Vadim Uritsky

Department

  • Physics

    • School

  • School of Arts and Sciences

    • Expertise

  • Experimental space physics
  • Space instrument design
  • Theory of complexity
  • Statistical mechanics of turbulent media

    • Brief Biography

    Dr. Vadim M. Uritsky received his Ph.D. in Space Physics and Geophysics from St. Petersburg State University, Russia in 1998. In 1999-2001, he held a postdoctoral research position at NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. In 2002-2005, he continued his research as a senior staff scientist at the Institute of Physics of St. Petersburg State University. In 2005, Dr. Uritsky defended his post-doctorate habilitation thesis and was granted the title of Doktor Nauk (Grand Ph.D.), the highest academic qualification in Russian Federation. In 2006 - 2011, Dr. Uritsky was a senior research associate and an adjunct (research) professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Calgary, Canada. In 2011-2013 he was a Research Associate with the Institute for Astrophysics and Computational Sciences operating within the Department of Physics at Catholic University of America (CUA). Since September 2013, V. Uritsky is an Associate Professor in the CUA's Department of Physics.

    Dr. Uritsky is a recipient of several professional awards, including a National Research Council award from the U.S. National Academies. Dr. Uritsky is an expert reviewer for major scientific journals and funding agencies. He participated in international research programs involving CIS, Japan, Germany, Greece, Italy, USA, and has contributed to the organization of international scientific meetings as a session chair/convener, most recently as Chair of the First International Workshop on Small Satellites for Space Weather Research and Forecasting (SSWRF 2017).

    More on Dr. Uritsky's Expertise

    Dr. Uritsky’s main expertise is in the areas of experimental space physics, space instrument design, theory of complexity, and statistical mechanics of turbulent media. He is the first author on 33 peer-reviewed scientific papers (more than 100 publications in total). Over the past ten years, Dr. Uritsky’s research has been funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the European Union’s INTAS program, the U.S. National Research Council, NASA science programs, Canadian Space Agency, and Canada Foundation for Innovation.

    Dr. Uritsky has taught university lecture courses for physics majors, engineers, and interdisciplinary students, including electricity and magnetism, special relativity, subatomic physics, quantum mechanics, scientific programming, digital image processing, experimental space physics, statistical mechanics of complex systems, mathematical physics, space plasma physics, and other subjects.

    Research Interests

    Magnetospheric physics: auroral observations of transient magnetospheric processes; substorm onset triggers and precursors; intermittent turbulence in the solar wind - magnetosphere – ionosphere system; waves and instabilities in auroral arcs; cross-scale coupling in magnetotail plasma; conjugate signatures of localized magnetic reconnection in thin current sheets; analysis and theory of low-frequency plasma sheet oscillations; global predictive models of geomagnetic activity for space weather applications.

    Solar physics: statistical models of solar flares and nanoflares; multiscale topology of photospheric magnetic network and its relation to coronal heating; solar prominences and coronal mass ejections.

    Plasma turbulence and the theory of complexity: scaling and universality in resistive MHD turbulence; self-organized criticality and intermittency in spatially distributed dynamical systems; statistical models of complexity.

    Data analysis and visualization: advanced algorithms of image processing; spatiotemporal pattern recognition; data-derived constraints for satellite instrumentation design.

    Refereed Publications in International Journals

    1. A. C. Rager, A.C., J. C. Dorelli, D. J. Gershman, V. M. Uritsky, L. A. Avanov, R. B., Torbert, J. L. Burch, R. E. Ergun, J. Egedal, C. Schiff, J. R. Shuster, B. L. Giles, W. R. Paterson, C. J. Pollock, R. J. Strangeway, C. T. Russell, B. Lavraud, V. N Coffey, and Y. Saito. Electron crescent distributions as a manifestation of diamagnetic drift in an electron scale current sheet: Magnetospheric Multiscale observations using new 7.5 ms Fast Plasma Investigation moments, Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 10.1002/2017GL076260, 2018.

    2. Knizhnik, K., V. M. Uritsky, J. Klimchuck, and C. R. DeVore, Power-Law Statistics of Driven Reconnection in the Magnetically Closed Corona, Astrophysical J., 83 (1), 2018.

