[HeliosphereNews] Heliosphere News - July 24, 2018

[Opher, Merav]

Heliosphere News - July 24, 2018
http://heliospherenews.unh.edu/

A newsletter devoted to Heliospheric Science.

Editor: Nathan Schwadron (nschwadron at unh.edu) Co-Editor: Mihir Desai
(mdesai at swri.edu) Co-Editor: Eric Zirnstein (ejz at princeton.edu)
Co-Editor: Merav Opher (mopher at bu.edu) Co-Editor: Nick Pogorelov
(np0002 at uah.edu)

Web site editor: Ken Fairchild (Ken.Fairchild at unh.edu)

If you are interested in being added to the list, being removed from the
list, or posting an announcement, please send information to Nathan,
Mihir, Eric, Merav, or Nick. Posts are limited to ascii text.
Newsletters are archived on the following website:
http://heliospherenews.unh.edu/.

******************* Announcements *******************

1. FALL AGU: SESSIONS IN OUTER HELIOSPHERE, Dec 10-14, 2018, Washington,
D.C., USA

2. MEETING: ISSS-13, Sept 10-14, 2018, UCLA, Abstract Submission and
Registration Now Open

3. MEETING: International Workshop on 'Particle Acceleration and
Transport: From the Sun to Extragalactic Sources', 12-16 November 2018,
Universita Della Calabria, Rende, Italy

4. MEETING: 18th Annual International Astrophysics Conference, February
18-22, 2019, Pasadena, California, USA

5. OPPORTUNITY: Heliophysics POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER Opportunity at
SwRI, San Antonio

*******

1. MEETING FALL AGU: SESSIONS IN OUTER HELIOSPHERE

Fall AGU abstracts submission site is open:
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Home/0
The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday, 1 August 23:59 EDT.

Abstracts will not be accepted for review after this date.

* SH018: Physics of a Global Heliosphere

Our Sun’s interaction with the interstellar medium creates boundaries
and regions in the distant heliosphere and perturbs the local
interstellar medium. Our understanding of this interaction is bolstered
by in situ observations of the distant heliosphere from Voyager and
remote-sensing observations from spacecraft closer to Earth e.g. IBEX,
Cassini/INCA, SoHO/SWAN and HSTOF.  Other near-Earth spacecraft also
measure variations in the solar wind plasma, particle distributions, and
magnetic field. To obtain a full picture of the global heliosphere all
of these data must be combined with theory and models of the underlying
plasma physics. As we prepare for IMAP, it will be particularly
important to understand how in situ measurements can be connected to
remote-sensing data, and what role models can play in providing a
reliable framework. We invite abstracts on data analysis, theoretical
and numerical studies which give fresh insight into the physics of the
global heliosphere.

Conveners: Joe Giacalone, Mihir Desai and Jacob Heerikhuisen

* SH019: Pickup Ions throughout the Heliosphere and Beyond

Since their discovery in the 1980s pickup ions (PUI) are used to
diagnose the physical state and composition of neutral gas throughout
and beyond the heliosphere. Their structured injection and subsequent
evolution make them excellent probes for interstellar gas flow and
interplanetary dust distributions, ion transport and acceleration, and
the heliospheric interface regions, where, in particular, the IBEX
ribbon formation depends on PUI kinetics. In-situ and remote
observations via energetic neutral atoms demonstrate the importance of
PUIs for the heliosphere dynamics. Kinetic and fluid modeling of PUI
origin and transport comprise a modern toolset to tackle remaining
puzzles of PUI evolution and further acceleration. Numerous past and
operating missions have been contributing greatly to these advances,
and, with their importance for the dynamics throughout and just outside
the heliosphere, they are at the heart of upcoming heliophysics
missions. We seek observational and theoretical contributions on all
aspects related to PUIs.

Conveners: Eberhard Mobius, University of New Hampshire; Heather
Elliott, Southwest Research Institute; Nikolai Pogorelov, University of
Alabama in Huntsville; Justyna Sokol, Space Research Centre, Polish
Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

* SH031: The Outer Heliosphere and Local Interstellar Medium

The outer heliosphere and local interstellar medium (LISM) are being
explored by in situ measurements and remote sensing observations. Models
and simulations provide a framework to understand these new data. This
session will cover all aspects of outer heliosphere and LISM research
and provide a synopsis of recent progress in the field.

