---
# System prepended metadata

title: 'PlasmaPy community meeting agenda and minutes - Tuesday 2020 October 13 at 18:00 UT'

---

# PlasmaPy community meeting agenda and minutes - Tuesday 2020 October 13 at 18:00 UT

[![hackmd-github-sync-badge](https://hackmd.io/EqQzN2bkQK680-h-YdYBwA/badge)](https://hackmd.io/EqQzN2bkQK680-h-YdYBwA)

### Video Conference Information
* [Jitsi video conference link](https://meet.jit.si/plasmapy) with [call-in information](https://meet.jit.si/static/dialInInfo.html?room=plasmapy) 
* Instant messaging: [Matrix](https://riot.im/app/#/room/#plasmapy:openastronomy.org) and [Gitter](https://gitter.im/PlasmaPy/Lobby)
* [PlasmaPy google directory](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByPG8nie6fTPMEIxTlZLZjdjYms?usp=sharing) ([minutes/agendas](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByPG8nie6fTPV1FQUEkzMTgtRTg?usp=sharing), [documents](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByPG8nie6fTPYzk2TEhTa1N6R0U?usp=sharing))
* [PlasmaPy on GitHub](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy) ([pull requests](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy/pulls), [issues](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy/issues))
* [PlasmaPy Enhancement Proposals on GitHub](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy-PLEPs)  
* [PlasmaPy Google Calendar](https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=bzVsb3ZkcW0zaWxsam00ZTlrMDd2cmw5bWdAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ)

## Agenda (please feel free to edit or add items)

1. Introductions
2. Peter's diagnostic idea
3. DPP open source mini-conference talks and posters!
4. Do we still want to release 0.5.0 before DPP?
5. [Dominik] We need to talk about branches.
6. Issues
    1.  [`particle_like` type annotation](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/issues/912#issuecomment-706764253) in [#912](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/issues/912)
    2.  Decorator `@from_particle` ([#918](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/issues/918))
    3. Refactor `collisions.py` ([#931](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/issues/931)) (not urgent)
7. Pull requests in progress 
    1. Test helper refactoring (starting with [#919](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/919))

## Minutes

* Erik detects bikes in 0.5s through a grainy video feed. 
* Discussion of differences between analysis and diagnostics subpackages
* Peter's idea
    * Abstract line-integrated synthetic diagnostics
    * Tons of reuse of functionality between different diagnostics
    * Synthetic diagnostic: given a state of plasma, what would the diagnostic see?
        * [Dominik] Is this not basically the same mechanic as in Bayesian models? :o
    * Simulations necessary because of geometry - right angles are *very* rare
    * High fields etc cause nonlinear diagnostic response -> full simulation (e.g. particle pusher in current PR) necessary
    * [Nick] this kind of concept also has applications in astro; Faraday rotation; line-integrated emission in optically thin plasma in e.g. the solar corona
    * [Erik] maybe focus on ParticleTracker first?
        * existing discussion on [Discourse]( https://plasmapy.discourse.group/t/particletracker-julia-vs-cython-vs-numba/47/7)
    * Derek Schaeffer is planning a workshop next year on charged particle diagnostics (e.g., proton radiography)
    * What action steps do we need to decide between Numba and Cython?


```python
par = Particle("He+")

wp1 = plasma_frequency(1.2e12 * u.cm **-3, particle=par)
wp2 = plasma_frequency(1.2e12 * u.cm **-3, particle=par, Z_mean=1.2)
```