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Heliosphere News – May 16, 2023

 

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: Matina Gkioulidou (matina.gkioulidou at jhuapl.edu)

Co-Editor: Jamie Rankin (jsrankin at princeton.edu)

Coordinator: Liz Wilber (Elizabeth.Wilber at unh.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, Matina, or Jamie. Posts are limited to ascii text.

Newsletters are archived on the following website:

http://heliospherenews.unh.edu/

 

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

1. JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Postdoctoral and Research Scientist positions in Heliophysics Research and Space Plasma Instrumentation at Los Alamos National Laboratory

2. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Tenure-track assistant professor position at the Department of Space Science of the University of Alabama in Huntsville

 

3. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Space Research at Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas

4. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Research Associate and/or Senior Research Positions in Space Physics at Princeton University

5. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Position in the Heliophysics Research Group, University of New Hampshire, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space (EOS), Space Science Center

6. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Associate - Space Sciences Laboratory - UC Berkeley

7. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Researcher in the Solar-Heliospheric Physics Research Group at the University of California Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory (UCB/SSL)

8. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Inner Heliospheric Physics at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, USA

9. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral position in heliophysics (Space Plasma) at FIT

10. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Term-limit Civil Servant Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

11. MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT: Solar Wind 16

12. MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT: Non-Extensive Statistical Mechanics and Kappa Distributions In Space Plasma Physics and Complexity Science Workshop (W10), July 10-14, 2023 in Chania, Crete, Greece

 

13. ANNOUNCEMENT: Upcoming SHIELD Webinar, Friday May 19, at 2:00 pm ET

 

14. MEETING: Mini-conference 11.06 Collisionless and Weakly Collisional Shocks in Laboratory and Space Plasmas at the 65th Annual Meeting of the APS DPP, Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2023 in Denver, Colorado

 

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1. JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Postdoctoral and Research Scientist positions in Heliophysics Research and Space Plasma Instrumentation at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory seeks candidates for postdoctoral and early- to mid-career research scientist positions in space plasma instrumentation for heliospheric and/or magnetospheric missions with the Space Science and Applications Group (ISR-1). The candidates chosen for these positions will be expected to support the development and calibration of current and next generation space plasma and energetic neutral atom (ENA) instrumentation.  It is also expected that candidates carry out original research addressing the structure and evolution of the heliosphere and/or dynamics of the magnetosphere, through analysis of data from ongoing NASA and/or national security missions. Additional opportunities exist to conduct laboratory-based research to investigate plasma measurement techniques. The selected candidates will have the opportunity to interact with Laboratory staff engaged in a broad range of observational, computational, and theoretical research in heliophysics. Our scientists lead or have led experiments on many NASA missions such as IBEX, Van Allen Probes, ACE, Ulysses, TWINS, Mars Odyssey, Cassini, and IMAGE. ISR-1 is currently leading the development of two instruments, IMAP-Hi and SWE, for the upcoming NASA IMAP mission to understand the Sun’s interaction with the interstellar medium.

Applicants should have a doctoral degree in Space Physics, Physics, Astronomy, Engineering, or appropriate similar fields. Interested postdoctoral candidates should send their applications electronically (https://lanl.jobs/, posting IRC117467) including a CV, a publication list, and statement of research interests. Interested research scientist candidates should directly contact dreisenfeld at lanl.gov for further information.

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2. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Tenure-track assistant professor position at the Department of Space Science of the University of Alabama in Huntsville

The Department of Space Science of the University of Alabama in Huntsville is seeking an outstanding scientist and teacher to fill a tenure-track assistant professor position in the field of heliophysics. Areas of particular interest include solar and interplanetary physics, especially research that supports the new Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, IMAP, and HelioSwarm missions in which the Department is engaged, particularly in the areas of coronal and solar wind physics. The ideal candidate will complement existing strengths within the Department while expanding significantly research capabilities and competencies. We are seeking someone who uses theory, and/or modeling, and observations to address these areas of interest. The successful candidate will teach in accordance with a typical teaching load in the Department, develop at least two new advanced graduate level courses reflecting their research expertise, and will support and mentor graduate students pursuing MSc and PhD degrees and undergraduate students in summer programs. The successful candidate will have a PhD or equivalent degree in a field appropriate to the job description above and will have and pursue independent research funding.

