COLLOQUIUM - PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL DATE/TIME: The Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission Investigation of Magnetic Reconnection
In late fall 2014, NASA will launch the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to study the kinetic physics of magnetic reconnection as it occurs around the Earth. MMS will measure particle distributions and electromagnetic field behavior within reconnection regions on temporal and spatial scales smaller that ever before sampled in space. The suite of diagnostic instruments has been constructed to achieve the very necessary accuracy to measure parallel electric fields in rarified plasmas and the details of velocity distributions to resolve variations on spatial scales of the order of the electron inertial length. Both of these diagnostics are believed to be key to detecting and analyzing how advancing our reconnection can efficiently convert magnetic field energy to fluid kinetic energy.
This talk will describe the mission design and advances in instruments that will allow MMS to advancing our understanding of reconnection in space plasmas.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory 2014-2015 Colloquium Committee is comprised of the following people. Please feel free to contact them by e-mail regarding any possible speakers or topics for future colloquia.
- Carol Ann Austin 609-243-2484
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