Kristopher Klein

• Students: Jada Walters, Niranjana Shankarappa, Theodore Broeren, Waverly Gorman

Dr. Klein's research focuses on studying fundamental plasma phenomena that governs the dynamics of systems within our heliosphere as well as more distant astrophysical bodies. He has particular interest in identifying heating and energization mechanisms in turbulent plasmas, such as the Sun's extended atmosphere known as the solar wind, as well as evaluating the effects of the departure from local thermodynamic equilibrium on nearly collisionless plasmas which are ubiquitous in space environments.

These systems are studied with a combination of analytic theory, numerical simulation, including large-scale nonlinear turbulence codes such as AstroGK, HVM, and Gkyell. These theoretical predictions are compared to in situ observations from spacecraft including NASA's Wind, MMS and Parker Solar Probe missions, as well as the upcoming nine-spacecraft observatory HelioSwarm. By comparing theory with local plasma measurements, we aim to answer a variety of questions about the behavior of plasma in our solar system.