Investigating Plasma Storms and Substorms in Our Near-Earth Backyard

Investigating Plasma Storms and Dr Tony Lui Substorms in our Near-Earth Backyard ‘This research has potential applications in understanding the physical processes responsible for many explosive phenomena in the universe at large’ INVESTIGATING PLASMA STORMS AND SUBSTORMS IN OUR NEAR-EARTH BACKYARD Space physicist Dr Tony Lui has spent four decades increasing our understanding of the mechanisms behind the magnetic disturbances and interactions of space plasma surrounding our home planet. Plasma, a ubiquitous state of matter candle flames and the cores of nuclear solar wind. This hot, ionised gas travels out reactors. Overall, roughly 99.9% of the matter from the star and interacts with any objects it In the calm and comfort of a classroom, we in the Universe exists as plasma, rather than encounters, particularly those with magnetic interacting with the Earth’s magnetosphere Apollo 11 lunar landing with Neil Armstrong A few years later, while studying auroral have all learned about atoms and molecules. the solid, liquid or gas we know here on fields. Thus, the Earth’s magnetosphere leads to a very practical question: what effect as the first human stepping on the surface images from Defence Meteorological We think of these tiny constituents of all Earth. And because the particles that make interacts with the solar wind as does the does all this have on our space objects, of the moon,’ he explains. ‘He left “the next Satellite Program satellites, Dr Lui described matter as having a compact nucleus with up plasma are electrically charged, they can magnetosphere of Jupiter or Mercury or such as telecommunication satellites or giant leap imprint”. I was attracted to space large-scale, saw-toothed undulations on a peaceful cloud of orbiting electrons. The conduct electricity and are influenced by any other planetary body with a magnetic the International Space Station? We know research by this exciting adventure.’ the equatorward edge of the visible diffuse positive charge of the nucleus and the magnetic fields. This makes for fascinating field. On the impact side of the planet – the that solar flares, or sun spots, dramatically aurora during magnetic storms. He found negative charge of the electrons sum to electromagnetic interactions, some of which planet’s ‘day’ side – there is a significant increase the solar wind at intervals, and Soon after this, some of his early research that the amplitude of these waveforms was zero and life is neutral and good. But what if Dr Lui has studied for most of his professional compression of the planet’s magnetic field may at times disrupt our communications. which was published in 1973 in Planetary large, from about 40 to 400 km, which would those atoms and molecules exist in regions life. by the solar or stellar wind, especially at How can we predict that or prevent it? What Space Science interpreted data from the explain why it had not been observed from of space where temperatures are, well, high altitudes. On the ‘night’ side of the about the effects on our orbiting electronics Canadian satellite ISIS-2, one of a series the ground. This phenomenon could last astronomically high – hot enough to strip The Earth’s Magnetosphere – a plasma planet – with the solar wind blowing on and people? We need to know how all this of Canadian satellites launched to study for about 0.5 to 3.5 hours. In each of the four these electrons from their nucleus? Then we playground past – the plasma flow actually causes the works so we can find answers to these the Earth’s ionosphere. ISIS-2 was able to cases he observed, the undulation occurred do not have the tame, neutral atoms and magnetosphere to stretch out into a ‘tail’, important questions. And that is what Dr take images of the entire Aurora Borealis during a geomagnetic storm interval near molecules we are familiar with on Earth – we The Earth, because of its liquid outer core conceptually similar to the tail of a comet. Lui has worked on for years, investigating from above. Dr Lui analysed the resulting the peak development of the storm time ring have plasma. of molten iron, is surrounded by an intrinsic the physical processes of near-Earth plasma images and discovered that, unlike images current. This finding was exciting enough magnetic field. Thus, we describe the Earth Here on Earth we see some of the interaction disturbances to hopefully allow forecasting taken from the ground, the big picture from to be reported in the local newspaper and Plasma – the so-called fourth state of as having a north ‘pole’ and south ‘pole’, between the solar wind and the Earth’s of space disturbances as we achieve a better above indicated that the aurora was not it was later published in the Journal of matter, is a gas so hot that its atoms are just as we would a magnet. The space magnetosphere, especially in the northern understanding of their underlying causes. individual auroral arcs as depicted in popular Geophysical Research. split into a cloud of ions and electrons surrounding the Earth where its magnetic and