    3. Donovan, E., V. M. Uritsky, C. Unick, and V. Troyan. Data-derived optimization of sensitivity requirements for upcoming auroral imaging missions, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 122 (9), 2017.

    4. Uritsky, V. M., M. Roberts, C. R. DeVore, and J. T. Karpen. Reconnection-driven magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in a simulated coronal-hole jet, Astrophysical J., 837 (123), 2017.

    5. Klimas, A. J. and V. M. Uritsky, Criticality and turbulence in a resistive magnetohydrodynamic current sheet, Physical Review E, 95, 023209, 2017.

    6. Jones, S. I., J. M. Davila, and V. M. Uritsky. Optimizing global coronal magnetic field models using image-based constraints, Astrophysical J., 820 (2), 2016.

    7. Unick, C., E. F. Donovan, E. Spanswick, and V. M. Uritsky. Selection of FUV auroral imagers for satellite missions, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, A121 (10), 10019-10031, 2016.

    8. Sharma, A. S., M. J. Aschwanden, N. B. Crosby, A. J. Klimas, A. V. Milovanov, L. Morales, R. Sanchez, and V. M. Uritsky. 25 Years of Self-organized criticality: Space and laboratory plasmas, Space Science Reviews, 198 (1-4), 167-216, 2016.

    9. Aschwanden, M.J., N. B. Crosby, M. Dimitropoulou, M. K. Georgoulis, S. Hergarten, J. McAteer, A. V. Milovanov, S. Mineshige, L. Morales, N. Nishizuka, G. Pruessner, R. Sanchez, A. S. Sharma, A. Strugarek, and V. M. Uritsky. 25 Years of self-organized criticality: Solar and astrophysics, Space Science Reviews, 198 (1-4), 47-166, 2016.

    10. Uritskaya, O. Y. and V. M. Uritsky. Predictability of price movements in deregulated electricity markets, Energy Economics, 49, 72-81, 2015.

    11. Guerra, J. A., A. Pulkkinen, and V.M. Uritsky. Ensemble forecasting of major solar flares, Space Weather, 13 (10), 626-642, 2015.

    12. Guerra, J. A. A. Pulkkinen, V.M. Uritsky, and S. Yashiro. Spatio-Temporal Scaling of Turbulent Photospheric Line-of-sight magnetic field in active region NOAA 11158, Solar Physics, Volume 290, Issue 2, pp.335-350, 2015.

    13. Uritsky, V. M. and J. M. Davila. Spatiotemporal Organization of Energy Release Events in the Quiet Solar Corona, Astrophysical J., 795 (1), article id. 15, 5 pp., 2014.

    14. Luna, M.; Knizhnik, K.; Muglach, K.; Karpen, J.; Gilbert, H.; Kucera, T. A.; Uritsky, V. Observations and implications of large-amplitude longitudinal oscillations in a solar filament, Astrophysical J., 785 (1), article id. 79, 13 pp., 2014.

    15. Collinson, G. A.; Sibeck, D. G.; Masters, A.; Shane, N.; Zhang, T. L.; Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Coates, A. J.; Moore, T. E.; Slavin, J. A.; Uritsky, V. M.; Boardsen, S.; Sarantos, M. A survey of hot flow anomalies at Venus, Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics, A119 (2), pp. 978-991, 2014.

    Uritsky, V. M.; Davila, J. M.; Viall, N. M.; Ofman, L. Measuring Temperature-dependent Propagating Disturbances in Coronal Fan Loops Using Multiple SDO/AIA Channels and the Surfing Transform Technique, Astrophysical J., Volume 778, Issue 1, article id. 26, 9 pp., 2013.

    17. Sundberg, T.; Boardsen, S.A.; Slavin, J.A.; Uritsky, V.M.; Anderson, B. J.; Korth, H.; Gershman, D. J.; Raines, J.M.; Zurbuchen, T. H.; Solomon, S. C. Cyclic reformation of a quasi-parallel bow shock at Mercury: MESSENGER observations, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, Volume 118, Issue 10, pp. 6457-6464, 2013.

    18. Uritsky, V.M., J. Slavin, , S. A. Boardsen, T. Sundberg, J. M. Raines, D. J. Gershman, G. Collinson, D. Sibeck, G. Khazanov, B. Anderson, and H. Korth, Active current sheets and hot flow anomalies in Mercury’s bow shock, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 119 (2), pp. 853-876, 2014.

