Exploring Cosmic Plasma: Research Highlights

  • MHD and plasma processes
  • MHD processes and plasma instabilities in astrophysics are not only the fundamental properties of the space plasma, but also very interesting because of the unique conditions that can never be realized in laboratory, e.g., huge size span, collisionless, extreme temperatures.

    Collisionless Damping of fast modes
    Collisionless Damping of fast modes

    Link: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae0c97

  • Cosmic rays (CRs) & High energy astrophysics
  • High energy phenomena ranging from Cosmic rays, solar flares, PWNes and SNRs to gamma ray bursts. We seek to incorporate our understandings on basic particle plasma interactions to various high energy phenomena.

    Cosmic ray scattering rates (TTD vs gyro QLT/NLT)
    Comparison of cosmic ray scattering rates from Nonlinear transport theory and values inferred from CR anisotropy analysis

  • Observational study of MHD turbulence
  • The nature of MHD turbulence is shaped by means of energy injection on large scales, damping on small scales as well as environmental factors. New diagnostics are being developed from polarized radio synchrotron radiation for tracing the plasma properties of interstellar turbulence in conjunction with MHD and PIC simulations.

    The anisotropy of correlation function reveals the turbulence modes
    The anisotropy of correlation function reveals the underlying turbulence modes as well as the inclination angle of magnetic field with respect to Line of Sight.

    Link: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ad34d7/meta

  • Space plasma physics
  • We are investigating physical processes in space plasma, where rich information can be revealed by the measurement directly from various space probes. In particular, we are analysing the MHD perturbations, particle transport and plasma instabilities.

    Weak to strong transition discovered in Alfvenic turbulence
    Weak to strong transition discovered in Alfvenic turbulence

    Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02249-0

  • Particle transport & acceleration
  • We study the fundamental plasma processes that govern the particle transport and acceleration in various astrophysical settings, the interaction with MHD turbulence, waves, etc.

    Transition from Normal (ND) to Superdiffusion (SD) observed at interplanetary shock
    Transition from Normal (ND) to Superdiffusion (SD) observed at interplanetary shock

    Link: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adc378

  • Astrophysical Magnetic field
  • Astrophysical magnetic fields serve as the fundamental 'glue' of cosmic plasma and represent one of the most vital properties we aim to understand. We investigate diverse methodologies for detecting these fields and their turbulent dynamics within diffuse media, specifically utilizing spectropolarimetry across a broad spectrum—from submillimeter to ultraviolet wavelengths.

    The first 3D magnetic field detection with atomic alignment
    The first 3D magnetic field detection with atomic alignment

    Link: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/abb8e1/meta