Origin of stellar halos; 7. Summary and discussion.