Coupling; Global imaging; In Situ measurements; Ionosphere; Magnetosphere; Solar wind; Astronomy and Astrophysics; Space and Planetary Science
Abstract :
[en] How does solar wind energy flow through the Earth’s magnetosphere, how is it converted and distributed? is the question we want to address. We need to understand how geomagnetic storms and substorms start and grow, not just as a matter of scientific curiosity, but to address a clear and pressing practical problem: space weather, which can influence the performance and reliability of our technological systems, in space and on the ground, and can endanger human life and health. Much knowledge has already been acquired over the past decades, particularly by making use of multiple spacecraft measuring conditions in situ, but the infant stage of space weather forecasting demonstrates that we still have a vast amount of learning to do. A novel global approach is now being taken by a number of space imaging missions which are under development and the first tantalising results of their exploration will be available in the next decade. In this White Paper, submitted to ESA in response to the Voyage 2050 Call, we propose the next step in the quest for a complete understanding of how the Sun controls the Earth’s plasma environment: a tomographic imaging approach comprising two spacecraft in highly inclined polar orbits, enabling global imaging of magnetopause and cusps in soft X-rays, of auroral regions in FUV, of plasmasphere and ring current in EUV and ENA (Energetic Neutral Atoms), alongside in situ measurements. Such a mission, encompassing the variety of physical processes determining the conditions of geospace, will be crucial on the way to achieving scientific closure on the question of solar-terrestrial interactions.
Branduardi-Raymont, G. ; Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, United Kingdom
Berthomier, M.; Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, Paris, France
Bogdanova, Y.V.; Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom
Carter, J.A.; University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
Collier, M.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, United States
Dimmock, A.; Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden
Dunlop, M.; Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom ; School of Space and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing, China
Fear, R.C.; University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Forsyth, C.; Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, United Kingdom
Hubert, Benoît ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Labo de physique atmosphérique et planétaire (LPAP)
Kronberg, E.A.; University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Laundal, K.M.; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Lester, M.; University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
Milan, S.; University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
Oksavik, K.; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Østgaard, N.; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Palmroth, M.; University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Plaschke, F.; Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
Porter, F.S.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, United States
Rae, I.J.; Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Read, A.; University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
Samsonov, A.A.; Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, United Kingdom
Sembay, S.; University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
Shprits, Y.; German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Sibeck, D.G.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, United States
Walsh, B.; Boston University, Boston, United States
Yamauchi, M.; Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden
GBR and AAS acknowledge support by the UK Space Agency under grant ST/T002964/1. YVB is supported by the STFC RAL Space In-house research grant. EAK is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under number KR 4375/2\u2009\u2212\u20091 within SPP \u2018Dynamic Earth\u2019. KML, KO and N\u00D8 acknowledge financial support by the Research Council of Norway under the contract 223,252. SEM is supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), UK, grant no. ST/S000429/1.
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