Physics and Astronomy Calendar

The space between the Sun and the planets in the solar system is not empty; instead, it is filled with a very tenuous, ionized gas known as plasma. This plasma is strongly influenced by the magnetic fields produced in the Sun and the various planets. The Space Plasma Physics group at the University of Minnesota studies these plasmas in a variety of ways. We have designed and built instruments measuring electric fields and waves on a variety of NASA spacecraft studying the solar wind, the Earth’s magnetosphere and radiation belts, and the processes that produce the aurora. Our research is focused on two main questions: (1) How do the electric and magnetic fields in space accelerate charged particles to high energies (e.g., up to MeV in the radiation belts)? (2) How do magnetic fields reorganize themselves when, for example, the magnetic field in the solar wind interacts with the magnetic field of Earth, a process known as magnetic reconnection? These questions are answered not only with direct spacecraft measurements but with theory and modeling to understand the complex plasma interactions that can take place in the solar system, as well as in other astrophysical systems.