southern latitudes. Most commonly, the photographs. There was actually a diffuse that move and flow independent of each field significantly influences the plasma interactions result in spectacular light shows Let’s start by watching the light show! and uniform belt of aurora that contained As technology progressed, Dr Lui kept other. Astronomically speaking, plasma is contained there is called the magnetosphere. called aurorae. In the northern hemisphere, some discrete arcs and bands encircling progressing as well, particularly since satellite everywhere. Our sun and the stars are made Most of this plasma comes from the Sun in this is called the Aurora Borealis – the Dr Lui tells Scientia about what inspired him the poles. This was a significant leap in our auroral imagers were continuously being of plasma, for example. The solar wind and the form of the solar wind. Northern Lights, while in the south the same to dedicate his career to the study of space understanding of auroras and considered a improved with each new satellite mission the tails of comets contain plasma. Even phenomenon is known as Aurora Australis. phenomena. ‘The year I graduated with my major achievement in our understanding of and global views of auroras became more in our everyday experience here on Earth, The Sun, or any star for that matter, gives off But all consideration of visual spectacle physics degree from the University of Hong the solar-terrestrial relationship. abundantly available for investigation. This plasma can be found in such places as massive amounts of plasma in what is called aside, the fact that high energy ionic particles Kong was the year that the U.S. had the allowed researchers like Dr Lui to conduct fluorescent and neon lights, lightning flashes, a stellar wind. For our Sun, it’s termed the are dancing around our near-Earth space WWW.SCIENTIAPUBLICATIONS.COM WWW.SCIENTIAPUBLICATIONS.COM large analyses on auroral images to examine the dynamic behaviour DR TONY LUI of auroral activities – hence also magnetospheric activities – in an unprecedented way. Getting a bird’s-eye view of solar storms Early on, it was known that the worldwide depression of the geomagnetic field during magnetic storms was caused by the development of a ring current encircling the Earth. However, because of the lack of measurements covering the energies for the ring current, determination on the evolution of the ring current during a magnetic storm was lacking until the Active Magnetospheric Particle Particles and Ion Composition (EPIC) instrument on the Japanese- Tracer Explorers (AMPTE) mission was launched – three spacecraft NASA satellite Geotail in the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics designed to study the sources, transport, and acceleration of energetic Science Initiative (ISTP) program. It was launched in 1992 and the data magnetospheric ions. This was the first time that the evolution of is still flowing in. Dr Lui is also a co-investigator of the Research with the ring current during two magnetic storms was quantitatively Adaptive Particle Imaging Detectors (RAPID) instruments on European investigated. Dr Lui calculated from the data that the ring current Space Agency’s Cluster satellite mission, launched in 2000. The aim intensified initially at its outer edge and later evolved to cover over the of that instrument was to record data to generate 3-dimensional Meet the researcher entire radial range of the ring current. This was published in 1987 in the distributions of high-energy electrons and ions in plasma. Journal of Geophysical Research. Dr Tony Tat Yin Lui Senior Professional Staff Scientist Perhaps even more exciting, a new diagnostic tool for magnetospheric ‘The evolution of electrical currents in space plasma can be revealed in investigation was developed for looking at energetic neutral atom future suitable satellite constellation, which will yield very illuminating The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (ENA) emissions, produced by charge-exchange collisions between clues on the nature of physical processes that produce explosive Laurel, Maryland energetic magnetospheric ions and the cold neutral hydrogen atoms. energetic phenomena and turbulence in space plasmas.’ ENA measurements were taken with the Geotail satellite, a joint USA Japan-USA endeavour to study the structure and dynamics of the tail region of the magnetosphere with a comprehensive set of scientific In 2007, NASA launched a set of five satellites named THEMIS – Time instruments. Prior to the Geotail mission, no composition information History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms. for ENA emissions was available. The first composition information of The purpose of those satellites was to study substorms in the Earth’s ENA was reported with measurements from the Energetic Particles and magnetosphere, especially where they intensify auroras near the Dr Tony Tat Yin Lui received his PhD in Space Physics in 1974 from KEY COLLABORATORS Ion Composition (EPIC) instrument on Geotail.

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