Preliminary Exam |
Events During the Week of November 27th through December 4th, 2022
Monday, November 28th, 2022
- No events scheduled
Tuesday, November 29th, 2022
- No events scheduled
Wednesday, November 30th, 2022
- No events scheduled
Thursday, December 1st, 2022
- Exploration of problems in space physics using the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission
- Time: 10:00 am
- Place: B343 Sterling or
- Speaker: Jack Schroeder, Physics Graduate Student
- Abstract: The main topic of discussion will be on recent work on magnetic reconnection in the Earth’s magnetotail. Models for collisionless magnetic reconnection in near-Earth space are distinctly characterized as 2D or 3D. In 2D kinetic models, the frozen-in law for the electron fluid is usually broken by laminar dynamics involving structures set by the electron orbit size, while in 3D models the width of the electron diffusion region is broadened by turbulent effects. We present an analysis of in situ spacecraft observations from the Earth's magnetotail of a fortuitous encounter with an active reconnection region, mapping the observations onto a 2D spatial domain. While the event likely was perturbed by low-frequency 3D dynamics, the structure of the electron diffusion region remains consistent with results from a 2D kinetic simulation. As such, the event represents a unique validation of 2D kinetic, and laminar reconnection models.
Additionally, future work regarding magnetic pumping at Earth’s bow shock will be discussed. - Host: Jan Egedal
Friday, December 2nd, 2022
- First Steps for a Joint Analysis of the MINOS and NOvA Experiments
- Time: 9:00 am
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Anna Cooleybeck, Physics Graduate Student
- Abstract: The MINOS and NOvA experiments are both long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, with a focus on measuring 3-flavor oscillation parameters from a muon neutrino beam. While they utilize the same neutrino beam, MINOS is directly on the beam axis and NOvA is 14.6 mrad off axis, giving us the opportunity to constrain beam-related systematic uncertainties. By analyzing data from both these experiments together, we can better understand the uncertainties present while still retaining the unique advantages of each experiment. This talk will discuss this novel analysis technique and present the first steps towards developing a framework for the complete analysis
- Host: Brian Rebel