CAREER: The Effect of Shear Flow on the Scaling of Magnetic Reconnection and Solar Wind-Magnetospheric Coupling

该项目将研究在地球磁层顶等实际条件下磁重联的基本物理学。 该项目将推导出作为剪切流速度函数的重连率缩放的表达式。 它将使用流体和动力学模拟来检验比例模型的结果，并将重新连接的特征与现场卫星数据进行比较。 该项目将考虑剪切流对最近推导出的太阳风与磁层相互作用的耦合函数的影响。教育目标旨在增加参与一般科学，特别是空间和等离子体科学的妇女和少数族裔的数量。 将特别强调可能鼓励社会经济条件较低的学生参与科学的活动。 该项目将包括利用西弗吉尼亚大学的Tomchin天文馆制作关于空间天气的宣传电影。

This project will examine the fundamental physics of magnetic reconnection under realistic conditions such as at Earth's magnetopause. The project will derive expressions for the scaling of the rate of reconnection as a function of the shear flow speed. It will use both fluid and kinetic simulations to test the results of the scaling model and will compare the signatures of reconnection to in situ satellite data. The project will incorporate the effects of shear flow on the recently derived coupling function for the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere. The educational goals are oriented toward increasing the number of women and minorities in participation in science in general and space and plasma science in particular. Particular emphasis will be placed on activities that may encourage students from lower socio-economic conditions to become involved with science. The project will include the creation of outreach movies about space weather that will utilize the Tomchin Planetarium at West Virginia University.