Study of Acceleration and Transport of Energetic Ions in the Heliosphere via Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENA)

研究人员将通过对比观测和模拟，对高能中性原子（ENA）在日球层中的高能离子加速和输运进行研究。这项研究包括日球层及其直接的星际环境。主要的努力是继续发展在太阳风的终止激波和内日球层的旋转相互作用区域（CIR）及之外的异常宇宙射线（ACR）的优势离子群产生ENA的模拟。此前，研究人员已经证明，在空间等离子体研究中使用高能中性原子（ENA）可以提供所需的整个日球层中高能带电粒子分布的全局视图，特别是在不容易进入太空任务的区域。该方法补充了所有现有的实地调查。模拟ENA的产生需要对母体离子种群进行建模。离子种群的建模需要了解离子的加速和输运以及周围的磁场结构。将模拟的ENA分布与观测到的进行比较，提供了一个自一致的离子加速和输运的全局视图。研究的主要目标是更真实的ACR和CIR模拟，模拟其他内日球层离子居群对ENA的产生，以及模拟ACR、CIR和其他居群中高能氦原子的产生。由于亚利桑那大学是一所以学生为中心的研究型大学，因此该项目将涉及一名本科生和一名研究生的参与。

The investigators will perform a study of acceleration and transport of energetic ions in the heliosphere via energetic neutral atoms (ENA) by comparing observation with simulation. The study encompasses the heliosphere and its immediate interstellar environment. The main effort is to continue development of simulations of the production of ENA by the dominant ion populations of the anomalous cosmic rays (ACR) at and beyond the termination shock of the solar wind and of the corotating interactions regions (CIR) in the inner heliosphere. Previously, the investigators have shown that the use of energetic neutral atoms (ENA) in the study of space plasma can provide the needed global view of the distribution of energetic charged particles in the entire heliosphere, especially in regions not easily accessible to space missions. The approach complements all existing in situ investigations. Simulating the production of ENA requires modeling the parent ion population. Modeling of the ion populations needs understanding of ion acceleration and transport as well as the ambient magnetic-field configuration. Comparing simulated distribution of ENA with the observed, then, provides a self-consistent global view of ion acceleration and transport. The main goals of the research are more realistic ACR and CIR simulations, simulation of production of ENA by other inner heliospheric ion populations, and simulation of production of energetic helium atoms in ACR, CIR and other populations. Since the University of Arizona is a student-centered research university, the project will involve the participation of one undergraduate and one graduate student.