Applicants must submit a complete CV, a list of publications, a list of awarded research grants, a research statement, a teaching statement, and arrange to have three letters of reference sent by email to pittsa@uah.edu with the header Faculty Space Physics Search Committee 2023. Applications will remain open until position is filled. More detailed information can be found at https://www.uah.edu/hr/careers/faculty-careers#COS

Inquiries about the position can be directed to Prof. Gary Zank and Ms Antonia Pitts, respectively.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer of minorities/females/veterans/disabled.

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3. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Space Research at Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas

The Department of Space Research at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas is seeking applications for a postdoctoral scientist position to participate in and carry out original research in experimental space physics and supporting laboratory experiments. SwRI is involved in the development of current missions such as the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), TRACERS, PUNCH, Europa Clipper, JUICE, and CuSP. SwRI also leads or contributes to currently operating missions such as Juno, MMS, PSP, New Horizons, and IBEX.

The successful candidate is expected to support the development, testing, and calibration of energetic neutral atom and plasma instruments to be flown on upcoming heliophysics or planetary missions. The candidate is expected to publish original research and 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 experimental, observational, and computational research.

The candidate should have a PhD degree in space physics, experimental physics, or directly related physics degree with a GPA of 3.0 or greater. The candidate should have work experience in related experimental physics. The candidate should have demonstrated the ability to program and utilize software tools such as Simion and Lua, LabView, TRIM, Geant4, IDL, C, Python, or MATLAB.

Interested candidates should apply online at https://resapp.swri.org/ResApp/Job_Details.aspx?JOB_CD=15-01533&JOB_TITLE=POSTDOCTORAL%20RESEARCHER%20-%20SPACECRAFT%20INSTRUMENTATION

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4. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Research Associate and/or Senior Research Positions in Space Physics at Princeton University

The Space Physics Group (see https://spacephysics.princeton.edu/) in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, anticipates offering one or more postdoctoral or more senior research positions in the observational study of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) and Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENAs).

The Space Physics Group researches many aspects of space physics (aka Heliophysics), with a strong emphasis on experimental and observational space plasma physics. The Group currently leads NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISOIS) energetic particle instrument suite, the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission and the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission, which will launch in 2025 to explore the details of particle acceleration and the Sun's interaction with the local interstellar medium.

The successful candidate(s) will play a significant role in the analysis and publication of SEP observations from ISOIS and/or ENA observations from IBEX and must have both significant prior experiences analyzing at least one of these type(s) of particle data, as well as the proven ability to lead and participate in the rapid development and publication of numerous excellent research articles. A Ph.D. is required in physics, astrophysics, space science, or a closely related field.

Interested persons must apply online at https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/application.xhtml?listingId=26909 selecting Space Physics as the position you are interested in.

For further inquiries, contact spacephysics at princeton.edu

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5. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Position in the Heliophysics Research Group, University of New Hampshire, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space (EOS), Space Science Center

The Heliophysics research group in the Space Science Center at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) is seeking an exceptional candidate to fill a Postdoctoral position under the general supervision of Prof. Nathan Schwadron. Working on NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Mission, and in collaboration with associated project personnel, the PostDoc will develop new data products for IBEX, study the effects of global heliosphere on the inflow of interstellar neutral atoms and study the changing radiation environment of the global heliosphere.

The University of New Hampshire is a major research institution, providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs (https://www.unh.edu/). UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast, and is convenient to New Hampshire's lakes and mountains. The Department of Physics confers both undergraduate (B.A., B.S.) and graduate (M.S., Ph.D.) degrees and currently includes 26 faculty members. EOS is the largest research institute at UNH, with more than 275 faculty, staff and students.

