Collaborative Research: GEM: Understanding Connections between Earth’s Magnetotail and Ionosphere through Imaging

磁层-电离层耦合是将磁层中热的、低密度的等离子体与电离层中冷的、高密度的等离子体连接起来的过程。这种耦合在地磁风暴和亚风暴期间尤其重要，当磁层中增加的电流接近电离层时，导致电离层等离子体向磁层的流出增加，磁层等离子体向电离层的降水增加。这一过程对于理解空间天气影响非常重要，将结合天基观测和地面极光成像仪以及美国国家科学基金会支持的扑克平面子午线光谱仪进行研究。该项目支持一名来自STEM中代表性不足群体的研究生和三名处于职业早期阶段的女性的研究。地球电离层和磁层之间的耦合是风暴和亚风暴期间发生的动力学的关键组成部分。为了更好地理解磁尾和电离层现象之间的联系，这项研究将把利用高能中性原子对磁层进行的全球成像与电离层的极光成像结合起来。这些技术将得到现场测量和全球模拟的支持。将使用特定活动区间的案例研究以及包括叠加历元分析的统计研究。以下科学问题将被解决：(1)在什么条件下我们可以同时观察到磁尾中的带电离子和极光增强？(2)磁尾离子能量与极光增强之间的时间关系是什么？(3)磁尾中尺度带电离子区域与极光增强之间的空间关系是什么？该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling is the process connecting hot, low density plasma in the magnetosphere with the cold, high density plasma in the ionosphere. This coupling is especially important during geomagnetic storms and substorms when increasing currents in the magnetosphere close through the ionosphere, resulting in increased outflow of ionospheric plasma into the magnetosphere and increased precipitation of energized magnetospheric plasma into the ionosphere. This process, important to understanding space weather impacts, will be studied with a combination of space-based observations and ground-based auroral imagers and the NSF-supported Poker Flat meridian spectrograph. The project supports research of a graduate student from a member of an underrepresented group in STEM and three women in early career stages.Coupling between the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere is a critical component of the dynamics that occur during storms and substorms. To improve understanding of the connections between phenomena in the magnetotail and in the ionosphere, the research will combine global imaging of the magnetosphere using energetic neutral atoms with auroral imaging of the ionosphere. These techniques will be supported by in situ measurements and global modeling. Case studies of particular active intervals will be used as well as statistical studies that include superposed epoch analyses. The following science questions will be addressed: (1) Under what conditions do we observe both energized ions in the magnetotail and auroral enhancements? (2) What is the temporal relationship between ion energization in the magnetotail and auroral enhancements? (3) What is the spatial relationship between mesoscale regions of energized ions in the magnetotail and auroral enhancements?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.