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。该中心项目的核心是在等离子体物理学家和天体物理学家之间建立新的合作关系，以研究磁自组织统一主题下的六种现象。六个研究课题分别是：发电机活动、磁重联、磁螺旋度守恒与输运、角动量输运、离子加热、磁混沌与输运。每种现象都发生在实验室和许多天体物理场所。每一种现象的发生都是毫无疑问的，但其物理机制却知之甚少或未知。这六种现象都可以作为一个过程的一部分发生。没有一个可以孤立地理解。因此，从这六个主题的集体研究中获得了巨大的收获，这些主题由磁性自组织的主题联合起来。这项研究将由一个由24名物理学家组成的核心中心小组进行，他们涵盖了所有必要的专业领域——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将建立新的联系，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，以及丰富的新天文数据，意味着现在是该中心的最佳时机。三个核心机构，每个机构都有一个小组参与，提供互补的专业知识和职能。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大学主要提供补充实验。整体管理责任将驻留在威斯康星大学。应用于每个主题的关键活动是比较实验室和天体物理观测，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，以及召开专题研讨会。该中心还将在威斯康星大学非常成功的讲座示范系列（“物理奇迹”）的基础上，发起一项新的、经过专业评估的教育推广工作。该中心希望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物理界之间的联系。该奖项由物理部和数学与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.