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

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It is well known that the solar wind is strongly coupled to the Earth's magnetosphere. What is often not appreciated is that this coupling is accomplished through the intermediary of the magnetosheath, which is generated by the shock that separates the supersonic solar wind from the Earth. The proposed research program will examine IMP-8 data from the past 20 years to produce a data set of magnetosheath plasma density, velocity and temperature which will then be correlated with the solar wind conditions. Maps will be generated to delineate the boundary of the plasma mantle for different solar wind conditions and finally comparisons will be made between the observations and MHD models.