Principles of Magnetohydrodynamics

This workshop, named after the 2004 Cambridge University Press book by Hans Goedbloed and Stefaan Poedts (ISBN 0 521 62347 2 or ISBN 0 521 62607 2 see further info at http://titles.cambridge.org/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521626072), will bring together experts from various disciplines sharing an interest in applications of – as well as fundamental theory of – magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma modeling.

As a tribute to the book's first author, the emphasis of the workshop will evolve around 5 themes, which have formed the backbone of his research career in MHD theory. Starting with an introductory session on identifying current fundamental issues in laboratory and astrophysical plasma modeling, these themes, with the specific subtheme to be highlighted in the course of the workshop, are:

·         MHD spectroscopy: the linear waves and stability properties of MHD equilibria; with recent insights and open questions concerning the effects of equilibrium flows on the spectral properties of the MHD force operator.

·         Laboratory MHD: specifically MHD equilibrium and stability concerns for tokamak configurations; with 'hot' issues in the consequences of significant plasma rotation.

·         Solar MHD: in particular MHD wave modes in simplified to complex solar coronal structures, instabilities as precursors to violent coronal reconfigurations, and evolution of such space weather events on self-consistent MHD transonic solar wind models.

·         Astrophysical MHD: emphasizing single fluid MHD modeling of flowing, magnetized astrophysical plasmas; focusing on transonic flows emanating from stars to the diversity of astrophysical objects accompanied by accretion discs.

·         Computational MHD: state-of-the-art algorithmic and specific code developments for large-scale computing in magneto-fluid dynamics; with emphasis on generalized eigenvalue problems as well as modern shock-capturing discretization techniques in active use of the constantly expanding simulation-aided MHD community.

As the anticipated main outcome of this workshop, we intend to foster new collaborations between historically different disciplines, by selecting participants which excell within certain subtheme categories. Keynote speakers will be selected on the basis of having made significant contributions within each of the subthemes.

The SOC is delighted to announce the following list of keynote speakers:

Opening Keynote Speakers:

Eric Priest (University of St. Andrews, Scotland)

Jeff Freidberg (MIT, Cambridge USA)

Keynote Speakers:

Hans Goedbloed (FOM Rijnhuizen and Utrecht University, NL)

Sasha Lifschitz (Citadel Investment Group, Chicago IL, USA)

Guido Huysmans (CEA, Cadarache, France)

Niek Lopes Cardozo (FOM Rijnhuizen, NL).

Alan Hood (University of St. Andrews, Scotland)

Zoran Mikic (Science Applications International Corporation, San Diego, USA)

Robert Rosner (University of Chicago, USA)

Kanaris Tsinganos (Athens University, Greece)

Gabor Toth (Eotvos University, Budapest, Hungary and University of Michigan, USA)

Henk van der Vorst (Utrecht University, NL)

Motivation for a workshop:

We plan to reserve specific timeslots for open discussions on identifying still unsolved questions, as well as on problem-specific algorithmic developments. We will invite world-wide experts of the various disciplines, and also encourage participation by Netherlands-based scientists with a like interest in research which crosses borders between computational physics, astrophysics, and theoretical studies. We anticipate that the expert invited talks, combined with contributions from young researchers in the field and the open sessions, will form the basis for lively discussions. Quite likely, this workshop will result in a list of puzzles to be investigated within MHD plasma modeling. Second, this workshop is partly intended as a tribute to Hans Goedbloed, who will become emeritus in summer 2005.

The SOC acknowledges with pleasure the generous financial support by the Research school 'CPS' (Centrum voor Plasmafysica en Stralingstechnologie), the FOM Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen, and the Lorentz Center.