Studies in theoretical space physics

这一提议涉及近地空间区域称为磁层的物理过程，磁层是地球磁场在太阳风中产生的环绕地球的磁腔。 磁层对社会的重要性日益增加。 增加占用（例如，空间站）和使用（例如，由于人类对近地空间的活动（包括通信卫星）的依赖，以及我们对空间气象信息的需求日益增加，因此有必要了解磁层的行为。 微物理过程进行了研究，以了解带电粒子如何与观测到的磁层波相互作用。 需要解决的一个具体问题是，在称为磁暴的扰动条件下，内磁层中高能（“高能”）电子的产生。 这些电子可能导致卫星故障，磁暴可能破坏地球上的电网。 新的空间气象科学力求描述空间环境的状况，并预测地磁暴等恶劣条件。 计算机建模和数学分析将用于研究空间等离子体中的波粒相互作用。 将利用卫星上仪器提供的粒子和波数据建立模型，同样将对照观测数据检验模型的解决办法。 该提案不仅旨在增进我们对磁层的基本科学知识，而且还将推动磁层物理学作为一种预测科学，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 magnetospheric waves. A particular problem to be 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 magnetic storms can 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 will be used to study wave-particle interactions in space plasmas. Models will be constructed using particle and wave data from satellite-borne instruments, and the model solutions will likewise be 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.