A GRAND CHALLENGE PROBLEM AT THE FOREFRONT OF HELIOPHYSICS IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE ENERGY OF TURBULENT PLASMA FLOWS AND ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS IS CONVERTED INTO ENERGY OF THE PLASMA PARTICLES EITHER AS HEAT OR SOME OTHER FORM OF PARTICLE ENERGIZATION. UNDER THE TYPICALLY LOW-DENSITY AND HIGH-TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT PLASMAS IN THE HELIOSPHERE THE TURBULENT DYNAMICS IS WEAKLY COLLISIONAL REQUIRING THE APPLICATION OF SIX-DIMENSIONAL (3D-3V) KINETIC PLASMA THEORY TO FOLLOW THE EVOLUTION OF THE TURBULENCE WHERE THE DAMPING OF THE TURBULENT FLUCTUATIONS OCCURS DUE TO COLLISIONLESS INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND THE INDIVIDUAL PLASMA PARTICLES. THE PI HAS RECENTLY DEVISED AN INNOVATIVE NEW METHOD FOR DIAGNOSING THE ENERGIZATION OF PARTICLES USING CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD AND PARTICLE VELOCITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION MEASUREMENTS. HERE WE PROPOSE THE FIRST DEDICATED EFFORT TO APPLY THIS NOVEL FIELD-PARTICLE CORRELATION TECHNIQUE TO THE SPACECRAFT MEASUREMENTS OF TURBULENCE IN THE SOLAR WIND WITH THE GOAL TO DETERMINE THE PHYSICAL MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLLISIONLESS REMOVAL OF ENERGY FROM THE TURBULENT FLUCTUATIONS A NECESSARY STEP FOR THE ULTIMATE DEVELOPMENT OF A PREDICTIVE CAPABILITY IN UNDERSTANDING THE MACROSCOPIC EVOLUTION OF HELIOSPHERIC PLASMAS.
$483,483FY2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
The University Of Iowa