Collaborative Research: GEM--Comparing Simulations of Electron Acceleration in Kinetic Alfven Waves with Observations from the Van Allen Probes in the Inner Magnetosphere

该项目的重点是研究一类被称为动力学阿尔芬波（KAWs）的波，它可能在极光的形成中发挥重要作用。来自货车艾伦探测器使命的新观测表明，这些波在空间天气风暴中很常见。这些KAWs和电子之间的相互作用可以导致这些电子穿透到大气中。它们穿透到高层大气中，导致高层大气的电特性发生变化。了解控制高层大气电特性的因素对于制作更好的空间气象预报至关重要。该项目将使用数值模型和观测相结合的方法来研究将能量从KAWs转移到电子的过程。本科生和研究生将积极参与这个项目。研究人员还计划通过与等离子体物理和聚变能源科学项目的国家本科生奖学金计划合作，为本科生提供参与研究的机会。提议者将使用一个混合的陀螺流体-动力学-电子（GKE）模型来研究最近观察到的亚暴期间普遍通过内磁层的阿尔芬行波和驻波。货车艾伦探针数据将用于推导模拟参数并与模拟输出进行比较。这项研究将确定如何以及在何种程度上KAW能流转换为电子能流的内磁层。它将确定这种机制在多大程度上是一种有效的途径，用于增强等离子体电子进入损失锥的散射和散射，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The focus of this project is study a class of waves known as kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) that may play an important role in the formation of the aurora. New observations from the Van Allen Probes mission show that these waves are a common during space weather storms. Interactions between these KAWs and electrons can result in penetration of these electrons into the atmosphere. Their penetration into the upper atmosphere leads to changes into electrical characteristics of the upper atmosphere. Understanding the factors that control the electrical properties of the upper atmosphere is essential to producing better space weather forecasts. The project will use a combination of numerical models and observations to investigate the process that transfers energy from the KAWs to the electrons. Undergraduate and graduate students will actively participate in this project. The investigators will also plan to provide opportunities for undergraduates to participate in the research through partnership with National Undergraduate Fellowship Program in Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Sciences program. The proposers will use a hybrid Gyrofluid-Kinetic-Electron (GKE) model to study the recently observed traveling and standing Alfven waves prevalent through the inner magnetosphere during substorms. Van Allen probes data will be used to derive simulation parameters and compare with simulation output. This investigation will determine how and to what extent KAW energy flux is converted to electron energy flux in the inner magnetosphere. It will determine to what extent this mechanism is an efficient and effective pathway for enhanced energization and scattering of plasmasheet electrons into the loss cone, for additional heating of the ionosphere due to this scattering and for additional Poynting flux into the ionosphere.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.