Studies in theoretical space physics

这项提议涉及被称为磁层的近地空间区域的物理过程，磁层是围绕地球的磁空穴，由地球磁场在太阳风中产生。磁层对社会的重要性日益上升。随着人类对近地空间的占领(例如空间站)和使用(例如通信卫星)的增加，我们对空间气象信息的日益增长的需求表明，有必要了解磁层的行为。人们研究微物理过程，以期了解带电粒子如何与观测到的磁层波相互作用。一个特别的问题是，在被称为磁暴的扰动条件下，内磁层中产生高能(杀手)电子。这些电子可能导致卫星故障并扰乱地球上的电网。新的空间气象科学试图描述空间环境的状态，并预测像地磁风暴这样的严重条件。它使用了计算机建模和数学分析研究空间等离子体中的波-粒子相互作用。这些模型是利用星载仪器的粒子和能量数据构建的，模型解决方案也同样通过观测数据进行了测试。该提议不仅是为了促进我们对磁层的基本科学知识，也是为了促进磁层物理学作为一门预测性科学，从而在更广泛的意义上造福社会。

This proposal addresses physical processes in the region of near-Earth space called the magnetosphere, which is the magnetic cavity surrounding the Earth that is produced in the solar wind by the Earth's magnetic field.  The magnetosphere is of rising importance to society.  Increased occupation (e.g., space stations) and use (e.g., communications satellites) of near-Earth space by humans, and our increasing need for space weather information point to the necessity for understanding the behaviour of the magnetosphere.  Microphysical processes are studied with a view to understanding how charged particles interact with observed magnetosphere waves.  A particular problem addressed is the generation of energetic ('killer') electrons in the inner magnetosphere during disturbed conditions known as magnetic storms.  These electrons can cause satellite malfunctions and disrupt power grids on Earth.  The new science of space weather seeks to describe the state of the space environment and to forecast severe conditions such as geomagnetic storms.  Computer modeling and mathematical analysis are used to study wave-particle interactions in space plasmas.  Models are constructed using particle and energy data from satellite-borne instruments, and the model solutions are likewise tested against observational data.  The proposal is intended not only to advance our basic scientific knowledge of the magnetosphere, but also to advance magnetospheric physics as a predictive science and so benefit society in a broader sense.