Auroral Signatures of Solar wind Magnetospheric Coupling.

昼侧磁层在控制太阳风（从太阳吹来的电离等离子体）的质量和能量流动方面起着至关重要的作用。美国宇航局的忒弥斯宇宙飞船被发射到有利的轨道上，以研究太阳风与地球磁层的相互作用。这些航天器的定位通常是为了使地磁力线将它们连接到地面观测站所能看到的高层大气区域。将卫星数据与它们的极光足迹联系起来，已经彻底改变了研究太阳风和地球空间动态过程的能力。在冬季，高纬度地区可能永远处于黑暗中，即使在有磁场的正午也能观测到极光。由于极光的二维动态图像是在地球上空一定距离的通量管上运行的等离子体过程的特征，因此对THEMIS等离子体数据和部署在南极的光学仪器以及南极自动地球物理观测站的联合研究提供了一个独特的机会来回答四个具体问题：(1)现有的地磁场模型是否准确地绘制了日侧磁层边界？(2)日侧软极光是否存在磁层尖端的“足迹”，是否出现在开放磁场线上？(3)日侧极光的纬向运动何时代表地球磁层顶的内外运动？(4)经常观测到的向极地移动的极光形式的产生机制是什么？南极光学观测提供了与现场卫星测量有关的极光背景的高分辨率动态视图；这种协调的数据从2007年的南方冬季一直存在到今天。本研究也有助于研究生和本科生的培养和教育。

The dayside magnetosphere plays a crucial role in controlling the mass and energy in-flow from the solar wind (ionized plasma blown from the Sun). NASA's THEMIS spacecraft were launched into favorable orbits to study the interaction of solar wind with the Earth's magnetosphere. These spacecraft are often positioned so that geomagnetic field lines connect them to the upper atmospheric regions in view of the ground-based observing stations. Relating the satellite data to their auroral footprints has revolutionized abilities to study dynamic processes in the solar wind and geospace. During winter times the high-latitude regions can be permanently in dark permitting optical observations of the aurora even at magnetic midday. As two-dimensional dynamic images of the aurora are signatures of plasma processes operating on the flux tube at some distance above the Earth, the joint studies of the THEMIS plasma data and optical instruments deployed at the South Pole and Automatic Geophysical Observatories in the Antarctic provide a unique opportunity to answer four specific questions: (1) Do existing geomagnetic field models accurately map the dayside magnetospheric boundaries? (2) Are the dayside soft aurora "footprints" of the magnetospheric cusp and whether they occur on open field lines? (3) When do latitudinal motions of the dayside aurora represent in-out motion of the Earth's magnetopause? (4) What is the mechanism responsible for the production of the frequently observed Poleward Moving Auroral Forms? The Antarctic optical observations provide a high-resolution dynamic view of the auroral context related to the in situ satellite measurements; such coordinated data exists from the austral winter of 2007 to today. This research also contributes to the training and education of both the graduate and undergraduate students.