Tak Chu Li

Tak Chu Li is a research scientist in theoretical and computational plasma physics. Her primary research interests are plasma turbulence and magnetic reconnection. They are fundamental processes operating ubiquitously in the universe. Plasma turbulence governs the flow of energy from large injection scale to small dissipation scales. It provides a pathway for plasma heating throughout the heliosphere, the plasma medium that permeates our solar system, and energy transport in a range of astrophysical plasmas such as the interstellar medium and accretion disks. Magnetic reconnection is ubiquitous and plays a key role in the dynamics and energetics of plasma systems. It converts magnetic energy to plasma kinetic and thermal energy. Magnetic reconnection is widely believed to drive the large energy release in solar and stellar flares, heating the solar corona, and triggering geomagnetic storms in the Earth's magnetosphere that lead to aurorae. Using state-of-the-art computer simulations and analytic theory, Tak Chu's research focuses on understanding the fundamental physics underlying plasma turbulence and magnetic reconnection in heliospheric plasmas, including the Earth's magnetosphere, the solar wind and corona.