Energy release and interlinked magnetic fields in Earth’s dynamic magnetotail
Marit Oieroset, Research Physicist
Space Sciences Laboratory
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2023 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2024.
The Earth’s magnetotail is a dynamic space plasma environment where energy is continuously built up and released in the form of high-speed plasma jets, high energy particles, and bright auroral displays. The main physical process responsible for this energy release is believed to be magnetic reconnection, a universal plasma process that converts stored magnetic energy into particle energies. Reconnection is believed to be responsible for energy release in many astrophysical phenomena, e.g., in solar and stellar flares, but only in the near-Earth space environment is it possible to study this process in-situ with spacecraft.
NASA’s Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission was launched in 2015 and consists of four identical spacecraft specifically designed to study magnetic reconnection in-situ. In this project we will use plasma and field observations from MMS and other NASA spacecraft to study the Earth’s magnetotail when multiple reconnection sites are present. Under such conditions, high-speed reconnection jets and reconnected magnetic fields collide and interact, forming interlinked magnetic field structures and magnetic flux ropes. Inside the interlinked magnetic field structures reconnection can occur again, leading to complex magnetic configurations. The study will shed light on how tangled magnetic fields interact and reconnect, which is important for understanding the evolution and energy release in any 3D systems with multiple reconnection sites.
Role: The student will identify interlinked magnetic field and flux rope events observed in the magnetotail, analyze the spacecraft observations, and perform more detailed case studies on selected events using IDL software.
Qualifications: We are seeking applicants with a strong interest in space physics/astronomy. Programming experience is helpful but not required. We are looking for highly motivated and intellectually curious individuals with attention to detail and the ability to work well independently and collaboratively. Students from underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Off-Campus Research Site: Some of the work can be done remotely, but weekly in-person meetings at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at 7 Gauss way, Berkeley, CA, will be required. Please take the free hill shuttle from the Hearst mining circle to the top of the hill. SSL is the last stop (~10 min bus ride).
Related website: https://mms.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Related website: https://www.ssl.berkeley.edu/
Engineering, Design & Technologies, Mathematical and Physical Sciences