Speaker: Young Dae Yoon, Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics
Abstract: Magnetized plasmas are ubiquitous in the Universe and are important because many of the events therein are governed by their dynamics. Understanding their nature is thus crucial in various contexts including nuclear fusion, space, and astrophysics. Magnetized plasmas typically undergo three cyclic processes: “generation” of magnetic fields by the plasma, “relaxation” of the system to an equilibrium, and “explosion” of the stored magnetic energy back into the plasma. In this talk, I will present recent results in selected sub-processes within these categories, namely magnetic reconnection, ion energization, wave-particle interaction, and current sheet relaxation. I will then briefly discuss my vision for future work that calls for continued and expanded investigations of these processes.