Related papers: An Experimental Plasma Dynamo Program for Investig…
From a broader perspective, the heliosphere and planetary magnetospheres provide a test bed to explore the plasma physics of the Universe. In particular, the underlying nonlinear coupling of different spatial and temporal scales plays a key…
Magnetospheres are a ubiquitous feature of magnetized bodies embedded in a plasma flow. While large planetary magnetospheres have been studied for decades by spacecraft, ion-scale "mini" magnetospheres can provide a unique environment to…
Major scientific questions and research opportunities are described on 10 unprioritized plasma astrophysics topics: (1) magnetic reconnection, (2) collisionless shocks and particle acceleration, (3) waves and turbulence, (4) magnetic…
Recent years have seen tremendous progress in our understanding of the extreme universe, which in turn points to even deeper questions to be further addressed. History has shown that the symbiosis between direct observations and laboratory…
The plasma is an ionized gas that responses collectively to any external (or internal) perturbations. Introducing micron-sized solid dust grains into plasma makes it more interesting. The solid grains acquire large negative charges on their…
We recommend that NASA maintain and fund science platforms that enable interactive and scalable data analysis in order to maximize the scientific return of data collected from space-based instruments.
The onset and evolution of magnetic fields in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas is determined by several mechanisms, including instabilities, dynamo effects and ultra-high energy particle flows through gas, plasma and interstellar-media.…
The Sun provides an excellent natural laboratory for nonlinear phenomena. We use motions of magnetic bright points on the solar surface, at the smallest scales yet observed, to study the small scale dynamics of the photospheric plasma. The…
It is possible to excite various linear and non-linear low-frequency modes in dusty plasma which is an admixture of electrons, ions, gas atoms, and negatively charged solid particles. The experimental as well as theoretical study of these…
To understand solar and stellar dynamos combining local and global numerical modelling with long-term observations is a challenging task: even with state of the art computational methods and resources, the stellar parameter regime remains…
Conducting levitated mechanical experiments in extreme conditions has long been the aim of researchers, as it allows for the investigation of new fundamental physics phenomena. One of the great frontiers has been sending these experiments…
Laboratory astrophysics and complementary theoretical calculations are the foundations of astronomy and astrophysics and will remain so into the foreseeable future. The mission enabling impact of laboratory astrophysics ranges from the…
The magnetic field in Hall plasmas is frozen in the electron component and is advected not only with the plasma motion but also with the electrical current flow. Its coupling with the plasma may be not as strong as characteristic of the MHD…
Ion-scale magnetospheres have been observed around comets, weakly-magnetized asteroids, and localized regions on the Moon, and provide a unique environment to study kinetic-scale plasma physics, in particular in the collisionless regime. In…
Beam injection and extraction from a plasma module is still one of the crucial aspects to solve in order to produce high quality electron beams with a plasma accelerator. Proper matching conditions require to focus the incoming high…
Astrophysical plasmas can have parameters vastly different from the more studied laboratory and space plasmas. In particular, the magnetic fields can be the dominant component of the plasma, with energy-density exceeding the particle…
The prospects of using extreme relativistic laser-matter interactions for laboratory astrophysics are discussed. Laser-driven process simulation of matter dynamics at ultra-high energy density is proposed for the studies of astrophysical…
Under the low density and high temperature conditions typical of heliospheric plasmas, the macroscopic evolution of the heliosphere is strongly affected by the kinetic plasma physics governing fundamental microphysical mechanisms. Kinetic…
Magnetic fields are involved in every astrophysical process on every scale: from planetary and stellar interiors to neutron stars, stellar wind bubbles and supernova remnants; from the interstellar medium in galactic disks, nuclei, spiral…
Magnetic reconnection is a ubiquitous and fundamental process in plasmas by which magnetic fields change their topology and release magnetic energy. Despite decades of research, the physics governing the reconnection process in many…