Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Using Incoherent Scatter, Magnetometer, and Other Coordinated Data

研究人员将研究太阳风、地球磁层和电离层之间的电动耦合。 最初的重点将是比较磁力计和非相干散射雷达数据，以研究尖点/裂缝动态行为对太阳风和行星际磁场变化的反应。 基本问题围绕着识别发生在磁层顶的现象的电离层特征，这些现象与太阳风-磁层相互作用有关。 以后的研究将侧重于磁力计和雷达数据与卫星图像的比较。 最后，研究人员将通过密歇根大学开发的三维自适应网格MHD模型和经验电离层电动力学模型对电离层现象进行广泛的建模。 前者的模型有能力解决功能在截然不同的空间尺度上的电离层预测有意义的，因此，适合与其他电离层电动力学参数的测量和数值模拟的比较。

The investigators will study the electrodynamic coupling between the solar wind, the Earth's magnetosphere, and the ionosphere. Initial focus will be on comparison of the magnetometer and incoherent scatter radar data for studying cusp/cleft dynamics behavior in response to variations in the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field. Fundamental questions center around the identification of ionospheric signatures of phenomena which occur at the magnetopause and which relate to solar wind- magnetosphere interactions. Later studies will focus on the magnetometer and radar data comparison with satellite images. Finally, the investigators will undertake extensive modeling of ionospheric phenomena through the 3-D adaptive grid MHD model and empirical ionospheric electrodynamic model developed at the University of Michigan. The former model has the ability to resolve features over vastly different spatial scales making the ionospheric predictions meaningful and, therefore, appropriate for comparisons with measurements and numerical modeling of other iuonospheric electrodynamic parameters.