Understanding the Energy Pathways of Earth's Magnetosphere

了解地球磁层的能量路径

• 批准号: ST/X003663/1
• 负责人: Maria-Theresia Walach
• 金额: $ 77.17万
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FX003663%2F1
• 关键词: Understanding; Energy; Pathways; Earth; Magnetosphere

Electronic devices are part of our everyday lives. They allow us to message each other, provide energy for our homes, and control critical systems like air traffic, but they are vulnerable. Space Weather describes how electric and magnetic fields change around Earth. Just like normal weather there are storms in space and when a Space Weather "geomagnetic storm" happens, our electronic devices can be damaged so it is extremely important that we can predict when these storms will happen. I aim to gain new insights into the physics behind Space Weather events. The magnetosphere is the magnetic environment that surrounds Earth like a bubble. It is filled with plasma, an electrically conducting mix of particles, which creates electric and magnetic fields as it moves. Understanding how plasma moves is crucial for understanding Space Weather. Particles from the Sun, can put energy into the magnetosphere where it is stored until it can be released. When the energy is released, or unloaded, some of it can end up in the atmosphere through the aurora and some of it can be put into the plasma in the magnetosphere. When the plasma's energy levels are particularly high, a geomagnetic storm happens. How the energy unloading happens in a storm is poorly understood. This is because it happens with a delay from the dayside loading, which makes them tricky to model. My research uses a combination of data from spacecraft and ground-based observatories to understand the amount of energy that is put into the magnetosphere and how this changes over time. With the knowledge of the time-history, and measurements of the unloading, we will then be able to model the magnetosphere's response to the driving using novel methods. My research aims to understand the timescales of these responses, which will allow us to understand the physics behind Space Weather. This will lead to long-term benefits for society by strengthening the foundations for predicting geomagnetic storms.

电子设备是我们日常生活的一部分。它们使我们可以互相传达信息，为我们的房屋提供能量，并控制着像空中交通等关键系统，但它们很脆弱。太空天气描述了电场和磁场如何在地球周围发生变化。就像正常的天气一样，空间中存在风暴，当太空天气“地磁风暴”发生时，我们的电子设备可能会受到损坏，因此我们可以预测这些风暴何时发生非常重要。我的目标是对太空天气事件背后的物理学进行新的见解。磁层是像气泡一样围绕地球的磁环。它充满了等离子体，该等离子体是一种颗粒的电导混合物，该混合物在移动时会产生电场和磁场。了解血浆移动对于理解太空天气至关重要。来自太阳的颗粒可以将能量放入磁层中，直到可以释放到它。当能量被释放或卸载时，其中一些可以通过极光最终进入大气中，其中一些可以放入磁层的血浆中。当等离子体的能量水平特别高时，就会发生地磁风暴。能源卸载是如何在暴风雨中发生的。这是因为它发生在日期加载的延迟中，这使它们变得棘手。我的研究结合了从航天器和地面观测器中的数据组合，以了解将磁层摄入的能量量以及随时间变化的变化。随着时间历史的了解和卸载的测量值，我们将能够使用新方法对磁层对驾驶的反应进行建模。我的研究旨在了解这些响应的时间表，这将使我们能够了解太空天气背后的物理。通过加强预测地磁风暴的基础，这将为社会带来长期利益。