Relationships Between Aurora and Magnetospheric Processes

极光是发生在近地空间的有趣物理过程的美丽表现。由于对极光的兴趣（1）作为一种等离子体物理现象，（2）作为遥感地球空间的一种工具，（3）作为这些动力学的一个组成部分，极光观测五十多年来一直是加拿大空间科学方案的核心。2000年，卡尔加里大学的研究人员制定了一项大胆的计划，建立一个庞大的高度敏感的光学和无线电传感器阵列，其视场重叠，覆盖加拿大中部和北方的大部分地区。在过去的12年里，这个计划已经成为现实，我的团队现在在加拿大各地使用了近60台仪器，我们用全新的方式来拍摄极光过程。该提案旨在为利用新成像阵列的数据进行科学研究提供资金。通过这项研究，我们将探索地球空间动力学以及等离子体物理过程，这些过程不仅对地球空间而且对天体物理学都很重要。随着我们开发新的成像技术并在工业中得到利用，以及更好地了解近地空间环境及其对空间技术（包括全球定位系统）和社会的影响，这也有实际的好处。

The aurora is a beautiful manifestation of interesting physical processes that occur in near-Earth space. Due to interest in the aurora (1) as a plasma physics phenomenon, (2) as a tool with which to remote sense geospace, and (3) as an integral part of those dynamics, auroral observations have been centrally important to the Canadian space science program for more than five decades. In 2000, University of Calgary researchers developed a bold plan to build a vast array of highly sensitive, optical and radio sensors with overlapping fields of view spanning much of central and northern Canada. Over the last twelve years, this plan has become reality, and my group now operates almost 60 instruments across Canada with which we image auroral processes in fundamentally new ways. This proposal is for funding for carrying out science with the data from this new imaging array. With this research, we will be exploring geospace dynamics as well as plasma physical processes that are important not only on geospace, but also astrophysics. There are practical benefits as well, as we develop new imaging techniques that are being utilized in industry and develop a better understanding of the near-Earth space environment and its effects on space technology (including GPS) and society.