Integrated Approach to Reconnection: State-of-the-Art Kinetic Simulations of MRX Experiments

磁重联是磁化等离子体中普遍存在的现象，被认为在各种等离子体条件下对自然界许多系统的动力学起着关键作用。这类系统的例子有地球磁层、日冕、实验室核聚变实验等。对磁重联的认识已取得重大进展，但许多重要的基本问题仍未解决。该项目的目的是执行一个广泛的模拟程序，旨在通过与磁重联实验（MRX）并行工作，显著提高对磁重联的认识状态，MRX是致力于磁重联研究的领先实验设施之一。这项工作针对以下具有重要意义的科学问题：由薄重联层不稳定性引起的微观湍流对不同参数下磁重联动力学的影响是什么？这种合作的一个独特方面是模拟和实验工作的密切协调，实验用于验证和挑战理论分析，而模拟有助于解释和指导实验活动。这项工作利用了最先进的模拟技术，并利用了各种现代千兆级计算机。我们期望这项工作将对重连接的研究产生广泛的影响。研究结果将在科学会议上发表，并在适当的科学文献中发表。模拟数据将广泛提供给社会各界。这项研究是基于我们与普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室MRX团队的持续合作。这项工作的一个重要因素是普林斯顿大学的研究生和本科生参与研究的各个方面。获得模拟数据和理论专业知识为学生提供了分析测量的基本新方法，并大大提高了他们的专业知识。此外，学生们还有机会参加SciberQuest和洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的暑期实习项目，在那里他们有机会亲身体验现代模拟技术。

Magnetic reconnection is a ubiquitous phenomenon in magnetized plasma that is thought to play a key role in the dynamics of many systems in nature under a wide range of plasma conditions. Examples of such systems are the Earth's magnetosphere, solar corona, laboratory fusion experiments, etc. Significant progress in understanding of magnetic reconnection has been made, but many important basic questions remain open. The aim of this project is to execute an extensive simulation program designed to significantly advance the state of knowledge on reconnection by working in parallel with Magnetic Reconnection eXperiment (MRX), one of leading experimental facilities dedicated to studies of magnetic reconnection. This work targets the following scientific question of great significance: What is the influence of microscopic turbulence originating from instabilities of thin reconnection layers on the dynamics of magnetic reconnection in various parameter regimes? A unique aspect of this collaboration is a close coordination of simulation and experimental efforts, where experiments are used to verify and challenge theoretical analysis, while simulations help interpret and guide experimental campaigns. The work utilizes state-of-the art simulation technologies and makes use of a variety of modern petascale computers.We expect that this work will have broad implications for the studies of reconnection. The results will be presented at scientific meetings and published in the appropriate scientific literature. The simulation data will be made widely available to the community. This research is based on our ongoing collaboration with MRX team at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. An important element of this work is participation of graduate and undergraduate students from Princeton University in all aspects of the research. Access to simulation data and theoretical expertise provides the students with fundamentally new ways of analyzing their measurements and greatly enhances their expertise. In addition, the students have opportunities to participate in summer internship programs at SciberQuest and at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where they have a chance to get hands on experience with modern simulation techniques.