Solar Wind Coupling to the Magnetosphere: Analysis of IMP-8 Magnetosheath Observations

本提案将通过以下方法研究地球磁鞘及其与磁层的相互作用：(1)分析IMP-8等离子体仪器在过去20年中收集的所有磁鞘数据，使用针对磁鞘数据优化的修订分析程序生成磁鞘等离子体密度、速度和温度的数据集；(2)在不同的上游太阳条件下，生成磁鞘内等离子体参数的天气图；(3)利用这些地图尝试圈定不同太阳风条件下等离子体地幔的边界；(4)磁鞘数据与模型结果的比较。将对数据进行分析，以寻找由于上游磁场和等离子体条件不同而导致的磁鞘结构的变化。结果将与现有的最佳模型进行比较，并将测试对磁鞘过程的理论理解，并确定偏离模型预期的区域

This proposal will study Earth's magnetosheath and its interaction with the magnetosphere by (1) analysis of all the magnetosheath data collected by the IMP-8 plasma instrument over the past 20 years, using a revised analysis routine optimized for magnetosheath data to produce a data set of the magnetosheath plasma density, velocity, and temperature; (2) production of synoptic maps of plasma parameters in the magnetosheath for various upstream solar conditions; (3) use of these maps to attempt to delineate the boundary of the plasma mantle for different solar wind conditions; and (4) comparison of the magnetosheath data with model results. Data will be analyzed to look for variations in the magnetosheath configuration due to differing upstream magnetic field and plasma conditions. The results will be compared with the best models available, and will test theoretical understanding of magnetosheath processes and identify regions which deviate from the model expectations.***