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6. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Associate - Space Sciences Laboratory - UC Berkeley

The Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks applicants for Postdoctoral Associate positions to support NASA Heliophysics and/or Planetary missions via planetary and heliophysics research and/or hardware development. The specific projects that are hiring include ICON, MAVEN, PADRE, Parker Solar Probe (PSP), HERMES, LuSEE, THEMIS, MMS, Van Allen Probes, Wind and others. Responsibilities may include but are not limited to data analysis, space plasma or planetary atmosphere research, simulations/software development, and spaceflight hardware systems development, including instruments, power and communications.

For more information about the position, including required qualifications, application materials, and deadlines, and to apply, please go to https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03423. The positions will remain open until filled. For questions, please email Dr. Chadi Salem at salem at ssl.berkeley.edu. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

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7. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Researcher in the Solar-Heliospheric Physics Research Group at the University of California Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory (UCB/SSL)

The Solar and Heliospheric Physics Research Group at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory is seeking a candidate to fill one full-time (100%) Postdoctoral position under the general supervision of Dr. Christina Lee. The successful candidate will collaborate with Dr. Lee and the project team members to investigate the role of magnetic connectivity to interplanetary shocks (e.g., driven by coronal mass ejections, CMEs) in determining the large longitudinal extents of solar energetic particle (SEPs) events observed from multiple vantage points throughout the inner heliosphere. A combination of analysis of existing in-situ data sets and remote observations and data-driven modeling will be used to carry out the investigation.

The ideal candidate will have skills and/or experience with

- multi-spacecraft data analysis of quiescent solar wind, CME, SIR, and SEP event intervals from in-situ observations (e.g., ACE, GOES, STEREO-A, ACE, PSP, Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo, MAVEN, etc.)

- remote sensing data analysis of multiwavelength solar disk and coronagraph data

- 3D MHD simulations of solar wind and CME propagation using coupled solar corona-solar wind models (e.g., Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) + ENLIL, EUFORIA, Gamera, etc.)

- modeling transport of solar energetic particles

- programming and utilizing software tools in IDL, Matlab, or Python

For more information about the position, including required qualifications, application materials, and deadlines, go to https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03705.

The position will remain open until filled. For questions, please email Dr. Christina Lee at clee (at) ssl.berkeley.edu. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

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8. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Inner Heliospheric Physics at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, USA

The JHU/APL Space and Solar Physics Group (SRP) is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to conduct basic scientific research in the field of Solar and Space Physics with an emphasis on inner-heliospheric physics and the analysis of particle data from the ISOIS/EPI-Lo instrument of the Parker Solar Probe mission. The successful candidate will work in an exciting environment, interfacing with experts in comprehensive data analysis and instrument development for a multitude of Solar and Space Physics missions as well as state-of-the-art modeling of geospace and other space environment systems. The SRP group has a broad and active basic research program that includes data analysis, theory and modeling studies of Earth's magnetosphere and Sun-Earth connections, planetary magnetospheres throughout the solar system, and heliospheric and solar physics. It also has a significant and long-running history of developing space instrumentation hardware and mission concepts. Current science and instrument participation in active missions includes ACE, Geotail, Juno, MMS, New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, STEREO, and Voyager. Future missions in development include Europa Clipper, EZIE, JUICE, and IMAP. In addition, the Group is playing the leading role in the multi-institutional, cross-disciplinary Center for Geospace Storms, and partners with Our Heliospheric Shield (SHIELD), two of the three NASA DRIVE Science Centers recently selected for Phase II.

The research position focuses on inner-heliospheric physics and the analysis of suprathermal and energetic data from the ISOIS/EPI-Lo instrument of the Parker Solar Probe Mission. The successful candidate would be expected to publish original research in peer-reviewed journals and team with SRP and other APL Space Exploration Sector staff to pursue external support for continued research and instrument development work. Duties will include: conducting original inner-heliospheric research and analysis of the ISOIS/EPI-Lo particle data; authoring papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals; preparing for and participating in scientific conferences; and developing innovative scientific research and instrument development efforts and proposing to competed solicitations. The required qualifications include the following: a PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering or in a related technical field, or the demonstrated equivalent experience, an in-depth knowledge of space plasma physics, experience in analysis and scientific interpretation of space physics data, proficiency with advanced technical computing using languages such as Python, IDL, Matlab, or another comparable programming language, and a record of published first author scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. Although not required, it is desirable that a candidate has demonstrated understanding of the workings of space particle instruments, and the ability to analyze their performances with computer algorithms and other tools or previous experience with spaceflight hardware and/or space mission projects.

