GEM: Experimental Identification of Plasma Wave Modes in Vicinity of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) Vortices and in Plasma 'Mixing' Regions in Low Latitude Boundary Layer

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This project focuses on understanding the dynamics of the boundary between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field. The interactions between electromagnetic waves and charged particles that result in heating of the particles is a universal process, but the near-Earth space is currently the only plasma physics laboratory where the physics can be studied with in-situ measurements in naturally existing scales. Examining this problem in the magnetosphere will provide insight into the solar coronal heating problem. This can benefit the larger space- and astrophysics community beyond the immediate field of magnetospheric physics. The PI is a tenured female physics professor and the project will fund and involve ERAU undergraduate students in summer research program and fund a female Ph.D student, for 3 years. In order to enhance understanding of the origin of the cross-scale non-adiabatic ion and electron heating at the Low Latitude Boundary Layer (LLBL) from magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) to ion to electron scales, plasma waves will be identified above ion cyclotron frequency extending to electron scales. These will be examined during 'mixed' intervals with and without simultaneous Kelvin Helmholtz (KH) activity, and study the possible free sources of energy in particle distributions, and in microscopic electron and ion velocity gradients that can for the first time be resolved with the data from Magnetosphere Multi-Scale (MMS) mission. The objectives of this proposal are to address what the observed higher frequency waves in the LLBL are, what their characteristics and relation to ambient plasma conditions are, and what their role is in ion and electron heating. While the proposed work addresses the micro-scale physics, which is currently neglected in global MHD codes, it will help understand the interdependence between fluid scale KH and kinetic scale waves as well as how these kinetic scale waves modify the ambient plasma properties. The ambient plasma properties are crucial in determining the reconnection efficiency and solar wind-magnetosphere coupling. The study is therefore highly relevant for understanding the physics that needs to be taken into account for developing better global space weather and magnetospheric models.