Conveners: John Richardson, MIT; Merav Opher, Boston University

* SH029: The Interstellar Probe Mission: NASA Study Findings and Next
Steps

Abstract Submission:

https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/48708

Session Description: The Interstellar Probe would be the first dedicated
mission to venture into the unknown space between our star and other
potentially habitable planetary systems. In 2016, Congress recommended
NASA take the enabling steps for an Interstellar scientific probe. NASA
has now directed a study of an Interstellar Probe targeting 1000 AU
within 50 years. The study objectives are to identify science targets,
develop mission concepts and evaluate critical technologies. Science
targets include exploration of the Very Local Interstellar Medium and
its interaction with the heliosphere, characterization of the
circum-solar dust, flybys of unexplored Kuiper Belt Objects, and putting
these observations in the context of other exoplanetary systems and
astrospheres. This session reports on the findings spanning the science
discoveries enabled by an Interstellar Probe and its mission design, but
also seeks contributions on other scientific targets, enabling
technologies, mission concepts and programmatic challenges.

Conveners: Pontus C. Brandt, Kathy Mandt, Dick Mewaldt, Bob Wimmer.

* SH013: Novel Measurement Techniques for Space Plasma in Heliophysics
and Planetary Science

This session focuses on novel techniques for measuring and
characterizing space plasma that enable new areas of science. Space
plasma sciences have been advanced rapidly by emerging technologies
throughout the space era, and recent technological advances provide
low-cost, low-power, light-weight, high-resolution, high-cadence,
high-accuracy, and wide-dynamic range solutions which can enhance the
technical capabilities for the scientific closure of next generation
missions in this area. The observation targets can include any types of
space plasma relating to Sun, Earth, planets and bodies, interplanetary
space, and interstellar media. Abstracts are solicited that investigate
and develop instruments or supporting technologies for in-situ and
remote sensing studies of particles and fields. A clear focus on the
instrument technique is highly appreciated for abstracts in this session
rather than a general description of missions. However, enabling
technologies for a novel mission concept will be welcomed if the
abstract focuses on the technology side.

Conveners: Keiichi Ogasawara, Southwest Research Institute; Jason A
Gilbert, University of Michigan Ann Arbor; John W. Bonnell, University
of California Berkeley

SH027*The Forefront of Kappa Distributions: Understanding Plasma Processes in the Heliosphere

Space plasmas are often collisionless and correlated particle systems characterized by a non-Maxwellian behavior, typically described by the formulations of kappa distributions. These distributions were first widely used to model both the “core” and “tail” features of the observed distributions. Recent developments explain the origin of kappa distributions through statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, revealing the robust physical meaning of temperature, kappa index, thermal pressure, entropy, and other thermodynamic parameters that characterize space plasma properties and processes. We welcome theoretical, computational, or observational abstracts, involving kappa distributions and reporting on the progress of plasma processes throughout the heliosphere, from the solar atmosphere and wind to the planetary magnetospheres and heliosheath (e.g., mechanisms generating kappa distributions in space plasmas; linear/nonlinear plasma waves and instabilities; particle acceleration or circulation; connection with pickup ions; polytropes).
 Conveners:G. Livadiotis, H. Elliott, K. Dialynas, P. Yoon

******************

2. MEETING: ISSS-13 Abstract Submission and Registration Now Open

From: David Schriver (dave at igpp.ucla.edu<http://igpp.ucla.edu>)

Abstract submission and registration for the International
School/Symposium of Space Simulations (ISSS-13) is now open at
https://conferences.pa.ucla.edu/ISSS13. The abstract submission deadline
is June 15. ISSS-13 will be held on the campus of UCLA the week of
September 10-14, 2018. Lodging options in and around UCLA can be found
on the website.

******************

3. MEETING: International Workshop on 'Particle Acceleration and
Transport: From the Sun to Extragalactic Sources', 12-16 November 2018,
Universita Della Calabria, Rende, Italy

The University of Calabria will host the international workshop on
'Particle acceleration and transport: from the Sun to extragalactic
sources' on 2018 November 12-16
(http://astroplasmas.unical.it/workshop2018/)

Scientific rationale:

The workshop aims at presenting recent research on the longstanding
problems of particle acceleration and transport in different
astrophysical environments, such as the Sun, the heliosphere, galactic
sources, and extragalactic sources. The purpose is to bring together
experts in the fields of cosmic ray physics, plasma turbulence,
acceleration processes, and particle transport, in order to stimulate
cross-fertilization and to exchange scientific information among
different areas. Indeed, the basic theoretical framework adopted to
describe particle acceleration and transport is common to all those
fields but the properties of the environments change noticeably. In
addition, in-situ and remote observations often question the validity of
the standard theories and prompt for further investigations to be
interpreted. The availability of large datasets from new
instrumentations and recent theoretical and numerical studies give the
opportunity to advance the models and possibly to answer some of the
basic unresolved issues. Exchange of ideas among the various fields
would certainly speed up this process.

