Auroral Kilometric Radiation, Substorms, and Related Phenomena: Satellite Conjunction and Conjugate Studies at South Pole

近地环境(地球空间)主要由地球磁场组成，它与太阳风(来自太阳的带电粒子、等离子体)和行星际磁场(扩展的太阳磁场)相互作用。地球空间是由主要来自太阳风的等离子体组成的。这两个主要参与者--地磁场和太阳风等离子体的相互作用产生了许多电磁现象，如美丽的电离层极光(北极光和南极光)、自然电磁辐射、场向和电离层电流，这些现象在它们最强烈的极地地区显著地出现和观察到。研究这些现象非常重要，因为它们既影响卫星仪器，也影响卫星与地面中心的通信。飞行地球空间的卫星数量每年都在持续增长。这一奖项将研究和建立遥远卫星观测到的极光千米辐射(AKR)与地面AKR类信号之间的关系，并将检验目前关于这些现象如何联系的理论。其方法是在预期与集群卫星高分辨率波仪连接期间在南极操作无线电接收器，并能够同时测量两个地点的AKR精细结构。在日本的GeoTail和加拿大的ePOP卫星上以及在南极对重合的AKR的进一步观测将补充这些测量。所有这些研究只能在南极洲进行，因为由于人为无线电频率干扰，北半球不能定期观测到类似AKR的信号，而且在极光纬度进行卫星/地面共轭观测需要南极测量。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The near-Earth environment (Geospace) is mostly organized by the Earth's magnetic field, which interacts with the solar wind (charged particles, plasma, flowing with a great speed from the Sun) and interplanetary magnetic field (extended Sun's magnetic field). Geospace is populated by plasma that mostly originates from the solar wind. Interaction of these two major players - geomagnetic field and solar wind plasma produces many electromagnetic phenomena such as beautiful ionospheric aurorae (Northern and Southern lights), natural electromagnetic radiation, field-aligned and ionospheric currents, that prominently appear and are observed in the polar areas where they are most intense. Studying these phenomena is a matter of high importance since they affect both satellite instrumentation and their communication with the ground centers. The number of satellites flying Geospace continues to grow every year.This award will study and establish the relationship between Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR) observed by distant satellites and ground-level AKR-like signals, as well as will test current theories on how these phenomena are connected. The methodology is to operate radio receivers at South Pole during anticipated conjunctions with the Cluster satellite high-resolution wave instrument and enabling simultaneous measurements of AKR fine structure at both locations. Further observations of coincident AKR on the Japanese Geotail and Canadian ePOP satellites and at South Pole will complement these measurements. All this research can only be done from Antarctica - because AKR-like signals cannot be regularly observed in the Northern hemisphere due to man-made radio frequency interference, as well as because conjugate satellite/ground-based observations at auroral latitudes require Antarctic measurements.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.