CAREER: Evolution of Stream Interaction Regions from 1 to 5.4 AU and the Implications for Geomagnetically Induced Currents

这个CAREER项目的重点是流相互作用区（SIR），以及它们对地球上产生地磁感应电流（GIC）的影响。当快速太阳风与其前面的慢速太阳风相互作用时，形成了一个磁压缩区域（可能会或可能不会形成冲击）。这些压缩区域是有效的粒子加速器，可以引发地磁风暴。这些SIR也可以引起地磁感应电流，这是由地面磁力计测量。该项目将通过启动地下空间天气计划将这项工作与教育推广相结合，该计划为高中教师创建课程资源，并将科学设备放在教室里，对学生和科学家都有益。此外，为了增加公众对空间天气的了解，PI将创建一个名为“太阳与社会”的课程，以满足蒙大拿州的自然科学要求。PI是EPSCoR州的一名早期职业女性教员，该项目是跨学科的，由日地研究和磁层物理学项目共同资助。为了更好地了解SIR如何作为径向距离的函数演变，该项目将回答以下科学问题：（1）与SIR/CIR相关的压缩（通常但不总是冲击）如何在1 Au和5.4 Au之间变陡？这些压缩变化与共位粒子群有何关系？(2)由NSF/NASA支持的社区协调建模中心（CCMC）运行的WSA-ENLIL模型预测的压缩比、密度比和起始时间与Maven和Juno的观测数据相比如何？(3)SIR的压缩比与是否存在dB/dt（GIC代理）信号之间是否存在直接关系？该提案将使用来自地球附近，火星附近的NASA航天器的数据，然后是前往木星的航天器，以了解径向演化和同位粒子。PI将把压缩比与它们可以产生的GIC的强度以及纬度联系起来。这项工作将要求CCMC预测各航天器上SIRs的到达时间。最后，该项目将使用SuperMAG的数据将SIR引起的GIC与其抗压强度联系起来，并寻找纬度依赖性。该奖项反映了NSF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。

This CAREER project focuses on Stream Interaction Regions (SIRs), and their implications for producing geomagnetic induced currents (GICs) on Earth. SIRs are formed when the fast solar wind interacts with the slow solar wind in front of it, creating a magnetic compression region (which may or may not form a shock). These compression regions are efficient particle accelerators and can initiate geomagnetic storms. These SIRs also can cause geomagnetic induced currents, which are measured by ground-based magnetometers. The project will integrate this work with educational outreach by starting the Space Weather UnderGround program that creates curriculum resources for high school teachers and puts scientific equipment in the classroom, beneficial to both students and scientists. Additionally, to increase public understanding of space weather, the PI will create a class called “The Sun and Society” to meet the natural sciences requirement at Montana State. The PI is an early career female faculty member in an EPSCoR state and the project is interdisciplinary and co-funded by the Solar-Terrestrial Research and Magnetospheric Physics programs.To better understand how SIRs evolve as a function of radial distance this project will answer the following science questions: (1) How do compressions (often but not always shocks) associated with SIRs/CIRs steepen between 1 au and 5.4 au? How do these compressional changes relate to the co-located particle populations? (2) How do the compression ratios, density ratios, and onset timing, as predicted by the WSA- ENLIL model as run by the NSF/NASA supported Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), compare to the observed data at Maven and Juno? (3) Is there a direct relationship between the compression ratio of a SIR and if there is a dB/dt (a GIC proxy) signal? This proposal will use data from NASA spacecraft near Earth, near Mars, and then a spacecraft as it was on its way to Jupiter to understand the radial evolution and co-located particles. The PI will link the compression ratios to how strong of GICs they can produce and at what latitudes. This effort will require the CCMC to forecast the arrival times of the SIRs at the various spacecraft. Finally, the project will use data from SuperMAG to link the SIR-induced GICs to their compressional strength and look for latitudinal dependencies.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.