We strongly encourage to present to the different communities recent,
pioneering observations, theories, and models that try to explain and
describe processes of particle acceleration and transport. We try to
bring together scientists who would like to understand what is happening
beyond their field of specialty.

In order to promote an efficient exchange of ideas among different
fields, each research area (solar, heliospheric, galactic, and
extragalactic physics) will be introduced by a 40 minutes broad review
talk. The majority of the talks will be upon invitation (30 minutes
each), and at the end of each day a time slot of about 45 minutes will
be dedicated to open discussions on the daily sessions led by a couple
of scientists.

Contributed talks and poster presentations will be organized.

Main Topics:

-Observations of energetic particles in the solar, heliospheric,
galactic and extragalactic environments

-Properties of cosmic ray transport and acceleration from in-situ and
remote observations

-Solar flares, Crab flares, flaring phenomena in astrophysics

-Shock acceleration: problems and advances

-Particle acceleration in magnetic reconnection, including the
relativistic regimes

-Particle acceleration in accretion flows and relativistic jets

-Transport and acceleration in non-linear regimes

-Magnetic turbulence in astrophysical plasmas: properties from large to
small scales and effects on particle transport

-Theoretical models and numerical simulations of particle transport and
acceleration

SOC:

Silvia Perri (Chair, Universita della Calabria, Rende, Italy)

Elena Amato (co-chair, INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy)

Gianfranco Brunetti (IRA-INAF, Bologna, Italy)

Andrey Bikov (Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia)

Silvia Dalla (University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK)

Horst Fichtner (Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Germany)

Natasha Jeffrey (University of Glasgow, UK)

William H. Matthaeus (University of Delaware, USA)

Reinout J. van Weeren (Leiden University, The Netherlands)

Gaetano Zimbardo (Universita della Calabria, Rende, Italy)

Contact: workshopunical2018 at gmail.com<http://gmail.com>

*******************

4. MEETING: The 18th Annual International Astrophysics Conference will
be held in Pasadena, California at the Sheraton Pasadena February 18 -
22, 2019. (Welcome Reception and Evening Registration begins Sunday,
February 17).

The meeting will follow the same format as before with 25-minute
presentations punctuated by selected 40-minute invited talks that will
explore various themes in greater detail. The conference theme for the
18th AIAC is "The Physics of Energetic Particles: Universal Processes
from the Solar Corona to the Very Local Interstellar Medium and the
Physics they Enable." More conference details and website will be
available soon. For now, mark your calendars and contact us with your
interest in attending.

E-mail inquiries about the meeting should be directed to Gary Zank at
garyp.zank at gmail.com<http://gmail.com> or icnsmeetings at gmail.com<http://gmail.com>.

*******************

5. OPPORTUNITY: Heliophysics POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER Opportunity at
SwRI, San Antonio.

The Space Research Department at SwRI, San Antonio is seeking
applications for a postdoctoral researcher to carry out original
research addressing the origin and acceleration of energetic particles
in the interplanetary medium. The candidate will analyze suprathermal
and energetic particles, as well as magnetic field and solar wind plasma
data from Wind, ACE, and STEREO, and the upcoming Parker Solar Probe
mission. The candidate is also expected to support the development and
calibration of suprathermal and energetic particle instruments to be
used in upcoming heliophysics missions, publish results in peer-reviewed
scientific journals, and present results at scientific meetings,
workshops, and conferences. The research will involve interactions with
Institute Staff engaged in a broad range of observational,
computational, and theoretical research in the physics of the solar wind
and suprathermal and energetic particles. The candidate should have a
PhD degree in Space Physics or Plasma Physics, and have graduate-level
experience in the analysis and interpretation of solar wind, magnetic
field, and suprathermal particle datasets. The candidate must have at
least a 3.0 GPA, and demonstrate the ability to program and utilize data
analysis software tools such as IDL, C, or MATLAB.

To apply for this position go to
https://resapp.swri.org/ResApp/Job_Search_Results.aspx?DETAIL=15-01272.
For more information about SwRI visit
https://www.swri.org/technical-divisions/space-science-engineering



Best regards,

Merav

______________________
Merav Opher
Associate Professor, Dept. of Astronomy
Boston University
http://people.bu.edu/mopher


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