TY - UNPB
T1 - UK White Paper on Magnetic Reconnection
AU - Russell, Alexander J. B.
AU - McLaughlin, James
AU - Browning, Philippa
AU - Carter, Jennifer
AU - Franci, Luca
AU - Hietala, Heli
AU - Hillier, Andrew
AU - Hornig, Gunnar
AU - MacTaggart, David
AU - Matthews, Sarah
AU - McKevitt, James
AU - Priest, Eric
AU - Reid, Jack
AU - Snow, Ben
AU - Stawarz, Julia
AU - Yeates, Anthony
AU - Rueda, Jeffersson Andres Agudelo
AU - Bate, William
AU - Zanna, Giulio Del
AU - Eastwood, Jonathan
AU - Green, Lucie
AU - Kumari, Anshu
AU - Lockwood, Mike
AU - Neukirch, Thomas
AU - Pontin, David
AU - Smith, Andy
AU - Walach, Maria-Theresia
AU - Wyper, Peter
N1 - White paper submitted to UK Space Frontiers 2035 on 28 November 2025. A full list of signatories is appended at the end. 6 pages plus title page, list of authors and signatories, and references
PY - 2025/12/12
Y1 - 2025/12/12
N2 - Magnetic reconnection powers explosive releases of magnetic energy, heating and particle acceleration throughout the plasma universe. Knowledge of this universal process is vital to understanding the Heliosphere, as it plays a key role in solar flares, coronal mass ejections, coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, geomagnetic storms, and interactions between the solar wind and planetary magnetospheres. As such, reconnection underpins multiple science objectives of multiple future space missions. The UK plays a leading role in this international field, through a combination of in situ measurements from Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind, observations of the solar corona and chromosphere, and world-class numerical simulations and theory. This white paper identifies: Nine priority science objectives for reconnection research in the next decade; Recommendations to guide investment in theory, simulations and infrastructure; Mission priorities and required measurements to ensure the UK maintains and improves its world-class credentials in reconnection science.
AB - Magnetic reconnection powers explosive releases of magnetic energy, heating and particle acceleration throughout the plasma universe. Knowledge of this universal process is vital to understanding the Heliosphere, as it plays a key role in solar flares, coronal mass ejections, coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, geomagnetic storms, and interactions between the solar wind and planetary magnetospheres. As such, reconnection underpins multiple science objectives of multiple future space missions. The UK plays a leading role in this international field, through a combination of in situ measurements from Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind, observations of the solar corona and chromosphere, and world-class numerical simulations and theory. This white paper identifies: Nine priority science objectives for reconnection research in the next decade; Recommendations to guide investment in theory, simulations and infrastructure; Mission priorities and required measurements to ensure the UK maintains and improves its world-class credentials in reconnection science.
KW - astro-ph.IM
KW - astro-ph.SR
KW - physics.plasm-ph
KW - physics.space-ph
M3 - Preprint
T3 - UKSA Frontiers 2035 White Papers
BT - UK White Paper on Magnetic Reconnection
ER -