Major Goals:

Understand the energetics of ion heating

What is the source of free energy? How much of the free energy is deposited into plasma and how is it distributed between kinetic and thermal energy?

Determine the mechanism(s) for the energy deposition and thermalization of ions.

Is the energy deposited via mean electric field or via fluctuations? What fluctuations are responsible for heating - large-scale or small-scale? Is there energy cascade and what is its mechanism? Is the fluctuation mechanism universal for all plasmas or specific? What is the contribution from viscous dissipation of plasma flows? Is the viscosity anomalous? What is the contribution of fluctuations into viscosity? What is the role (if any) of stochastic magnetic field? How anisotropic is the heating? What does determine the energy exchange between parallel and perpendicular temperatures? Why are different species heated differently?

Understand the relation between ion heating and magnetic reconnections.

Understand why anomalous ion heating is present in a wide range of plasmas and wide range of spatial and time scales.