Ion Heating in the Magnetotail: Understanding Geomagnetic Storms

该项目将利用美国航天局IMAGE和THEMS飞行任务提供的高能中性原子数据的全球图像，确定离子密度和温度随地球磁尾位置的变化。 该项目将研究由日冕物质抛射（CME）驱动的磁暴和由高速太阳风流驱动的磁暴之间的加热变化。 这些观测结果，然后将被用来建立随时间变化的边界条件的地球环电流模型（综合环电流模型- CRCM）。这将有助于研究离子加热效应如何影响内磁层的动态，离子加热主要是由于太阳风的强迫而在磁层中发生的，在地磁暴期间加热特别强烈。因此，要了解磁层的动力学，就需要有能力精确测量离子温度，并了解它是如何受到太阳风变化过程的影响。地磁风暴期间地球磁层的动态对于理解我们变得越来越依赖于基于卫星的技术来完成从个人通信到国防的任务非常重要。可靠的测量与能够准确反映近地空间环境的模型相结合，是提高我们减缓空间气象不利影响能力的一个基本要素。 该项目包括教育影响，因为一名博士后研究员和一名研究生将参与这项工作。 该项目还对代表性不足的群体产生影响。 首席研究员是一位职业生涯早期的女科学家，她参与了由科学界妇女协会西弗吉尼亚分会协调的公共宣传活动。

This project will use global images of energetic neutral atom (ENA) data from the NASA IMAGE and TWINS missions to determine the ion density and temperature as a function of position in Earth's magnetotail. The project will examine how the heating varies between magnetic storms that are driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and those driven by high speed solar wind streams. These observational results will then be used to establish temporally varying boundary conditions for a model of Earth's ring current (the Comprehensive Ring Current Model - CRCM). This will allow the investigation of how the effects of ion heating affect the dynamics of the inner magnetosphere.Ion heating occurs in the magnetosphere primarily as a result of solar wind forcing and the heating is particularly strong during geomagnetic storms. Thus, understanding the dynamics of the magnetosphere requires the ability to accurately measure the ion temperature and understand how it is affected by varying processes in the solar wind. The dynamics of the terrestrial magnetosphere during geomagnetic storms are important to understand as we become increasingly reliant on satellite-based technologies for tasks from personal communication to national defense. Reliable measurements combined with models that can accurately represent the near-Earth space environment are an essential element to improving our ability to mitigate the adverse effects of space weather. The project includes educational impacts because a postdoctoral researcher and a graduate student will participate in the work. The project also has impacts on under-represented groups. The Principal Investigator is an early-career woman scientists who is involved with public outreach activities coordinated by the West Virginia chapter of the Association for Women in Science