Solar wind coupling to plasma waves and energetic particles in geospace

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The solar wind is an extension of the Sun's atmosphere into outer space. It is an ionized "plasma" with an average speed and density of 400km/s and 10 particles per cubic cm, respectively. The interaction of the solar wind with magnetized planets forms magnetic cavities called magnetospheres. Earth's magnetosphere is compressed on the dayside, and stretched beyond Moon's orbit on the nightside. It is wrapped by surface and interior current systems. Inside, wave-particle interactions and plasma instabilities turn the magnetosphere into an efficient particle accelerator, supplying the Ring Current, Van Allen belts, Plasmasphere and Auroral regions with energetic particles. As the Sun moves through its 11 year cycle, it drives magnetospheric storms that become increasingly more frequent and intense, leading to copious amounts of energy being dissipated in "geospace" mass and energy sinks. The strong variability of geospace presents hazards to satellites and humans in space, along with power, pipeline, and communications systems on Earth. It also affects satellite drag, which affects the lifetime of satellites and potentially the international space station.