MMS SWT Talk Submission

MMS targets the fundamental physics that drives magnetic reconnection, energy conversion, particle acceleration, mass/energy transport, and turbulence and will continue its unique role within NASA’s Heliophysics System Observatory during the 3^rd extended mission. Five sessions are planned centered around the science objectives of the 3^rd MMS extended mission. Additional science sessions are available for all other science topics.

Session Topics

1. Programmatic - Mission status, HQ, SR results, SOC status, MOC status, EPO .....
2. String-of-pearls formation - Planning for the first new formation change in the 3rd extended mission : science, flight dynamics, burst-mode management, science region of interest.......
3. Storms/Extreme events/Multi-scale - The science objective 1 (SO1) of the 3rd MMS extended mission is to understand the role of kinetic physics in the strongly driven magnetosphere during intense space weather events near solar maximum. By understanding how these microphysical processes couple to the larger-scale geospace environment, we aim to reach a new level of understanding of magnetospheric dynamics, and of the dynamics of a cross-scale coupled plasma system. 
4. Reconnection - The science objective 2 (SO2) of the 3rd MMS extended mission is to discover how the electron-kinetic dynamics that enable magnetic reconnection couple to the larger-scale geospace environment. Specific science questions are: What controls the effectiveness of magnetic reconnection? How is energy dissipated outside of diffusion regions? How do multiple X-lines develop and interact? What are the dominant wave-particle interactions during magnetic reconnection and their large-scale impact? How is magnetopause reconnection connected to the physics of the cusps and associated diamagnetic cavities?
5. Particle acceleration - The science objective 3 (SQ3) of the 3rd extended mission is to understand particle acceleration processes in the magnetotail and their relationship to magnetic reconnection. Specific science questions include: How does magnetotail reconnection inject energetic particles to the inner magnetosphere? What processes dominate ion energization in the magnetotail? Does reconnection energize electrons directly or via secondary processes?
6. Turbulence - The science objective 4 (SO4) of the 3rd extended mission is to understand the fundamental nature of kinetic scale turbulence, including its coupling to larger scales. Specific science questions include: How do the drivers of turbulence impact the small-scale dissipation and particle acceleration? Which turbulent processes heat and accelerate plasma?
7. Shocks - The science objective 5 (SO5) of the 3rd extended mission is to understand the role of kinetic physics in the bow shock and interplanetary shocks, including shock driven turbulence at kinetic scales and its cross-scale consequences, and large-scale impact of shock-driven reconnection. 
8. Other science topics