Collaborative Research: GEM: Understanding Connections between Earth’s Magnetotail and Ionosphere through Imaging

磁层-电离层耦合是磁层中热的、低密度的等离子体与电离层中冷的、高密度的等离子体相互连接的过程。这种耦合在磁暴和亚磁暴期间尤其重要，因为磁层中不断增加的电流接近电离层，导致更多的电离层等离子体流出磁层，并增加带电的磁层等离子体沉淀到电离层中。这一过程对于了解空间气象影响十分重要，将结合天基观测和地基极光成像仪以及国家科学基金会支持的扑克牌平地子午线摄谱仪对这一过程进行研究。该项目支持一名来自科学、技术、工程和数学领域代表性不足的群体的研究生和三名处于职业生涯早期阶段的妇女进行研究。地球电离层和磁层之间的耦合是风暴和亚暴期间发生的动态的一个关键组成部分。为了更好地了解磁尾现象与电离层现象之间的联系，这项研究将把利用高能中性原子对磁层进行全球成像的联合收割机与电离层极光成像结合起来。这些技术将得到现场测量和全球建模的支持。将使用特定活动间隔的案例研究以及包括叠加历元分析的统计研究。下面的科学问题将得到解决：（1）在什么条件下，我们观察到在磁尾和极光增强的能量离子？(2)磁尾的离子迁移与极光增强之间的时间关系是什么？(3)在磁尾中尺度的高能离子区域和极光增强之间的空间关系是什么？该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得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的支持。

Magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling is the process connecting hot, low density plasma in the magnetosphere with the cold, high density plasma in the ionosphere. This coupling is especially important during geomagnetic storms and substorms when increasing currents in the magnetosphere close through the ionosphere, resulting in increased outflow of ionospheric plasma into the magnetosphere and increased precipitation of energized magnetospheric plasma into the ionosphere. This process, important to understanding space weather impacts, will be studied with a combination of space-based observations and ground-based auroral imagers and the NSF-supported Poker Flat meridian spectrograph. The project supports research of a graduate student from a member of an underrepresented group in STEM and three women in early career stages.Coupling between the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere is a critical component of the dynamics that occur during storms and substorms. To improve understanding of the connections between phenomena in the magnetotail and in the ionosphere, the research will combine global imaging of the magnetosphere using energetic neutral atoms with auroral imaging of the ionosphere. These techniques will be supported by in situ measurements and global modeling. Case studies of particular active intervals will be used as well as statistical studies that include superposed epoch analyses. The following science questions will be addressed: (1) Under what conditions do we observe both energized ions in the magnetotail and auroral enhancements? (2) What is the temporal relationship between ion energization in the magnetotail and auroral enhancements? (3) What is the spatial relationship between mesoscale regions of energized ions in the magnetotail and auroral enhancements?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.