The DPP Chronicle Dallas, Texas A Division of The American Physical Society November 17-21, 2008 APS–DPP 50TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics “For pioneering contributions to the physics of one-component non-neutral plasmas, intense charge particle beams, and collective nonlinear interaction processes in high-temperature plasmas.” Ronald C. Davidson, Princeton University Background: Ronald C. Davidson has been Professor of Astrophysical Science at Princeton University since 1991, and was Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory from 1991-1996. He received the B.Sc. degree from McMaster University in 1963, and the Ph.D. degree from Princeton University in 1966. He was Assistant Research Physicist at the University of California at Berkeley from 1966-1968, member of the Physics Department faculty at the University of Maryland from 1968 – 1978, and Professor John Dawson Award Stewart Dr. Ren did his Ph.D. thesis work at the of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute C. Prager, Magnetic Reconnection eXperiment (MRX) of Technology from 1978-1991. Dr. for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research University of at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Davidson has made numerous fundamental Wisconsin studying non-MHD effects during magnetic theoretical contributions to several areas of “For demonstrating that the parallel Ohm’s reconnection. His dissertation work, done Background: pure and applied plasma physics, including law in axisymmetric toroidal plasmas with Dr. Masaaki Yamada and Dr. Hantao nonneutral plasmas, nonlinear effects and Dr. Stewart Prager Ji, experimentally verified the Hall effect with impurities is governed by Coulomb received his Ph.D. anomalous transport, kinetic equilibrium collision processes, including neoclassical and identifi ed the electron diffusion region from Columbia during magnetic reconnection. Dr. Ren and stability properties, intense charged resistivity and the bootstrap current.” University in particle beam propagation in high energy receive his Ph.D. in plasma physics from 1975, and Bachelor Princeton University in 2007. accelerators, and coherent radiation Michael degrees in 1970 generation by relativistic electrons. He is C. Zarsnorff, from both Columbia Dr. Ren joined the Madison Symmetric the author of more than three hundred and Princeton (electrical engineering) and Queens Torus (MST) group at the University fi fty journal articles and books, including University College, New York (liberal arts). Following of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007. He is four advanced research monographs on two years at General Atomics (1975- 1977), presently studying magnetic turbulence in nonlinear plasma dynamics, nonneutral Background: he joined the faculty at Wisconsin, where MST, particularly high frequency magnetic plasmas, and high energy accelerators. Michael Zarnstorff he is now a professor of physics. He fluctuations. Dr. Ren is a member of the Professor Davidson served as Director is a Principal currently directs both the MST experiment American Physical Society. of the MIT Plasma Fusion Center from Research Physicist in plasma physics and fusion research, and 1978-1988, and as Chair of the American at the Princeton the Center for Magnetic Self-Organization Physical Society’s Division of Plasma Plasma Physics in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Katherine E. Weimer Award Physics during 1983-1984, and the Division Laboratory. He was named a Distinguished a multi-institutional center supported (DPP Award) of Physics of Beams during 2001-2002. under the NSF Physics Frontier Centers Research Fellow by the laboratory in program. His research focuses on basic “For major contributions to the He is a member of the National Academies’ 1995 and teaches in the Astrophysics plasma physics, fusion plasma physics understanding of instabilities and magnetic Board on Physics and Astronomy, and Department of Princeton University. He (particularly magnetic confinement) and, reconnection in space plasmas and of has participated in numerous National received his Ph.D. in Physics from the recently, connections between lab and the physics of relativistic laser-plasma Research Council panels, and national University of Wisconsin-Madison (1984). astrophysical plasmas. interactions through complex modeling.” and international committees on physics Mike is an experimental plasma physicist Prager has served as chair of the APS research. Dr. Davidson is a Fellow of with interests in the basic physics of plasma Division of Plasma Physics, as chair of Lin Yin the American Physical Society, and a the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Fellow of the American Association confi nement and configuration Background: optimization. His Committee, and as President of the Lin Yin received for the Advancement University Fusion Association. He is a of Science. He is