Kinetic Theories of Ultra-Low Frequency and Current-Sheet Instabilities in Magnetospheric Plasmas

该项目将研究地球磁层中高能离子产生的超低频（ULF）电磁振荡。 该项目将利用陀螺动力学模拟。 有几个任务涉及。 首先是开发陀螺动力学磁流体动力学模拟代码。 该程序将使研究真实等离子体结构中超低频波的内部激发成为可能。 模拟的结果将用于开发波浪及其稳定性的分析理论。 该项目将研究高能离子与类偶极磁场线弯曲产生的波的耦合、压缩波模式和镜像波模式之间的耦合以及波与阿尔文气球模式的耦合。 仿真和理论结果将与卫星测量的超低频波进行比较。 这项研究的结果将有超出提高我们对地球磁层的理解的应用，因为它们也将对我们对实验室实验的理解产生影响。 大部分研究将由一名研究生进行。

This project will examine ultra-low frequency (ULF) electromagnetic oscillations that are generated by energetic ions in Earth's magnetosphere. The project will utilize gyrokinetic simulations. There are several tasks involved. The first is to develop a gyro-kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic simulation code. The code will make it possible to study the internal excitations of ULF waves in a realistic plasma configuration. The results from the simulations will then be used to develop analytical theories of the waves and their stability properties. The project will examine the couplings of the energetic ions to the waves that result from the curvature of dipole-like magnetic field lines, the coupling between compressional wave modes and mirror wave modes, and the coupling of the waves to Alfvén balloon modes. The simulation and theory results will be compared with satellite measurements of ULF waves. The results of the research will have applications beyond enhancing our understanding of Earth's magnetosphere, as they will have impacts on our understanding of laboratory experiments as well. Much of the research will be carried out by a graduate student.