Michael Hesse

Geospace Physics Branch

Laboratory for Solar and Space Physics

EDUCATION:

Diplom Physiker, Theoretical Physics, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany, 1985
Dr. rer. nat., Theoretical Physics, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany, 1985

EXPERIENCE:                     

Dr. Hesse worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Director's funded Postdoctoral Fellow (1988-91), as a Principal Scientist at Hughes/STX in Lanham, MD (1991-93), and as a staff scientist at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (1993-present).  Dr. Hesse's research interests include bifurcation theory and nonlinear stability analysis, theory and modeling of electrostatic double layers and flux transfer events, modeling of collisionless shocks, and analytic theory and numerical modeling of magnetic reconnection in two and three dimensions. His experience includes project scientist functions for Equator-S, for POLAR (deputy), and for theory and modeling within the Living With a Star program, and service as acting branch head of the Geospace Physics branch (2004-2005). Dr. Hesse is the director of the Community Coordinated Modeling Center, a multi-agency project aiming at the creation of next generation space research and space weather models. Dr. Hesse served in various steering committee and advisory functions for NASA and other US government agencies, including for the USAF. Dr Hesse is the lead Co-Investigator for theory and modeling of NASA’s recently selected SMART (MMS) mission, and the first recipient of GSFC’s Space Science Achievement Award (2002). He has authored and co-authored about 150 papers in the scientific literature.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Hesse, M., J. Birn, and K. Schindler, A self- consistent resistive fluid theory of electrostatic double layers including charge separation and magnetic and velocity shear, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 18929, 1990.

Hesse, M., and J. Birn, On dipolarization and its relation to the substorm current wedge, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 19417, 1991.

Hesse, M., J. Birn, M. Kuznetsova, and J. Dreher, A simple model for core field generation during plasmoid evolution, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 10797, 1996.

Hesse, M., K. Schindler, J. Birn, and M. Kuznetsova, The diffusion region in collisionless magnetic reconnection, Phys. Plasmas, 6, 1781, 1999.

Hesse, M., J. Birn, and M. Kuznetsova, Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection: Electron Processes and Transport Modeling, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 3721, 2001.

Hesse, M., M. Kuznetsova, and J. Birn, The role of electron heat flux in guide-field magnetic reconnection, Phys. Plasmas, 11, 5287, 2004.

Hesse, M., T. G. Forbes, and J. Birn, On the relation between reconnected magnetic flux and parallel electric fields in the solar corona, Astrophys. J., in press, 2005.