Dear colleagues,

We invite you to submit abstracts for session SM017 at AGU 2024 — “Physics of current sheets in planetary magnetospheres and solar wind: plasma kinetics, magnetic reconnection, and particle acceleration”. Session information and submission link can be found at https://agu.confex.com/agu/agu24/prelim.cgi/Session/225128.

Session description: Current sheets (CSs) are the primary location for magnetic field reconnection and particle acceleration. The onset of reconnecting instabilities in magnetotail CSs controls the dynamics of planetary magnetospheres and regulates the acceleration and transport of energetic particles. Likewise, reconnection in magnetopause CSs dictates the entry of solar wind into magnetospheres. In the solar wind, CSs (or magnetic discontinuities) contribute to plasma heating and turbulence. The dynamics of CSs are predominantly determined by current sheet configurations, which differ between the magnetotail, magnetopause, and solar wind plasmas. Recent missions have created a plethora of observational datasets of CSs across such different environments. These datasets provide new challenges for numerical simulations and theory of CS configurations and their stability. This session aims to integrate theory, simulations, and observations to deepen our understanding of the role of various current sheet configurations in the initialization and dynamics of magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration.

The abstract submissions are now open and will close on July 31, 2024, 23:59 EDT. We look forward to your contributions and an engaging session at AGU 2024.

Best regards,

Xin An, Harry Arnold, Anna Tenerani, Ivan Vasko, Sergei Kamaletdinov