research included the her Ph.D. in fellow of the APS (1985) and a recipient Physics from also a recipient of first observation and of the Fusion Power Associates Leadership the University of the Department systematic study of the Award (2003). California, Los of Energy’s bootstrap current, investigations Angeles, in 1998. Distinguished of neoclassical and turbulent She came to Los Associate Award Marshall N. Rosenbluth transport, transport barriers, and Alamos National and the Fusion the confinement and stability Outstanding Doctoral Laboratory Power of different magnetic field Thesis Award (LANL) as a Associates configurations. He led the Director-Funded Postdoctoral Fellow in Leadership Award, both in 1986, “For experimental characterization of National Compact Stellarator Experiment collisionless magnetic reconnection in a 1999 and became a technical staff member and recipient of The Kaul Foundation’s in 2001. Early in her tenure at LANL, she Award for Excellence in 1993, and the physics group and was one of the leaders of laboratory plasma, including the out-of- the TFTR experimental program. He has plane Hall effect magnetic fi eld and the worked on a wide range of topics and her IEEE Particle Accelerator Science and research gained recognition in several collaborated on experiments across the US diffusive electron out-of-fl ow channel.” Technology Award in 2005. research arenas, including kinetic full and in Germany, Japan, and the UK. Yang Ren, particle simulations, hybrid and Hall-MHD Mike is a fellow of the American Physics University of simulation techniques that include the Coffee Breaks Society and has served on the Division of Wisconsin effects of electron pressure tensor pressure, Locations and Times Plasma Physics’ Executive Committee, Background: simulation studies of collisionless magnetic reconnection, slow-mode shocks, kinetic Reunion Ballroom Concourse and Fellowship Committee, and Program Yang Ren received Committee, and as a DPP Distinguished his bachelor’s Alfvén waves, and self-consistent electron Marsalis Ballroom source modeling for X-ray radiographic Lecturer. He is Vice-Chair of the Council degree in applied Morning: devices. More recently, she has led the of the US Burning Plasma Organization physics from Monday – Wednesday & Friday at the University application of particle-in-cell (PIC) 9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. and has served on the NRC Plasma Science of Science and modeling at LANL to a broad range of Thursday at 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Committee, Burning Plasma Panel, and Technology problems. Her work includes several of the Afternoon: the Committee to Review the US ITER- of China in 2000. He was awarded Guo largest PIC simulations and have had an Monday – Thursday at 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Science Participation Planning, and on Moruo Scholarship, the highest honor for impact in the areas of space physics, laser- undergraduates, in 1999, and he received plasma interaction (including nonlinearity Note: Beverages will not be replenished. numerous advisory and review committees. excellent undergraduate thesis award in 2000. in the stimulated Raman scattering and The DPP Chronicle 1 DDPPNewsletter2008.inddPPNewsletter2008.indd SSec11ec11 111/10/20081/10/2008 111:16:531:16:53 AAMM stimulated Brillouin scattering laser plasma instabilities), ultra-intense laser-matter X X G O B A P Q P F Y E N C S Z Y interaction, novel laser-particle accelerators, and three-dimensional physics in magnetic E I N V E S T I G A T I O N A T R reconnection. She won DOE and NNSA Defense Programs Awards of Excellence D E N S E B N L C S Z Q P C I X O in 2004 and 2006 for her work in kinetic S I G Z S M A J H I H D L S C N T plasma modeling. R K C D U I Z O O L T C N C Q B A Celebration of Plasma Physics E E O Y T S R M A G N E T I C S T Plenary Presentations S H C R X T D O Q I D L G L Y E I • Monday A I E O P D N E T Y D E F R D H O Stewart Prager, University of Wisconsin, Magnetic Confinement: Establishing the L N E U N A C E G P Z B E F E C N Hohlraum designed for the National Ignition Facility principles through experiment I P L Y M N R R L U S R C W W N Q Thomas O’Neil, University of California, San Diego, Nonneutral plasmas and the Y S E S F J E E K A M A K O T I E Student Appreciation Reception wider world of physics E N A D H N N C M S G T L V U P W • Tuesday Tuesday, November 18 Keith Matzen, Sandia National I L F W E A G S T O X I F L K Z A 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Laboratories, Inertial confi nement fusion: P R V H R S L R O I I O Z E A F V Cotton Bowl Progress through close coupling of theory Please plan to attend a complimentary and experiment T Z G Y U A T T X L O N F F T D E reception in honor of the student Mark Kushner, Iowa State Univeristy, I I F T U J Q A B K A N G D G B S participants of the 2008 DPP Annual Predictability in low temperature plasmas: Meeting.