Please contact Matt Hill for additional information about the exciting science or other aspects of this position (matt.hill at jhuapl.edu). The complete job posting, including more information about why APL is a great place to work, Equal Opportunity Employment information, and a link for submitting an online application can be found at https://careers.jhuapl.edu/jobs/51892.

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9. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral position in heliophysics (Space Plasma) at FIT:

The department of Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences (APSS) at the  Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) is looking to fill a postdoctoral research position in space plasma physics. The successful candidate will  conduct research at the frontier of solar wind turbulence using theory and/or data analysis, including Parker Solar Probe and Solar  Orbiter, and/or high-performance numerical simulations. The initial  appointment will be for one year renewable for one more year subject to  satisfactory performance. The successful candidate will have the  opportunity to actively participate in future proposal submissions to  secure extramural funding, which could result in an extension of their  appointment beyond the second year. Required qualifications: (1) PhD in  Physics or closely related area, (2) research experience in the analysis  of spacecraft data from the Heliophysics System Observatory (HSO), (3)  Basic knowledge of the plasma theory and numerical simulations, (4)  familiarity with Python and/or IDL and other programing languages, and (5) strong written and oral communication skills, and ability to prepare  scientific documents to be submitted to peer reviewed journals. Strong  familiarity with Linux and other Unix-like platforms and environments  commonly present in most supercomputer facilities is also desirable.

Applicants should e-mail curriculum vitae, list of publications, and  contact information for three references to Prof. Sofiane Bourouaine at  sbourouaine@fit.edu.

The position will remain open until filled, however, priority consideration will be given to applications received by March 1st, 2023.

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10. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Term-limit Civil Servant Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The Energetic Particle Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has an opening for an early-career scientist interested in the origin of energetic particles in space and with experience in designing, building, and analyzing data from instruments that measure ionized and neutral high-energy particles in the heliosphere and magnetosphere.  The opening is for a GS-12 6-year Term-limit Civil Servant position with the potential for conversion to permanent Civil Servant after the six years.  The Energetic Particle Laboratory currently has instruments in development for the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission (launch in 2025), several cubesats for Low-Earth Orbit and interplanetary space, and the Lunar Gateway, as well as data from existing instruments on ACE, STEREO, IBEX, Van Allen Probes and Parker Solar Probe.  The laboratory is in the Heliospheric Science Laboratory (Code 672) of Goddard's Heliophysics Science Division.  Because this is a US Government Civil Servant position, applicants are required to be US citizens, and are expected to have applicable experience.  A PhD in Space or Earth Science is highly desirable.  Applications are currently being accepted through the usajobs.gov website and will remain open until April 10.  The link to the vacancy is https://www.usajobs.gov/job/714742900.  Questions can be emailed to Adam Szabo (adam.szabo at nasa.gov), Code 672 Lab Chief, and Eric Christian (eric.r.christian at nasa.gov), Code 672 Associate Lab Chief and head of the Energetic Particle Laboratory.

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11. MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT: Solar Wind 16

Abstract and housing deadlines are approaching for the Solar Wind 16 meeting (June 12-17, 2023) at Asilomar in California.  Please register, book, and submit abstracts!

 

The meeting will be organized around a group of 'scene-setting' talks which will describe the state-of-the-art in topics of solar wind heating and acceleration mechanisms, solar wind sources, transients, interaction with planets, and the relationship to broader problems in astrophysics.  Contributed talks and posters will be organized around these scene-setting talks and there will be plenty of time for open discussion.

 

Confirmed scene-setting speakers are Lina Hadid, Matt Kunz, Lorenzo Matteini, Merav Opher, Erika Palmerio, Viviane Pierrard, Alexis Rouillard, and Yi-Ming Wang.

