First Conjugate-Station Studies and Continued Satellite-Conjunction Studies of LF/MF/HF Auroral Radio Emissions at South Pole

近地环境（地球空间）主要由地球磁场组织，它与太阳风（带电粒子，等离子体，从太阳以极高的速度流动）和行星际磁场（扩展的太阳磁场）相互作用。地球空间充满了主要来自太阳风的等离子体。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、磁场排列和电离层电流，这些现象在它们最强烈的极地地区显著出现并被观察到。自然无线电发射在广泛的空间等离子体物理中很重要，因为它们提供了遥感等离子体条件和过程的手段，在某些情况下，它们控制能量流动或确定空间等离子体的边界和能量交换。极光射电辐射与磁层、行星和天体物理环境中产生辐射的过程相同，因此构成了研究这些过程的实验室。该合同将研究远距离卫星观测到的极光千米辐射（AKR）和地面类似AKR的信号，以及逃逸和泄漏AKR之间的关系，以及其他类型的极光无线电发射，通过南极的同步高分辨率波测量和携带高分辨率波接收器的卫星在适当的频率范围内进行。主要的科学目标之一是确认卫星观测到的逃逸的AKR与南极观测到的泄漏的AKR之间是否存在直接联系。这种联系意味着回旋脉泽机制的一种新的辐射机制，它在许多空间等离子体环境中起着重要作用，并将开辟从地面遥感极光加速区域的新方法。这些调查需要南极观测，最明显的是共轭研究，但也需要研究由于无线电频率干扰而无法在北半球观测到的泄漏AKR。这个项目将把它的研究和工程方面纳入大量工程预科和物理本科生的入门课程。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。

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. Natural radio emissions are important in a broad range of space plasma physics because they provide a means of remotely sensing plasma conditions and processes, and in some cases, they control energy flows or determine boundaries and energy exchange in space plasmas. Auroral radio emissions arise from the same processes that produce emissions in magnetospheric, planetary, and astrophysical environments, and therefore comprise a laboratory for studying those processes.This award will study the Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR) observed by distant satellites and ground-level AKR-like signals, as well as the relationship between escaping and leaked AKR, as well as the other types of auroral radio emissions, via simultaneous high-resolution wave measurements at South Pole and from satellites carrying high-resolution wave receivers in the appropriate frequency range. One of the main science objectives is to confirm a direct connection or lack thereof between escaping AKR observed by satellites and leaked AKR observed at South Pole. Such a connection would imply a new radiative mechanism of the cyclotron maser mechanism, which plays a major role in many space-plasma environments and would open new methods of remotely sensing the auroral acceleration region from ground level. These investigations require Antarctic observations, most obviously for the conjugate studies but also for study of leaked AKR which cannot be observed at northern hemisphere locations due to radio frequency interference. This project will incorporate its research and engineering aspects into introductory courses to large numbers of pre-engineering and physics undergraduates.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.