Collaborative Research: ANSWERS: Ion-Neutral Coupling in Geospace and its Impact on Space Weather

合作研究：答案：地球空间中的离子中性耦合及其对空间天气的影响

• 批准号: 2305408
• 负责人: Daniel Welling
• 金额: $ 46.38万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2026-04-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2305408&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; ANSWERS; Ion; Neutral

Plasma (a gas that is hot enough for its constituent atoms to be ionized) is the most abundant state of matter in our solar system and the universe. Understanding how plasma interacts with neutral elements in the atmospheres around the Sun and Earth is important for space weather modeling and prediction. For instance, predicting satellite drag requires knowledge of the density of Earth's thermosphere, which is modified by solar radiation and ions from solar wind. Yet, space weather models sometimes ignore the effects of plasma-neutral interactions or rely on dated models developed using simple experiments. This project will undertake a pioneering laboratory investigation of collisions in plasmas, develop new models for plasma-neutral interaction, and fold them into state-of-the-art space weather models. The team will also create science kits with hands-on activities and instructional materials and distribute them to every elementary school in 21 counties in West Virginia. The project is a collaborative effort between West Virginia University, University of Texas at Arlington, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Electric Power Research Institute and Spark! Imagination and Science Center in West Virginia.Understanding ion-neutral interactions is important for modeling magnetosphere/ionosphere/thermosphere coupling and the dynamics of the solar chromosphere, which influence space weather. Ion-neutral collision frequency plays a critical role for both Joule heating and ionospheric and chromospheric (ambipolar) conductivity. The project team will conduct a multi-fluid, multi-species laboratory study of ion-neutral coupling, develop a new model for collision frequency for the terrestrial ionosphere, and incorporate ion-neutral coupling in a chromosphere simulation model. The newly developed collision frequency model will be incorporated into the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model and the Space Weather Modeling Framework and validated using space-based observations. Wider scientific community participation in this work will be encouraged through two workshops. The research and educational activities will involve postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students. ANSWERS projects advance the nation’s STEM expertise and societal resilience to space weather hazards by filling key knowledge gaps regarding the coupled Sun-Earth system.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.

等离子体（一种温度足以使其组成原子电离的气体）是太阳系和宇宙中最丰富的物质状态，了解等离子体如何与太阳和地球周围大气中的中性元素相互作用对于太空非常重要。例如，预测卫星阻力需要了解地球热层的密度，而地球热层的密度会受到太阳辐射和太阳风离子的影响，但空间天气模型有时会忽略等离子体中性相互作用的影响或依赖于过时的数据。使用开发的模型该项目将对等离子体碰撞进行开创性的实验室研究，开发等离子体-中性相互作用的新模型，并将其折叠成最先进的空间天气模型。该项目由西弗吉尼亚大学、德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校、湾区环境研究所、电力研究所和 Spark!和西部科学中心弗吉尼亚州。了解离子-中性相互作用对于模拟磁层/电离层/热层耦合以及影响空间天气的太阳色层动力学非常重要，离子-中性碰撞频率对于焦耳加热以及电离层和色层（双极）起着至关重要的作用。该项目团队将开展多流体、多物种的离子中性耦合实验室研究，开发一种新的陆地碰撞频率模型。电离层，并将离子中性耦合纳入色球层模拟模型中。新开发的碰撞频率模型将纳入全球电离层热层模型和空间天气建模框架，并利用更广泛的科学界参与这项工作进行验证。将通过两个讲习班鼓励研究和教育活动，包括博士后研究人员、研究生和本科生，通过填补有关耦合的关键知识空白，提高国家的 STEM 专业知识和社会应对太空天气灾害的能力。日地系统。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。