Events at Physics |
Events During the Week of November 22nd through November 28th, 2015
Monday, November 23rd, 2015
- Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
- Theory and Modeling of Electron Pressure Anisotropy during Magnetic Reconnection
- Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Place: 2241 Physics Bldg
- Speaker: Ari Le, Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Abstract:
Fully kinetic simulations have shown that the structure of the thin current sheets that form during collisionless reconnection can fall into a variety of regimes depending on the electron pressure anisotropy [1]. Furthermore, recent two-fluid simulations with anisotropic electron equations of state appropriate for reconnection confirm that the electron pressure anisotropy may drive highly elongated current sheets in the reconnection exhaust [2]. While fully kinetic simulations are useful to model small regions of the Earth's magnetosphere, they are still far too expensive for global modeling. Thus, we have implemented the electron equations of state in the hybrid (kinetic ions and fluid electrons) code H3D [3], and initial 2D hybrid simulations of reconnection agree well with fully kinetic simulations. The updated hybrid code is a first step towards including electron anisotropy and full ion kinetics in global simulations of Earth's magnetosphere and laboratory experiments. [1] Le et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 135004 (2013) [2] Ohia et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 115004 (2012) [3] Karimabadi et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 062308 (2014) - Host: Jan Egedal, UW Physics
Tuesday, November 24th, 2015
- Chaos & Complex Systems Seminar
- Pluto: Planet, TNO, KBO, or a dwarf planet is still the last solar system outpost?
- Time: 12:05 pm - 1:00 pm
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
- Speaker: Sanjay Limaye, UW Space Science and Engineering
- Abstract: In a little over half a century since the first successful fly-by of a planet on 14 December 1962, the survey of the solar system was completed when the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto on 14 July 2015. Discovered during a long and tedious search started by Percival Lowell for a massive planet beyond the orbit of Neptune on 18 February 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, it was found to be too small to affect the orbits of other planets. In the last few decades, we have learned that Pluto is the innermost (closer to the sun) member of a class of icy, rocky and small objects that comprise the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt. New Horizon's survey of Pluto and its moons shows it to be an object unlike anything else we have seen in the solar system to date. Now on its way to another distant object, New Horizons is continuing to send its treasured data back to Earth.
- Host: Sprott
Wednesday, November 25th, 2015
- Department Meeting
- CANCELLED
- Time: 12:15 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
Thursday, November 26th, 2015
- No events scheduled
Friday, November 27th, 2015
- No events scheduled