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Extreme Plasma Astrophysics

October 12, 2022 @ 15:30 - 16:30

Exotic relativistic astrophysical objects like neutron stars and black holes are surrounded by plasmas with extreme physical conditions that are very different from those in more familiar, traditional heliospheric and laboratory plasma environments. The rich, non-traditional physics of these extreme astrophysical plasmas features special and general relativity, pair-plasma composition, strong interaction of the plasma with high-energy photons, and, in the most extreme cases, QED processes like pair production. Understanding how these “exotic” effects modify fundamental collective plasma processes — waves, instabilities, magnetic reconnection, shocks, turbulence — is the scope of Extreme Plasma Astrophysics. I will review the recent impressive progress in exploring this exciting new frontier of modern physics, motivated by spectacular astrophysical discoveries and enabled by recent computational advances like the development of novel kinetic plasma codes incorporating radiation and pair-creation effects, in combination with vigorous, theoretical efforts. Examples will include new breakthroughs in our understanding of radiative magnetic reconnection and turbulence, with applications to accreting black holes and neutron star magnetospheres. I will also outline the future directions of this burgeoning field, including prospects for laboratory studies.
Co-sponsored by: MIPSE and SEM NPSS
Speaker(s): Prof. Dmitri Uzdensky,
Bldg: 1005 Dow, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/323606