NSWP: Automated Shock Analysis for Space Weather Predictions

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。新罕布什尔大学的这个团队最近开发了一个流行的、熟悉的冲击分析代码的全自动版本，基于rankne - hugoniot关系的解决方案，创建了一个可以通过互联网访问的工具。该代码利用来自高级成分探测器（ACE）航天器的实时数据，在ACE航天器经过太阳-地球拉格朗日点（L1）后10分钟内提供太阳风激波的解决方案。这些解决方案在此类冲击冲击地球磁层顶之前提供了大约一小时的提前通知。在这项工作中，首席研究员（PI）和他的团队将升级网页和相关工具的性能和效用，同时添加当前不可用的功能。计划中的增强将提供更可靠的冲击及其参数测定，并预测接近ICME鞘区的可能特征，这是已知的空间天气驱动因素。该小组将对过去的冲击进行统计研究，以改进现有的代码，并使它们能够提供这些新信息。PI指出，在最近的太阳活动极大期，在公共领域运行的自动空间天气分析被证明是有用的。这种分析预计将在社会努力保护自己免受由太阳瞬变事件引起的地磁风暴影响方面发挥越来越大的作用。PI的自动代码可以提供即将到来的冲击的预警，以便采取措施保护可能受到不利影响的生物、工业和技术资产。PI的团队还将招募和雇用本科物理专业的学生来从事这项工作。该项目将为这些学生提供数据约简和编程技术方面的经验、激波物理和空间科学方面的培训，以及撰写科学论文的实践。PI有指导成功的本科生的历史，他们写了重要的研究论文，并在国际会议上发表。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This University of New Hampshire team has recently developed a fully automated version of a popular and familiar shock analysis code, based on the solution of the Rankine-Hugoniot relations, creating a tool that is accessible via the internet. The code utilizes real-time data from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft to provide solar wind shock solutions within 10 minutes of a shock's passage by the ACE spacecraft, located at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L1). These solutions provide approximately one hour advance notice before such shocks impact the Earth's magnetopause. In this effort, the Principal Investigator (PI) and his team will upgrade the performance and utility of the web page and associated tools, while adding features not currently available. The planned enhancements will provide more reliable determination of shocks and their parameters, and predict the likely characteristics of approaching ICME sheath regions, which are known to be space weather drivers. The team will perform statistical studies of past shocks in order to improve existing codes and allow them to provide this new information. The PI notes that automated space weather analyses running in the public domain have proved useful during the recent solar maximum. Such analyses are expected to play an increasing role in society's efforts to protect itself from geomagnetic storm effects originating with solar transient events. The PI's automated code can provide advance warning of approaching shocks so that actions can be taken to protect biological, industrial, and technological assets that may be adversely affected. The PI's team will also recruit and employ undergraduate physics majors to work in this effort. The project will provide these students with experience in data reduction and programming techniques, training in shock physics and space science, and practice in writing scientific papers. The PI has a history of mentoring successful undergraduates who have written significant research papers and presented them at international meetings.