The Interactions of Energetic Particles with the Solar Wind - A Theoretical Study

研究人员将致力于定量了解日光层的高能粒子结构以及控制该结构的基本过程。主要工作集中在高能粒子与太阳风相互作用的理论研究。这些研究将是基础广泛的，包括太阳高能粒子，银河宇宙射线，星际拾取离子，冲击加速粒子，如共转离子事件，以及太阳风本身。研究将包括高能粒子的全球空间和时间分布，以及控制它们与周围等离子体相互作用的微过程，包括高能粒子的波激发。在可能的情况下，将强调分析方法。这些研究还将强调理论预测与地面和航天器观测之间的比较，特别是ACE，SOHO，Cluster，Wind，EAST和Voyager的观测。具体研究课题包括太阳高能粒子在不断演变的日冕/行星际激波（包括质子激发波和磁聚焦）中加速和传输的分析理论，磁聚焦将离子从激波附近的湍流鞘推进行星际空间。研究人员将建立一个改进的理论，离子加速在太阳风中的共转相互作用区域，包括注入机制，鞘的质子激发波，和方位角不对称的加速星际拾取离子。他们还将研究由于重力、双极电场、磁聚焦和离子回旋波散射而引起的太阳风中质子和次要离子分布函数的演变。

The investigators will work toward a quantitative understanding of the energetic particle structure of the heliosphere and the fundamental processes that govern that structure. The main effort concentrates on theoretical studies of the interactions of energetic particles with the solar wind. The studies will be broad-based and include solar energetic particles, galactic cosmic rays, interstellar pickup ions, shock-accelerated particles such as the corotating ion events, and the solar wind itself. The investigations will include both the global spatial and temporal distributions of the energetic particles, and the microprocesses governing their interactions with the ambient plasma, including wave excitation by the energetic particles. Analytical methods will be emphasized where possible. The studies will also emphasize comparisons between the theoretical predictions and ground-based and spacecraft observations, including specifically those by ACE, SOHO, Cluster, Wind, Ulysses and Voyager. Specific topics of research include an analytical theory for the acceleration and transport of solar energetic particles at an evolving coronal/interplanetary shock including proton-excited waves and magnetic focusing, which propels ions from the turbulent sheath adjacent to the shock into interplanetary space. The investigators will construct an improved theory of ion acceleration at corotating interaction regions in the solar wind including injection mechanisms, a sheath of proton-excited waves, and azimuth asymmetry of the accelerated interstellar pickup ions. They will also investigate of the evolution of the proton and minor ion distribution functions in the solar wind due to gravity, the ambipolar electric field, magnetic focusing and scattering by ion-cyclotron waves.