SHIBATA, Kazunari, D. Sc. (Kyoto Univ.) Solar and Astrophysical Plasma Physics 

Main research areas are magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and plasma physics of 
active phenomena in the solar and astrophysical plasmas, such as
solar/stellar flares and corona, jets and outflows from various astrophysical
ojbects (protostars, compact objects, and active galactic nuclei), 
interstellar medium, accretion disks around black holes, and gamma ray bursts. 
Fundamental physics such as magnetic reconnection, magnetoconvection, 
and general relativistic MHD are also studied.  
Computer MHD simulation is our major tool of research, though both 
observational as well as analytical approach are also encouraged.  
Shibata is serving as one of the project scientists of Solar B mission,
co-chairperson of space weather science group of CAWSES, and a member of
Working Group on Computational Astrophysics (WGCA) of IAU.


Recent Papers (2001-2003)

Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of a Solar Flare with Chromospheric 
Evaporation Based on Magnetic Reconnection Model,
Yokoyama, T., and Shibata, K.,
ApJ, 549, 1160-1174(2001)

Plasmoid-Induced-Reconnection and Fractal Reconnection,
Shibata, K. and Tanuma, S.,
Earth, Planets, Space, 53, 473-482 (2001)

Extraction of Black Hole Rotational Energy by a Magnetic Field and 
the Formation of Relativistic Jets,
Koide, S., Shibata, K., Kudoh, T., Meier, D. L.,
Science, 295, 1688-1691 (2002)

Effect of Magneto-rotational Instability on Jets from Accretion Disks,
Kudoh, T., Matsumoto, R., and Shibata, K.,
PASJ, 54, 121-130 (2002)

A Hertzsprung-Russell-like Diagram for Solar/Stellar Flares and Corona 
- Emission Measure vs Temperature Diagram,
Shibata, K. and Yokoyama, T.,
ApJ, 577, 422-432 (2002)