TSSSP

Theory and Simulation of Solar System Plasmas

The Theory and Simulation of Solar System Plasmas (TSSSP) group is busy with theoretical investigations of fundamental key physical processes in the solar system plasma, especially magnetic reconnection, as well as with their numerical simulation. For this sake mathematical models are being developed, appropriate particle and plasma simulations are carried out.

 

	Science Objectives
	MPS Contribution
	The Team
	TSSSP Home Page at MPS
	J. Büchner's Home Page at MPS
	TSSSP Publications by MPS Members
	Publications by J. Büchner

Science objectives

The main emphasis of the research work in the group is put on the energy release in the Universe by magnetic reconnection and on the resulting turbulence, structure formation, plasma heating and particle acceleration to high energies.
Examples are magnetic storms and substorms in planetary magnetospheres, the heating of the solar corona, e.g. of EUV and X-ray Bright Points, solar flares, coronal mass ejections and the acceleration of the solar wind as well as of the consequences of solar plasma- and particle streams for the Earth environment ("Space Weather"). The methods applied are kinetic (Vlasov- and PIC-code) as well as combined kinetic-MHD plasma simulation, developed in the group.
The theoretical investigations of the group are carried out in close relation with the observational programs of the institute. Starting from heliosphysical plasma processes conclusions are drawn als for galactic and extragalactic plasma processes like jets out of active galactic nuclei or the interaction of extrasolar planets with their stars.

MPS Contribution

	Theory Different theoretical investigations were, have been and are being carried out.
	Test Particle Calculations Test particle calculations have been performed to understand the consequences of acceleration processes like maximum particle energies and spectra.
	MHD Simulations
	Hybrid Code Simulations
	Kinetic Simulations

The Team

Head	J. Büchner
Secretary	A. Vogt
Research fellows	Neeraj Jain (Max Planck Princeton Research Center for Plasma Physics) Jeff Lee
Actual PHD students	Lihui Chai Patricio Munoz Sepulvedo Jan Skala Xiaowei Zhou
Latest PHD students	J. Guo S. Javadi Y. Kee K.W. Lee X. Li E. Panov S. Preusse I. Silin J. Yangbin
Former group members	E. Adamson M. Barta N. Elkina J.-P. Kuska B. Nikutowski J. Santos H. Wiechen Th. Wiegelmann
Guest scientists	A. Lipatov K. Nykiri A. Otto J.-I. Sakai S. Savin L.M. Zelenyi