Centre for Plasma Astrophysics: Latest News

Rony Keppens receives award - December 2009

On December 12, the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) has assigned the prestigious awards "Laureaat van de Academie" to promising young researchers and artists in the field of Exact Sciences, Human Sciences, and Arts. In the category Exact Sciences, the award was given to Professor Rony Keppens of the Centre for Plasma-Astrophysics. Rony Keppens was honored for his successful career in the field of solar- and astrophysics.

CPA research in HPC-Europa2 newsletter - November 2009

One of the main Pan-European programmes on High Performance Computing, HPC-Europa2, is devoting its entire November 2009 newsletter to research from K.U.Leuven researcher Dr. Zakaria Meliani.
Dr. Meliani, postdoc on an FWO project entitled `To the speed of light: relativistic MHD' (promotor Prof. Rony Keppens), acquired access to one of the largest supercomputers in Europe, to investigate the intricate dynamics of ultra-relativistic jets that accompany other galaxies, so-called Active Galactic Nuclei or AGNs. Using 2000 CPUs concurrently, his research demonstrated convincingly that these highly energetic jets, that are observed to be ejected from the AGNs with Lorentz factors up to 30, can be decelerated effectively if they are internally structured, with a fast, low density core surrounded by a slower (Lorentz factor of about 3) denser extended jet. This radial structuring is precisely in line with multi-wavelength observations of such astrophysical jet flows, and Meliani's research showed how a purely relativistic instability can induce effective mixing between the two jet components, thereby decelerating the overall jets. The deceleration distances achieved in the simulations match with observations, and the instability is one that relates to why water falls out of a glass when you turn the glass upside down (an effect due to gravity and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability). Click here to see the HPC-Europa2 newsletter.

PhD Defense Emmanuel Chané - October 2009

On October 30, 2009, Emmanuel Chané, defended his thesis entitled "Solar wind and coronal mass ejections: propagation in the interplanetary space and interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere" (see publication page). More information can be found here.

PROBA2 successfully launched - November 2009

On November 2 2009, PROBA2 was launched, together with the SMOS satellite, on a Rockot launcher from the Russian launch base Plesetsk. PROBA2 is a microsatellite developed as an ESA technology mission by Verhaert Space (Kruibeke, Belgium). The PROBA2 mission is twofold. On one hand it is a technology demonstration mission, testing new technologies for satellites and systems in-flight. On the other hand PROBA2 has a scientific mission: its sun-synchronous orbit, combined with two instruments for solar observation (SWAP and LYRA) and two space weather instruments (DSLP and TPMU) forms the ideal basis for operational space weather forecasting. The two main telescopes on board, SWAP (Sun Watcher with APS Detector and Processing) and LYRA (Large Yield Radiometer) will monitor the Sun's output, eruptive events and atmospheric response on a 24/7 basis. Together they will be capable of capturing all solar events important for space weather. SWAP will image the complete Sun in EUV (17.4 nm) and is similar to SOHO/EIT but capable of taking images at an higher time-rate. LYRA is a Lyman Alpha Radiometer (UV), similar to the solar X-ray flux meter on board GOES, an American satellite, but with a special detector which is 'blind for optical light' and radiation hard. The first images are expected to be made public by the end of January 2010. As it is a mainly Belgian mission, all important responsibilities are taken by Belgian institutes. The Solar Influences Data Center (SIDC) of the Royal Observatory of Belgium acts as the principal investigator (PI) and is responsible for the scientific exploitation of both instruments. The Centre Spatial de Liege (CSL) takes care of the technical construction of SWAP and LYRA and PROBA2 was built by Verhaert Space. The CPA is involved in this mission through Stefaan Poedts, who is co-investigator (co-I) of SWAP.

First LMCC workshop, 8-9 September 2009

On 8-9 september 2009, the Leuven Mathematical modeling and Computational science Centre (LMCC) will host an international workshop on the cross-disciplinary theme of multi-scale, multi-physics modeling. The various research lines joined in this research centre develop and apply advanced mathematical models in a variety of scientific disciplines, ranging from space plasma modeling to computational chemistry, biological tissue modeling to flow computations in various engineering applications. A recurring theme in the most challenging of these applications is to be able to couple dynamics happening across intrinsically different sizes and timescales. E.g. in the context of space plasmas, the physics of the space environment connecting the Earth and our Sun requires handling a multiplicity of temporal and spatial scales ranging from the microscopic physics where the single charged particles (electrons and ions) interact with each other and with local electric and magnetic fluctuations, to the macroscopic scales encompassing the whole solar system. In biological applications, dynamic modelling of human cells, cell aggregates and tissue calls for a more comprehensive understanding of tissue patterning processes, particularly processes that arise in response to environmental conditions. Starting from a single cell, with its clear physical boundary of the cell membrane, it becomes appropriate to scale down to lower levels within the cell if necessary, and to scale up to the tissue and organ level. Translated into algorithmic, mathematical descriptions, one encounters a need for deploying hierarchical algorithms where a multiplicity of physics models must be handled in a single scale-encompassing description. This often leads to state-of-the-art numerical approaches, and it is the ambition of this workshop to bring experts in various disciplines together for a fruitful interaction with ongoing LMCC research efforts, national and international peers, and thereby promote the mutual exchange of ideas and expertise.
More information can be found on the worskshop website.

BUKS2009 Workshop in Leuven - April 2009

From April 5 to 8 2009, the first 'BUKS' workshop was organized at the K.U.Leuven. 6 research groups from Belgium, UK, and Spain (hence BUKS) organize this workshop on MHD waves and seismology of the solar atmosphere.
More information can be found at the workshop website.