Major Scientific Challenges and Opportunities in Understanding Magnetic Reconnection and Related Explosive Phenomena in Heliophysics and Beyond

Whitepaper #192 in the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024-2033. Main topics: basic research; infrastructure/workforce/other programmatic. Additional topics: ground-based missions/projects; state of the profession; laboratory space plasma physics; […]

by Hantao Ji, Judth Karpen, Andrew Alt, Paul Bellan, Mitch Begelman, Andrey Beresnyak, Eric Blackman, Sayak Bose, Mike Brown, James Burch, Troy Carter, Paul Cassak, Bin Chen, Li-Jen Chen, Mark Cheung, Luca Comisso, Joel Dahlin, William Daughton, Ed DeLuca, Chuanfei Dong, Seth Dorfman, JIm Drake, Fatima Ebrahimi, Jan Egedal, Cary Forest, Dustin Froula, Keizo Fujimoto, Lan Gao, Kevin Genestreti, Sarah Gibson, Fan Guo, Masahiro Hoshino, Qiang Hu, Yi-Min Huang, Homa Karimabadi, Larry Kepco, Jim Klimchuk, Matthew Kunz, Kanya Kusano, Alex Lazarian, Sergey Lebedev, Hui Li, Xiaocan Li, Yu Lin, Mark Linton, Yi-Hsin Liu, Nuno Loureiro, Stephen Majeski, William Matthaeus, James McLaughlin, Nick Murphy, Yasushi Ono, Merav Opher, Jiong Qiu, Matthias Rempel, Yang Ren, Robert Rosner, Vadim Roytershteyn, Antonia Savcheva, Kevin Schoeffier, Earl Scime, Peiyun Shi, Lorenzo Sironi, Adam Stanier, Jason TenBarge, Andris Vaivads, Haimin Wang, Masaaki Yamada, Takaaki Yokoyama, Jongsoo Yoo, Seiji Zenitani, Jie Zhang, and Ellen Zweibel

Published onJul 31, 2023

Magnetic reconnection underlies many explosive phenomena in heliosphere and across the Universe. New capabilities in simulations, observations, and laboratory experiments provide the opportunity to solve the grand challenges summarized here. Success requires enhanced investments, increased interagency partnerships, and collaborations among heliophysics, astrophysics, and laboratory communities.

Major Scientific Challenges and Opportunities in Understanding Magnetic Reconnection and Related Explosive Phenomena in Heliophysics and Beyond.pdf