Magnetospheric Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) Wave Power Distribution in Response to Interplanetary Geoeffective Structures

Sarissa, Inc, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

Ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves play an important role in a variety of phenomena that affect the magnetosphere of the Earth. In particular, the waves are coupled to processes that affect the relativistic electrons in the radiation belts. This project will apply a superposed-epoch analysis to determine the statistical distribution of ULF wave power spectral density in the magnetosphere as a function of magnetic local time and the distance from the Earth. The wave power will be determined from ground-based measurements using arrays of magnetometers. The analysis will determine the wave growth and decay and will look specifically for the response of the ULF wave power to phenomena such as impacts of cornal mass ejections (CMEs) on the magnetosphere, high-speed solar wind streams, and ULF waves in the solar wind. The analysis will include various forms of filtering and nonlinear time-series analysis. The last part of the project will be to run magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to compare the ULF response from the simulations with what was determined from the data analysis. The research will include graduate and undergraduate students. The work has societal benefits because of the relevance of the work to space weather phenomena.