Distribution Patterns and Scale Sizes for Transient Events at Geosynchronous Orbit

太阳风与地球磁层之间的相互作用通常表现为磁场、等离子体和高能粒子参数的瞬态变化。这种短暂的事件通常是由航天器在日侧磁层顶附近观测到的。本文拟利用地球同步轨道上的航天器对这些事件的分布模式和尺度进行研究。这些结果将提供从太阳风穿过磁层到地球电离层的连接路径，以及这些事件的衰减和进化信息。该项目有两个主要目标。第一个目标是更好地理解日侧磁层和电离层的瞬变磁特征之间的关系。第二个目标是利用1984年底两个GOES航天器和AMPTE CCE同时观测的磁层瞬变事件进行调查。由于这个项目是对早期关于瞬变事件运动和分布的工作的补充，因此总体结果将是对磁层瞬变事件性质的全面调查。与之前由首席研究员执行的项目一样，本研究将涉及本科生的积极参与。重点将放在学习和独立思考上。将强调研究在教育过程中的重要性。

The interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere is often manifested by transient variations in magnetic field, plasma and energetic particle parameters. Such transient events are commonly observed by spacecraft in the vicinity of the dayside magnetopause. The proposed study is an investigation of the distribution patterns and the scale sizes of these events using spacecraft at geosynchronous orbit. The results will provide a connecting path from the solar wind through the magnetosphere to Earth's ionosphere as well as information on the decay and evolution of these events.The project has two primary objectives. The first objective is to obtain a better understanding of the relationship between transient magnetic signatures in the dayside magnetosphere and in the ionosphere. The second objective is an investigation of magnetospheric transient events using simultaneous observations by two GOES spacecraft and the AMPTE CCE during late 1984. Since this project is complementary to earlier work on the motion and distribution of transient events, the overall result will be a comprehensive survey of the properties of magnetospheric transient events.As with previous projects performed by the principal investigator, this study will involve the active participation of undergraduate students. A strong emphasis will be placed on learning and independent thinking. The importance of research in the educational process will be stressed.