"Uniqueness in Plasma Processes: From Aurora to Corona, From Birth to Death of Stellar Systems" - Ilan Ilja Roth - UC Berkeley Space Sciences
"Uniqueness in Plasma Processes: From Aurora to Corona, From Birth to Death of Stellar Systems"
Speaker: Ilan Ilja Roth - UC Berkeley Space Sciences
Time: 29 April 2024, 13:30 - Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Beyazit, Istanbul
Plasma, the fourth state of matter, permeates the whole universe whenever the electron kinetic energy increases beyond the atomic/molecular bonding potential. As such, plasma phenomena are ubiquitous at terrestrial, planetary, solar and astrophysical environments and man-made devices. I will sketch on the basic level the importance of ionized plasma in the context of forces which operate in Nature and show the various applications to harness known configurations to provide future energy source as well as investigate various important astrophysical phenomena. Particular example of observations at the terrestrial aurora allowed us to address peculiar huge enhancement during solar flares of light He isotope, which was a long standing puzzle in heliospheric/solar physics. Present, more advanced measurements shed light on these phenomena in broader context of physical processes. Of particular interest were the observations of heavy and ultra-heavy energetic flare elements with implications to the measurements of anomalous abundances of Mg isotopes in meteorites from the nascent of the solar system, together with spectroscopic finding of C isotopes in final stages of main sequence stars as planetary nebulae.