Linear and Nonlinear Plasma Waves Generated by the Earth's Bow Shock

这笔拨款将继续支持一项旨在研究太阳风和磁层相互作用的研究计划。这种相互作用是重要的，因为它是磁层被磁能“泵浦化”的机制。这个磁层最终以多种方式释放这些能量，包括极光。该基金将理论、数值模拟和数据分析很好地结合在一起，涉及以下领域：o非线性Alfven波的分析理论。O航天器观测。o冲击相关MHD波的数值模拟。总的来说，这是一个协调一致的程序，旨在阐明发生在地球弓形激波中的等离子体过程。

This grant will continue support of a research program aimed at the interaction of the solar wind and the magnetosphere. This interaction is important since it is the mechanism by which the magnetosphere is "pumped up' with magnetic energy. This magnetosphere eventually unloads this energy in a multitude of ways including the aurora. This grant has a nice combination of theory, numerical simulations and data analysis addressing the following areas: o analytic theory of non-linear Alfven waves. o spacecraft observations. o numerical simulation of shock related MHD waves. o quasi linear theory of beam instabilities Overall, this is a concerted program aimed at the elucidation of plasma processes occuring in the earth's bow shock.