Relationships Between Aurora and Magnetospheric Processes

极光是近地空间发生的有趣物理过程的美丽表现。由于对极光的兴趣(1)作为等离子体物理现象，(2)作为遥感地球空间的工具，(3)作为这些动力学的一个组成部分，极光观测对加拿大空间科学计划来说已经有50多年的中心重要性。2000年，卡尔加里大学（University of Calgary）的研究人员制定了一个大胆的计划，要在加拿大中部和北部的大部分地区建立一个庞大的高灵敏度光学和无线电传感器阵列，这些传感器的视野重叠。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操作着近60台仪器，我们用全新的方式来描绘极光的过程。这项提案是为利用这个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，这不仅对地球空间很重要，而且对天体物理学也很重要。随着我们开发新的成像技术用于工业，并更好地了解近地空间环境及其对空间技术（包括GPS）和社会的影响，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.