Multipoint Magnetospheric Studies

磁暴和磁层亚暴的能量学仍然是空间界有争议的问题。对造成这些现象的物理过程进行多点调查特别及时，因为地面站和磁层内的分布式卫星提供的多点测量越来越多。对这些现象的理解将回答空间等离子体中脉冲粒子加速的基本问题。由于磁层亚暴发生在其他行星体中，可能类似于太阳耀斑，了解亚暴过程也将为了解整个太阳系中发生的能量过程提供宝贵的见解，并将有助于空间天气预报。这个项目是以磁层中这些现象的遥感和现场测量的广泛数据库为基础的。该项目将审查：（1）偶极化和等离子体流之间的关联，（2）亚暴期间压力降低锋的传播，以区分压力降低是与等离子体泡相关联还是与稀疏波相关联，（3）等离子体流在亚暴期间反转以确定流是否指示单个等离子体源（磁重联位点）或来自多个活动位点的不同贡献，以及（4）使用多组分方法的磁重联活动的输运特性。PI将继续开展外联活动，在该方案期间指导高中教师和学生。

The energetics of geomagnetic storms and magnetospheric substorms continue to be controversial problems in the space community. Multi-point investigations of the physical processes responsible for these phenomena are especially timely due to the increasing availability of multi-point measurements from ground-based stations and distributed satellites within the magnetosphere. Understanding of these phenomena would answer fundamental questions on impulsive particle acceleration in space plasmas. Since magnetospheric substorms occur in other planetary bodies and may be akin to solar flares, understanding substorm process will also provide valuable insights into energetic processes occurring throughout our solar system and would assist space weather forecasting. This project is based on an extensive database from remote-sensing and in situ measurements of these phenomena in the magnetosphere. The project will examine: (1) the association between dipolarization and plasma flow, (2) the propagation of the pressure reduction front during substorms to differentiate whether the pressure reduction is associated with plasma bubble or a rarefaction wave, (3) the plasma flow reversals during substorms to determine whether or not the flows are indicative of f a single plasma source (magnetic reconnection site) or varying contributions from multiple activity sites, and (4) the transport characteristics of magnetic reconnection activity using a multi-component approach. The PI will continue to undertake outreach activity in mentoring high school teachers and students during the period of the program.