Table of Contents
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1. GEM 2008 Summer Workshop Information at the GemWiki Website
2. Solicitation of Contributions to the "Plasma Entry and Transport into and
   within the Magnetotail (PET)" Focus Group at the GEM 2008 Summer Workshop
3. Solicitation of Contributions to the "Near Earth Magnetosphere: Plasma, 
   Fields and Coupling" Focus Group at the GEM 2008 Summer Workshop
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			 **   THE GEM MESSENGER   **
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                                                        Volume 18, Number 17
                                                                May 23, 2008
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1. GEM 2008 Summer Workshop Information at the GemWiki Website
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From: Peter Chi <pchi at igpp.ucla.edu> and C. T. Russell
      <ctrussell at igpp.ucla.edu>

The GemWiki site (http://aten.igpp.ucla.edu/gemwiki/) has added the calls 
for presentations from GEM focus groups and the GEM-SHINE joint sessions.  
Please go to the following web page for more information:

http://aten.igpp.ucla.edu/gemwiki/index.php/2008_Summer_Workshop

This page will be frequently updated with the inputs from session conveners.

Please be reminded that the pre-registration and lodging reservations for 
the 2008 Summer Workshop should be made through the GEM Workshop Website 
(http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem/index.html) by May 31, 2008.

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2. Solicitation of Contributions to the "Plasma Entry and Transport into and
   within the Magnetotail (PET)" Focus Group at the GEM 2008 Summer Workshop
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From: Antonius Otto <ao at how.gi.alaska.edu>, 
      Jay R. Johnson <jrj at pppl.gov>, and
      Simon Wing <Simon.Wing at jhuapl.edu>

With this letter, we would like to invite contributions to the PET focus 
group at the upcoming GEM workshop in Zermatt Resort, UT on June 22-27, 2008.  
The sessions will be held in a workshop-style in which each speaker will be 
allotted time for a 2-3 slides, in order to ensure enough time for 
discussion.  Speakers are encouraged to focus their comments on unresolved 
issues related to a specific scientific question listed below.  It is 
expected that there will be two sessions, both on Thursday June 26: (1) 
southward IMF 10:30-12:15 and (2) northward IMF 01:30 – 03:00.  In addition, 
there will be a joint session with the M-I coupling FG on June 23 Monday 
10:30-12:15.  (See http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem/index.html for the definitive 
schedule). Please send the title(s) and session(s) of your contribution(s) 
to us at your earliest convenience at the email addresses listed above.  

The following lists the science questions of interest in these three 
sessions. 

Session 1:  Northward IMF conditions
a) Plasma entry: 
The session invites all contributions on models, theory, and observations 
relevant to the problem of plasma entry into the magnetosphere. Specific 
interest is given to criteria that quantify, are unique, or can be used to 
identify specific entry mechanisms. 
b) Plasma transport and convection within the plasma sheet for northward IMF:
The session addresses core questions concerning the spatial and temporal 
evolution of the cold dense plasma sheet material, turbulent processes, 
diffusion coefficient, convection, electric field, etc. 

Session 2: Southward IMF conditions
Plasma transport during southward IMF conditions is presumably much more 
dominated by intermittent periods of fast plasma convection as during the 
expansion phases of substorms, or bursty bulk flows. However, it is not well 
understood how the plasma sheet is populated and reformed after periods of 
magnetic activity. Core topics include plasma transport into the inner 
magnetosphere, plasma sheet properties for steady southward vs. non-steady 
southward IMF, substorm recovery vs. steady magnetic convection, etc.  

Session 3: together with MI Coupling
Heavy ions of ionospheric origin can at times be the dominant contributor to 
the mass density in the plasma sheet. Plasma sheet transport processes also 
exhibit signatures in the ionosphere that can be used to constrain plasma 
sheet transport models.  Core topics include: (a) the ionosphere as a source 
of plasma sheet populations and determining the heavy ion distribution in 
the plasma sheet for various IMF conditions, (b) signatures of plasma sheet 
transport processes in the ionosphere (e.g. are there signatures of plasma 
sheet turbulence in the ionosphere?), and (c) the effect of 
ionospheric/heavy ions on plasma sheet transport and solar wind entry.

Jay, Antonius, and Simon

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3. Solicitation of Contributions to the "Near Earth Magnetosphere: Plasma, 
   Fields and Coupling" Focus Group at the GEM 2008 Summer Workshop
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From: Focus Group co-chairs: Sorin Zaharia <szaharia at lanl.gov>,
      Stan Sazykin <sazykin at rice.edu> and Benoit Lavraud 
      <Benoit.Lavraud at cesr.fr>

We would like to invite potential contributors to the Near Earth 
Magnetosphere: Plasma, Fields and Coupling Focus Group to participate with 
modeling, theoretical and observational studies related to the topics below. 
It is the ultimate goal of the focus group to improve physical knowledge and 
modeling of the near-Earth (< 10 RE) magnetosphere and its coupling with the 
outer magnetosphere.

(1) Data-based empirical models for near-Earth magnetosphere
Challenges: Developing better plasma sheet models (including activity 
binning and ion composition); better empirical models for electric and 
magnetic fields; both statistical models and models that are successful at 
describing single events.

(2) Coupling processes in physics-based models (plasma/fields, waves/plasma, 
inner magnetosphere/plasma sheet)
Challenges: Understanding the effect of the coupling between the plasma, 
fields and waves on inner magnetosphere structure/dynamics; quantifying the 
relative importance of these interactions for the morphology and dynamics of 
the near-Earth magnetosphere; ascertaining how well the various new physics 
features recently added in models are verified by/improve consistency with 
observations.

Potential contributors are urged to contact the conveners indicating their 
interest in participating. Although the sessions will be held workshop-style, 
time for a few (not more than 5) slides will be allotted for each 
contributor. Please send the title of your contribution to us at the email 
addresses above.

Besides the 2 sessions dedicated to the topics above, a 3rd session will be 
devoted to refining the direction of the focus group in the future; 
community input is both welcome and appreciated.

Finally, there will be a combined session with the Diffuse Auroral 
Precipitation Focus Group, entitled "Plasma sheet ion scattering." It will 
focus on theory, modeling and observations of the plasma sheet, magnetotail 
structure and the diffuse ion aurora. Contributors who study plasma sheet 
aspects such as ion isotropization by field curvature should express their 
interest in presenting in that session.


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