Welcome

The 18th Annual International Astrophysics Conference will be held in Pasadena, California at the Sheraton Pasadena February 18 – 22, 2019.(Welcome Reception and Evening Registration begins Sunday, February 17).

The theme of the meeting will be "The Physics of Energetic Particles: Universal Processes from the Solar Corona to the Very Local Interstellar Medium and the Physics they Enable" and will follow the same format as before with 25-minute presentations punctuated by selected 40-minute invited talks that will explore various themes in greater detail.

Energetic particles are ubiquitous throughout the solar wind, being integral to the solar corona, accelerated by interplanetary shock waves, present in the quiet solar wind, possibly accelerated by magnetic flux ropes or magnetic islands in the vicinity of the heliospheric current sheet, at planetary bow shocks, present in the distant heliosphere and the heliospheric termination shock, in the inner heliosheath, and now observed by Voyager 1 in the very local interstellar medium. Although numerous mechanisms have been identified that accelerate particles, no consensus exists as to which is primary, and indeed several acceleration processes can operate simultaneously in close proximity. The acceleration of particles to large energies represents a fundamental dissipative process for the plasma and can therefore modify the underlying plasma physical processes in important ways. The meeting will explore observations, theories, and look forward to anticipated new missions that will shine a light on this theme, the Parker Solar Probe and IMAP.

The 18th AIAC will also celebrate Prof. Jack (Randy) Jokipii's 80th birthday in 2019. Randy has been a central figure in the physics of energetic particles and transport, including particle acceleration, particularly at shock waves, and the modulation of cosmic rays in the heliosphere. His seminal early paper, "Cosmic-ray propagation. I. Charged particles in a random magnetic field" defined the field for decades after its publication in 1966. This meeting is an opportunity to celebrate Randy's accomplishments with some selected plenary presentations.

Please contact us if you are interested in attending this meeting.

 


 

   


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