Project Grant 2206607

This $574,026 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program will establish a multi-institutional and international Collaborative Multi-Messenger Plasma Physics Center focused on studying fundamental plasma processes to model astrophysical signal sources. The Center includes four US nodes at Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Maryland, and Washington University in St. Louis that will collaborate internationally with Max Planck Society institutes. Researchers will study relativistic plasma physics leading to observable emission from multi-messenger sources like merging neutron stars and black holes. Models developed are intended to predict electromagnetic precursors of neutron star mergers, constrain ultra-high energy cosmic ray acceleration sites, and improve cosmic ray transport models for galactic wind driving. The Center will also provide scientific leadership for designing laboratory experiments studying astrophysical plasmas using ultra-intense lasers. The five-year award period began September 1, 2022.