Harnessing mega-constellations to probe space weather globally

利用巨型星座探测全球空间天气

• 批准号: MR/X034704/1
• 负责人: Martin Archer
• 金额: $ 162.51万
• 依托单位: Imperial College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FX034704%2F1
• 关键词: Harnessing; mega; constellations; probe; space

The changing conditions in near-Earth space cause space weather. This poses a risk to our everyday lives through the technology we rely upon. Space weather impacts on crucial power, communications, navigation, and transport systems. Monitoring and forecasting it is thus vital.The processes that drive space weather globally are not well understood. The interplay between Earth's magnetic field and charged particles blowing from the Sun forms a protective shield in space, known as the magnetosphere. Space weather occurs because this shield is neither perfect nor static. Energy penetrates our magnetosphere and gets distributed to different regions inside it. But the global response is greater than the sum of its parts. Local processes alone cannot explain the overall response. Instead, space weather phenomena appear to emerge from the complex system itself. To better understand what causes space weather requires a global approach.Large groups of satellites working together, known as constellations, are required. Achieving this through traditional space missions is too expensive. Satellite operators are now launching commercial mega-constellations for communications services. These consist of hundreds to thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit. This orbit is at the interface between the top of our atmosphere and the magnetosphere. How space weather is mediated between these regions is still an open question. So mega-constellations are perfectly placed for space weather monitoring. The satellites use measurements of Earth's magnetic field to orient themselves. But these instruments can detect the signatures of space weather also. This fellowship will thus harness mega-constellations as a tool for monitoring space weather.Mega-constellations provide an unprecedented number of globally distributed observation points in space. I will develop new processing tools to use this data. These will extract and resolve the ever-changing electrical currents mediating space weather. Computer simulations will test the limits of what is achievable. These results will inform requirements on future mega-constellation designs for space weather monitoring. Machine learning will also combat the challenges of analysing "big data" in space. I will adapt methods developed from other fields for use in space weather science. These will reduce the amount of data to analyse and identify patterns present. They will have broad applications across current and upcoming missions, facilities, and simulations.I have partnered with a mega-constellation operator to put these methods into practice. This will establish the current space weather capabilities of mega-constellations. I will derive a new global activity index from this data. This will eliminate the errors and biases in those currently used. A pipeline producing this index in real-time will yield new space weather warnings.Dedicated campaigns will also further scientific research into what drives space weather. These coincide with the upcoming increase in solar activity. The campaigns will focus on waves that emerge during intense space weather events. Like a musical instrument, these waves are processed and guided by their environment. This forms a complex orchestra that encompasses our planet. But we do not know the global nature of this symphony and its importance in space weather. The mega-constellation will at last reveal the structure of the different waves. I will thus determine their effects on space radiation, atmospheric heating, and currents in the ground. This will advance our understanding of how these waves contribute to space weather.This fellowship will revolutionise space weather monitoring by harnessing mega-constellations. It will yield a step-change in capability. Global data will unveil how space weather works, improving our ability to predict it. The fellowship will thus boost our ability to mitigate this threat to society.

近地空间条件的变化会导致空间天气。这通过我们所依赖的技术给我们的日常生活带来了风险。空间天气影响重要的电力、通信、导航和运输系统。因此，对其进行监测和预测至关重要。全球空间天气的驱动过程尚不清楚。地球磁场和从太阳吹来的带电粒子之间的相互作用在太空中形成了一个保护罩，称为磁层。太空天气的发生是因为这个屏蔽既不完美也不静态。能量穿透我们的磁层并分布到磁层内部的不同区域。但全球的反应大于其各个部分的总和。仅局部过程无法解释整体反应。相反，空间天气现象似乎是从复杂系统本身产生的。为了更好地了解太空天气的原因，需要采取全球性的方法。需要大量的卫星（称为星座）一起工作。通过传统的太空任务实现这一目标成本太高。卫星运营商现在正在推出用于通信服务的商业巨型星座。这些卫星由近地轨道上的数百到数千颗卫星组成。该轨道位于大气层顶部和磁层之间的界面。太空天气如何在这些区域之间调节仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。因此，巨型星座非常适合空间天气监测。卫星利用地球磁场的测量来确定自身的方向。但这些仪器也可以检测太空天气的特征。因此，该奖学金将利用巨型星座作为监测太空天气的工具。巨型星座提供了数量空前的全球分布的太空观测点。我将开发新的处理工具来使用这些数据。这些将提取并解决调节空间天气的不断变化的电流。计算机模拟将测试可实现的极限。这些结果将为未来空间天气监测巨型星座设计的要求提供信息。机器学习还将应对分析太空“大数据”的挑战。我将采用其他领域开发的方法用于空间天气科学。这些将减少用于分析和识别存在模式的数据量。它们将在当前和即将到来的任务、设施和模拟中得到广泛的应用。我已经与一个大型星座运营商合作，将这些方法付诸实践。这将建立巨型星座当前的空间天气能力。我将从这些数据中得出一个新的全球活动指数。这将消除当前使用的错误和偏差。实时生成该指数的管道将产生新的太空天气警报。专门的活动还将进一步深入研究太空天气的驱动因素。这些与即将到来的太阳活动增加相吻合。这些活动将重点关注剧烈太空天气事件期间出现的波浪。就像乐器一样，这些波由其环境进行处理和引导。这形成了一个复杂的管弦乐队，包围着我们的星球。但我们不知道这首交响曲的全球性质及其在太空天气中的重要性。这个巨型星座最终将揭示不同波的结构。因此，我将确定它们对空间辐射、大气加热和地面电流的影响。这将增进我们对这些波如何影响空间天气的理解。该奖学金将通过利用巨型星座彻底改变空间天气监测。它将产生能力的阶跃变化。全球数据将揭示太空天气的运作方式，提高我们预测它的能力。因此，该奖学金将提高我们减轻这种社会威胁的能力。