A Case for Electron-Astrophysics

Daniel Verscharen (1, 2) , Robert Wicks (1, 3) , Olga Alexandrova (4) , Roberto Bruno (5) , David Burgess (6) , Christopher Chen (6) , Raffaella D’amicis , Johan de Keyser , Thierry Dudok de Wit (7) , Luca Franci , Jiansen He , Pierre Henri (7, 8) , Satoshi Kasahara , Yuri Khotyaintsev , Kristopher Klein , Benoit Lavraud , Bennett Maruca , Milan Maksimovic , Ferdinand Plaschke , Stefaan Poedts , Christopher Reynolds , Owen Roberts , Fouad Sahraoui (9) , Shinji Saito , Chadi Salem , Joachim Saur , Sergio Servidio (10) , Julia Stawarz (11) , Štěpán Štverák (12) , Daniel Told (13)

1 MSSL - Mullard Space Science Laboratory
2 UNH - University of New Hampshire
3 Northumbria University [Newcastle]
4 LESIA - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics
5 IAPS - Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF
6 QMUL - EECS - Queen Mary University of London, London - School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science
7 LPC2E - Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace
8 LAGRANGE - Joseph Louis LAGRANGE
9 LPP - Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas
10 UniCal - Università della Calabria [Arcavacata di Rende, Italia] = University of Calabria [Italy] = Université de Calabre [Italie]
11 Department of Physics [Imperial College London]
12 CAS - Czech Academy of Sciences [Prague]
13 IPP-MPG - Max Planck Institute for Plasma physics

Abstract The smallest characteristic scales, at which electron dynamics determines the plasma behaviour, are the next frontier in space and astrophysical plasma research. The analysis of astrophysical processes at these scales lies at the heart of the research theme of electron-astrophysics. Electron scales are the ultimate bottleneck for dissipation of plasma turbulence, which is a fundamental process not understood in the electron-kinetic regime. In addition, plasma electrons often play an important role for the spatial transfer of thermal energy due to the high heat flux associated with their velocity distribution. The regulation of this electron heat flux is likewise not understood. By focussing on these and other fundamental electron processes, the research theme of electron-astrophysics links outstanding science questions of great importance to the fields of space physics, astrophysics, and laboratory plasma physics. In this White Paper, submitted to ESA in response to the Voyage 2050 call, we review a selection of these outstanding questions, discuss their importance, and present a roadmap for answering them through novel space-mission concepts.

Domains: Astrophysics [astro-ph]

Daniel Verscharen, Robert Wicks, Olga Alexandrova, Roberto Bruno, David Burgess, et al.. A Case for Electron-Astrophysics. Experimental Astronomy, 2021, ⟨10.1007/s10686-021-09761-5⟩. ⟨hal-03452628⟩