 

In addition, we'll have 'long view' talks from Marcia Neugebauer and Russ Howard.

 

A goal of the meeting is to come away from the week with some consensus as the state of the field and ideas about where to go next. The new measurements from DKIST, Solar Orbiter, and Parker Solar Probe will frame these discussion and make this Solar Wind meeting especially timely.

 

The meeting website is here:  https://solarwind16.ssl.berkeley.edu/

 

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12. MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT: Non-Extensive Statistical Mechanics and Kappa Distributions In Space Plasma Physics and Complexity Science Workshop (W10), July 10-14, 2023 in Chania, Crete, Greece

The Non-Extensive Statistical Mechanics and Kappa Distributions In Space Plasma Physics and Complexity Science Workshop (W10) at the International Conference on Statistical Physics from July 10-14, 2023 in Chania, Crete, Greece is seeking abstracts until April 13, 2023.

This workshop focuses on understanding the statistical origin of particle distributions throughout geophysical, space, and astrophysical plasmas, from the solar wind and the planetary magnetospheres to the outer heliosphere, the inner heliosheath, and beyond. Additionally, we seek abstracts using statistical techniques to process the growing volume of measurements, and analysis of faint signals where the statistical nature of the measurements and noise sources is important.

Link for Conference and Abstracts (on left): http://www.sigmaphi.polito.it/

Workshop Description: https://sites.google.com/view/workshop-kappa-distributions-2/

Primary Convener:

            George Livadiotis, Princeton University, USA, glivadiotis@princeton.edu

Co-Conveners:

            Manfred Leubner, University of Innsbruck, Austria;

            Peter Yoon, University of Maryland, USA;

            Heather Elliott, Southwest Research Institute, USA, helliott@swri.edu;

            Konstantinos Dialynas, Academy of Athens, Greece

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13. ANNOUNCEMENT: Upcoming SHIELD Webinar, Friday May 19, at 2:00 pm ET

 

When: Friday, May 19th, at 2:00pm ET

Who: Lindy Elkins-Tanton, PI of NASA Psyche Mission

Registration: https://bostonu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8sYLwV14R4OOY3NFrzJoLg#/registration

Come join us for the next SHIELD webinar: "What drives you forward? Connecting School, Teams, and a Robotic Exploration to Outer Space," presented by Lindy Elkins-Tanton, PI of NASA Psyche Mission!

Sometimes people think scientists always knew what they wanted to do, and went straight at it from the age of five. My path was far curvier, and had as many downs as ups, on my way to leading a robotic NASA mission to a metal asteroid. Maybe it's clearer in hindsight than it was moving forward, but I see now how my wish to work in teams where every person can succeed has driven most of my career choices. I'll talk about my path from single mother to scientific leader. #webinar #SHIELDwebinar

 

For more details see: https://shielddrivecenter.com/shield-webinars/

 

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14. MEETING: Mini-conference 11.06 Collisionless and Weakly Collisional Shocks in Laboratory and Space Plasmas at the 65th Annual Meeting of the APS DPP, Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2023 in Denver, Colorado

 

Collisionless and Weakly Collisional Shocks in Laboratory and Space Plasmas  

 

Conveners: Nikolai Pogorelov (University of Alabama in Huntsville), Derek Schaeffer (University of California, Los Angeles), and Lynn Wilson III (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) 

 

Collisionless shocks (CSs) are one of the most fundamental, strongly nonlinear phenomena in plasmas. They are ubiquitous in many space physics, astrophysics, and laboratory settings. CS waves are important mechanisms for converting the dynamic pressure of a supersonic flow into thermal energy and affect the distributions of particles and fields across the universe. Shocks are also frequently associated with plasma oscillations and radio emissions. 

 

We call for papers addressing the wealth of in situ measurements of collisionless and weakly collisional shocks in nature and laboratory. This mini-conference will also address the physical mechanisms that govern the behavior of charged particles crossing such shocks. The abstracts should be submitted to the sorting category 11.06 at https://engage.aps.org/dpp/meetings/annual-meeting/abstract-submission.

 

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Best Regards,

Mihir