The diversity of plasma
astrophysics, and the participation of
manyindividual investigators scattered in different adjacent areas, can
eclipse the unity of the field, the commonality of the physics
problems, and the many opportunities for new scientific discovery.
Although there are many examples of fruitful collaborations on some
areas of plasma astrophysics, there is much to be gained by a more
unified exploration and articulation of scientific opportunities. This
workshop is intended to expand beyond traditional meetings which tend
to focus on a subset of areas within plasma astrophysics.
The workshop has the following goals
- To generate, explore, and
articulate specific new experimental,
observational, theoretical and computational opportunities
- To explore and articulate
commonalities and synergies between different
opportunities
- To articulate a unified set
of major challenges and potential research
steps to resolve those challenges, reasonably spanning the full breadth
of the field.
A concise report will be generated as a result of this workshop, of use
to the plasma astrophysics community, but also mostly understandable to
the general physical scientist. This report is distinguished from
previous
reports or the forthcoming
reports
from ongoing
activities
that included plasma astrophysics only as a small part of a larger
study, although these reports will serve as one of our input sources.
Last
update: November 14, 2009
