Collaborative Research: Inner-Magnetospheric Array for Geospace Science: iMAGS

该项目将结合之前三个涉及地球磁场观测的项目所做的工作。它将从Amber、MEASure和Samba磁力计阵列收集数据，并以统一的方式处理数据。这些数据将用于几个不同的研究项目。其中一个主要项目将是提高我们对等离子体层结构和动力学的了解，包括等离子体层内的质量密度和等离子体顶层的位置。另一个主要研究项目是了解超低频波如何从高纬度传播到低纬度，以及这些波如何影响赤道电喷流的结构。这种波的活动可能对电喷流中等离子体气泡的形成起到重要作用，而等离子体气泡又会引起强烈的无线电波闪烁。无线电波闪烁是一种重要的空间天气现象，可影响无线电通信和全球定位系统定位服务。除了项目成员将进行的基础研究外，来自仪器的数据将通过一个简单的门户网站提供给其他科学研究人员。该项目还将包括涉及初中和高中教师和学生的教育和公共宣传活动。教师和学生将利用这些数据来加强公众对地球空间环境的了解。这个项目有两个主要的科学目标。第一个目标是了解等离子体层的结构和动力学。为了研究这一主题，该项目将利用等离子体层中超低频波的共振振荡。谐振波使人们能够确定沿通过磁力计位置的磁力线的质量负荷。场线共振数据还可以用来确定等离子体顶层的位置(或者更准确地说，等离子体层边界层的位置)。由于ULF波活动是白天的一种常见现象，因此大气边界层通常位于白天。为了定位位于夜间的PBL，该项目将利用来自GPS测量的TEC(总电子含量)数据。该项目的第二个主要科学目标是研究赤道电喷流的动力学，包括超低频波的影响和导致射电闪烁效应的大等离子体不规则的形成。低纬度和赤道地区的无线电闪烁可对无线电通信和全球定位系统的定位精度产生重大影响。事实上，当强烈的射电闪烁发生时，GPS接收器可能根本无法工作。这个项目将研究密度不规则性和闪烁的纵向变异性。它还将确定超低频波从高纬度传播到低纬度和赤道纬度的频率和条件。

This project will combine efforts from three previous projects involving observations of Earth's magnetic field. It will collect data from the AMBER, MEASURE and SAMBA magnetometer arrays and process the data in a uniform manner. The data will be used in several different research projects. One of the major projects will be to improve our understanding of the structure and dynamics of the plasmasphere, including the mass density within the plasmasphere and the location of the plasmapause. The other major research project is to understand how ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves propagate from high to low latitudes and how these waves affect the structure of the equatorial electrojet. Such wave activity may play an important role in the formation of plasma bubbles in the electrojet which then cause strong radio-wave scintillations. Radio-wave scintillations are an important space weather phenomenon that can affect radio communications and GPS location services. In addition to the fundamental research to be carried out by the members of the project, the data from the instruments will be made available to other scientific researchers through a simple web portal. The project will also include education and public outreach activities that involve middle and high school teachers and students. Teachers and students will use the data to enhance public understanding of Earth's space environment.There are two main scientific goals of this program. The first goal is to understand the structure and dynamics of the plasmasphere. To examine that topic the project will make use of resonant oscillations of ULF waves in the plasmasphere. The resonant waves allow one to determine the mass loading along the magnetic field lines that pass through the locations of the magnetometers. The field-line resonance data can also be used to identify the location of the plasmapause (or more accurately, the location of the plasmasphere boundary layer). The PBL can commonly be located on the dayside because ULF wave activity is a common phenomenon on the dayside. In order to locate the PBL on the nightside, the project will utilize TEC (total electron content) data from GPS measurements. The second major scientific goal of the project is to investigate the dynamics of the equatorial electrojet, including the affects of ULF waves and the formation of large plasma irregularities that lead to radio scintillation effects. Radio scintillations at low and equatorial latitudes can have significant effects on radio communications and GPS location accuracy. Indeed, when strong radio scintillation occurs, GPS receives may fail to work at all. This project will examine the longitudinal variability of density irregularities and scintillation. It will also determine how often and under what solar wind conditions ULF waves can propagate from high latitudes to low and equatorial latitudes.