From Turbulence to Reconnection to Particle Acceleration: Connecting the Dots

Plasma turbulence, magnetic reconnection, and particle acceleration underpin and drive a multitude of plasma phenomena across a wide spectrum of environments, from laboratory to astrophysical scales. It comes as no surprise therefore that they constitute three vibrant research areas at the frontier of modern plasma physics and astrophysics. Originally, these three paradigms were treated as distinct plasma processes. However, with the rapid advances in computing, experiments, observations and theory, they are converging towards an interconnected and entangled domain. This ongoing progress holds the potential for solving long-standing problems in many areas of plasma astrophysics ranging from the thermal disequilibration of ions and electrons in collisionless accretion flows to the genesis of the most energetic particles in the Universe. In this talk, I will outline recent developments and future challenges on this fast-growing front.