The scientific objective of the MMS mission is to:
Understand the microphysics of magnetic reconnection by determining the kinetic processes occurring in the electron diffusion region that are responsible for collisionless magnetic reconnection, especially how reconnection is initiated.
Specifically, and in priority order, MMS addresses three main objectives:
Determine the role played by electron inertia and turbulent dissipation in driving magnetic reconnection in the electron diffusion region
Determine the rate of magnetic reconnection and the parameters that control it.
Determine the role played by ion inertial effects and turbulence in the physics of magnetic reconnection.
Our Senior Review 2020, extended these objectives to include:
Investigate magnetic reconnection in all near-Earth environments,
Determine the processes which heat plasma populations and accelerate particles to large energies,
Study the way turbulent processes interact on kinetic scales, and
Investigate the microphysics of collisionless shocks.
Our Senior Review 2023, refines these further for FY24-FY26:
Understand how reconnection works in the boundary regions of Geospace for a wide range of plasma conditions
Understand the processes that heat plasma populations and accelerate particles to large energies, especially their relationship to magnetic reconnection.
Determine the nature of kinetic-scale turbulence and its role in reconnection and particle acceleration
Investigate the kinetic physics of collisionless shocks for a wide range of Mach number
MMS Science Working Group:
Chair, PI - Jim Burch Vice-Chair, PS - Barbara Giles HPCA Team Lead - Stephen Fuselier ASPOC Team Lead - Rumi Nakamura Fields Team Lead - Roy Torbert FPI Team Lead - Dan Gershman EPD Team Lead - Ian Cohen Theory and Modeling Lead - Michael Hesse Science Operation Center Lead - Daniel Baker Science Operations Team Lead - Tai Phan Burst Mode Lead - Robert Ergun