Center for Magnetic Self-Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas

该奖项资助了实验室和天体物理等离子体自组织物理前沿中心。 该中心计划的核心是等离子体物理学家和天体物理学家之间的新合作，以研究磁自组织统一主题内的六种现象。 六个研究主题是发电机活动，磁重联，磁螺旋度守恒和运输，角动量运输，离子加热，磁混沌和运输。每一种现象都发生在实验室和许多天体物理学场所。每一种情况的发生都是毫无疑问的，但物理机制却知之甚少或未知。所有这六种现象都可以作为一个过程的一部分发生。任何一个问题都不能孤立地加以理解。因此，通过集体研究这六个主题，结合磁性自组织的主题，可以获得巨大的收获。该研究将由24名物理学家组成的核心中心小组进行，涵盖所有所需的专业领域-实验室等离子体物理学和天体物理学，以及实验，计算和理论。天体物理学家和等离子体物理学家之间的新的联系将被建立起来，这对解决这些问题至关重要。 等离子体物理学的最新进展，特别是实验测量技术和计算，以及大量的新物理学数据，意味着目前是该中心的正确时机。三个核心机构各有一个小组参与，提供互补的专门知识和职能。芝加哥大学提供天体物理和计算专业知识，而普林斯顿大学和威斯康星州大学主要提供补充实验。总体管理责任将驻留在威斯康星州的大学。每个主题的主要活动是比较实验室和天体物理观测结果，比较不同实验的结果，进行联合实验，将在一个地点开发的理论和计算工具应用于其他情况，并召开专题研讨会。中心还将启动一个新的，经过专业评估的教育推广工作，以威斯康星州大学非常成功的讲座演示系列（“物理学奇迹”）为基础。该中心旨在为年轻科学家提供跨学科培训，并加强等离子体物理学与更大的物理学社区之间的联系。该奖项由物理学部和数学和物理科学理事会多学科活动办公室共同资助。

This award funds the Physics Frontiers Center for Self-Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas. At the heart of the center's program is the engendering of new collaborations between plasma physicists and astrophysicists to examine six phenomena within the unifying theme of magnetic self-organization. The six research topics are dynamo activity, magnetic reconnection, magnetic helicity conservation and transport, angular momentum transport, ion heating, and magnetic chaos and transport. Each phenomenon occurs in the laboratory and in many astrophysical venues. The occurrence of each is not in doubt, but the physics mechanisms are poorly understood or unknown. All six phenomena can occur as part of one process. None can be understood in isolation of the others. Thus, there is tremendous gain from collective study of these six topics, united by the theme of magnetic self-organization. The research will be carried out by a core Center group of 24 physicists covering all the needed areas of expertise - laboratory plasma physics and astrophysics, and experiment, computation, and theory. New links between astrophysicists and plasma physicists, essential to solve the problems, will be established. Recent advances in plasma physics,particularly experimental measurement techniques and computation, and the wealth of newastronomical data, imply that the present time is right for the Center. Three core institutions, each with a group involvement, provide complementary expertiseand functions. The University of Chicago provides astrophysical and computational expertise, whereas Princeton University and The University of Wisconsin mainly provide complementary experiments. Overall management responsibility will reside at the University of Wisconsin. The key activities, applied to each topic, are to compare lab and astrophysical observations, compare results from different experiments, perform joint experiments, apply theoretical and computational tools developed in one venue to other situations, and convene topical workshops.The Center will also initiate a new, professionally-evaluated, educational outreach effort, building on a very successful lecture-demonstration series (the "Wonders of Physics") at the University of Wisconsin. The Center expects to provide a pool of young scientists with interdisciplinary training and enhance the connection between plasma physics and the larger physics community.This award is co-funded by the Physics Division and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.