The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) Data- Space Weather and All-Sky Image Analysis

PI已经开发了一种层析技术来研究日光层和太阳风的三维。这项工作将根据太阳物质抛射成像仪(SMEI)的数据提供光度学天空图，并继续更新所需的数据处理技术，以便SMEI数据可用于绘制太阳风的三维结构图。这些天空地图，如果足够准确，可以用于预报和许多其他空间天气项目，PI的团队将帮助向用户提供校准数据。智力优势：拟议的基础研究工作将涉及分析表明日光层等离子体密度的SMEI数据(可近乎实时获得)。现已投入使用的USAF-UCSD-英国伯明翰太阳质量抛射成像仪(SMEI)在每个轨道上都提供了这些数据。PI的主要目标是使用层析成像方法对与地球相互作用的等离子体结构进行实时三维重建和可视化。这些重建将有助于回答有关地球空间中太阳风结构的形状及其与周围太阳风等离子体相互作用的问题。然而，要做到这一点，PI必须开发新的分析技术来处理SMEI图像帧数据。必须将这些图像边框合并为合成天空贴图图像，才能在光度学上使用。通过这样做，PI将在SMEI轨道数据采集节奏上确定天空背景的亮度，达到前所未有的精度。这项拟议的努力要求提供资金，以便将这些数据提供给那些希望使用这些数据的人。更广泛的影响：这项工作将对日地物理学和天文学产生广泛的影响。SMEI的这一努力将使太阳和地球之间的区域变得可见，而这一区域以前非常难以描述和研究。近乎实时产生的合成图像可以被那些不是太阳物理领域的人直接理解，从而改善了公众宣传。这些图像将提供宝贵的教育工具，以及日球层预报能力和研究行星际日冕物质抛射、共转等离子体结构和太阳风相互作用的全球性质的手段。PI将使数据档案(3D卷、合成图像和处理它们所需的软件)可供整个日球层和空间气象界使用。鉴于SMEI目前对地球周围的太阳大气进行了成像，这项工作将开启一个从地球上观察空间的新时代，将其视为嵌入日光层的行星，并对日地联系进行建模和理解。SMEI数据允许以全球和光度测量的方式查看地球周围的恒星天空，以前所未有的精度提供恒星、星系和星团的点源测量。该数据集还可以用来研究黄道尘埃云的亮度变化、异常结构和长期稳定性，这是天文学家固有的兴趣，尤其是那些设计天基光学传感器的人。PI的团队将为学术、研究和非营利目的提供SMEI数据访问。

The PI has developed a tomographic technique to study the heliosphere and solar wind in three dimensions. This effort would provide photometric sky maps from Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) data and continue to update the required data processing techniques, so that the SMEI data could be used to map solar wind structures in three dimensions. These sky maps, if sufficiently accurate, could be used for forecasting and many other space weather projects, and the PI's team would help provide calibrated data to users. Intellectual Merit: The proposed basic research effort would involve the analysis of SMEI data (available in near real time) that indicates the density of heliospheric plasma. The now operational USAF-UCSD-Birmingham UK Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) provides these data every orbit. The PI's primary goal is the real time three-dimensional reconstruction and visualization, using tomographic methods, of plasma structures interacting with the Earth. These reconstructions would help answer questions concerning the shape of solar wind structures in geospace and their interaction with the ambient solar wind plasma. However, to do this, the PI must develop new analysis techniques to deal with the SMEI image frame data. These image frames must be combined into composite sky map images for use photometrically. By doing this, the PI would determine the brightness of the sky background to a never-before achieved accuracy at the SMEI orbital data-taking cadence. This proposed effort requests funds to make these data available to those who wish to use them. Broader Impact: This work would have a broad impact on solar-terrestrial physics and astronomy. This SMEI effort would render visible the region between Sun and Earth that has previously been exceedingly difficult to depict and study. The composite images produced in near real time could be directly understood by those not in the field of solar physics, improving public outreach. These images would provide a valuable educational tool, as well as a heliospheric forecast capability and a means to study the global properties of interplanetary CMEs, co-rotating plasma structures, and solar wind interactions. The PI would make the data archive (3D volumes, composite images, and software needed to manipulate them) available to the entire heliospheric and space weather community. Given that SMEI currently images the solar atmosphere all around the Earth, this work would usher in a new era for viewing space from Earth as a planet embedded within the heliosphere, and for modeling and understanding solar-terrestrial connections. SMEI data allow views of the sidereal sky around the Earth globally and photometrically, providing point-source measurements of stars, galaxies, and star clusters with unprecedented precision. The data set could also be used to study the brightness changes, anomalous structure, and long-term stability of the zodiacal dust cloud, which is of intrinsic interest to astronomers and particular interest to those designing space-based optical sensors. The PI's team would provide SMEI data access for academic, research, and non-profit purposes.