The Context of the Workshop
The International Space Science Institute (ISSI) is holding a series of three Workshops on physical processes in cosmic plasmas. The initiative is based on discussions held in an ISSI Forum in March 2009 on the future of magnetospheric research and also subsequently (see Report Magnetospheric Forum). The objective of the workshops is to broaden the review of space plasma physics to all scales in the Universe (see Report Workshop Proposal). The Workshop on “Particle acceleration in cosmic plasmas” was the first to be held on 16 to 20 May 2011, followed by the Workshop on the “Microphysics of cosmic plasmas” on 16 to 20 April 2012. The third Workshop in the series, on “Multi-scale structure formation and dynamics in cosmic plasmas” will be held in ISSI on 15 to 19 April 2013.
Objectives of the Workshop
A great challenge of modern astrophysics is understanding the physics of structure formation at very different scales from planetary magnetospheres to the largest scale structures of the universe. Structure formation is always a highly non-linear process involving energy transfers between different constituents of cosmic matter and fields. Nonlinear plasma processes play a key role in many models of cosmic structure formation and their dynamics on a very broad range of scales.
The Workshop will review observations of structure formation and dynamics on all scales: in situ and remotely from space, and also ground-based, from the magnetosphere to cosmological scales. A detailed assessment will be made of the physical processes underlying the formation of structures in these different physical environments. Special attention will be paid to the interaction between scales and similarities in the processes that shape the structures on the different scales. We will cover the theory and modelling of the physical processes that lead to the amazing variety and nontrivial dynamics of structures in cosmic plasmas.
The Workshop will cover the following main themes:
A. The Phenomenology and Modeling of Astrophysical Structures
- Cosmological-scale structures relevant to plasmas
- Plasma phenomena in clusters of galaxies
- The environment of Active Galactic Nuclei
- Structures and dynamics of galaxies
- Interstellar structures and dynamics
- Solar structures and dynamics from the photosphere to the corona
- Heliospheric structures and dynamics
- Magnetospheric boundaries and structures
B. Physics of Structure Formation in Cosmic Plasma
- Plasma relaxed states and structure formation and the role of the helicity in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas
- Turbulence, intermittency and shocks in cosmic structures
- Overview of astrophysical plasma structures
- Structures in plasmas: from the laboratory to cosmic scales