    19. Uritsky, V. M., J. M. Davila, L. Ofman and A. J. Coyner, Stochastic coupling of solar photosphere and corona, Astrophysical J., 769, doi: doi:10.1088/0004-637X/769/1/62, 2013.

    20. Sundberg, T., J.A. Slavin, S.A. Boardsen, B.J. Anderson, H. Korth, G.C. Ho, D. Schriver, V. M. Uritsky, T.H. Zurbuchen, J.M. Raines, D.N. Baker, S.M. Krimigis, R.L. McNutt,and S. C. Solomon, MESSENGER observations of dipolarization events in Mercury's magnetotail, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 117: A00M03, doi: 10.1029/2012JA017756, 2012.

    21. Uritsky, V. M. and J. Davila, Multiscale dynamics of solar magnetic structures, Astrophysical J., 748 (1), doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/748/1/60, 2012.

    22. Knudsen, D. J., J. K. Burchill, E. F. Donovan, and V. M. Uritsky, Advection of magnetic energy as a source of power for auroral arcs, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38: L24103, doi:10.1029/2011GL049661, 2011.

    23. Liang, J., B. Ni, E. Spanswick, M. Kubyshkina, E. F. Donovan, V. M. Uritsky, R. M. Thorne, and V. Angelopoulos, Fast earthward flows, electron cyclotron harmonic waves, and diffuse auroras: Conjunctive observations and synthesized scenario, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 116: A12220, doi:10.1029/2011JA017094, 2011.

    24. Uritsky, V.M., J. Slavin, G. Khazanov, E. Donovan, S. Boardsen, B. Anderson, and H. Korth, Kinetic-scale magnetic turbulence and finite Larmor radius effects at Mercury, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 116: A09236, doi: 10.1029/2011JA016744, 2011.

    25. Liu, W. W., L. F. Morales, V. M. Uritsky, and P. Charbonneau, Formation and disruption of current filaments in a flow-driven turbulent magnetosphere, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 116: A03213, doi:10.1029/2010JA016020, 2011.

    26. Pouquet, A., M.-E. Brachet, E. Lee, P. Mininni, D. Rosenberg, V. M. Uritsky, Lack of universality in MHD turbulence, and the possible emergence of a new paradigm?, Proc. Int. Astronomical Union, 271, p. 304-316, doi: 10.1017/S174392131101773X, 2011.

    27. Vallieres-Nollet, M.-A., P. Charbonneau, V.M. Uritsky, E. Donovan, and W. Liu, Dual scaling for self-organized critical models of the magnetosphere, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 115: A12217, doi: :10.1029/2010JA015641, 2010.

    28. Uritsky, V.M., A. Pouquet, P. D. Rosenberg, D. Mininni, and E. F. Donovan, Structures in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence: Detection and scaling, Physical Review E, 82: 056326, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.82.056326, 2010.

    29. Uritsky, V.M., E. Donovan, T. Trondsen, D. Pineau, and B. V. Kozelov, Data-derived spatiotemporal resolution constraints for global auroral imagers, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 115: A09205, doi:10.1029/2010JA015365, 2010.

    30. Liang, J., V. M. Uritsky, E. Donovan, B. Ni, E. Spanswick, T. Trondsen, J. Bonnell, A. Roux, U. Auster, and D. Larson, THEMIS observations of electron cyclotron harmonic emissions, ULF waves, and pulsating auroras, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 115: A10235, doi:10.1029/2009JA015148, 2010.

    31. Klimas, A.J., V.M. Uritsky, and E. Donovan, Multiscale auroral emission statistics as evidence of turbulent reconnection in Earth’s midtail plasma sheet, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 115: A06202, doi:10.1029/2009JA014995, 2010.

    32. J. Wanliss and V.M. Uritsky, Understanding bursty behavior in mid-latitude geomagnetic activity, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 115: A03215, doi:10.1029/2009JA014642, 2010.

    33. Uritsky, V.M., J. Liang, E. Donovan, E. Spanswick, D. Knudsen, W. Liu, J. Bonnell, and K.H. Glassmeier, Longitudinally propagating arc wave in the pre-onset optical aurora, Geophysical Research Letters, 36: L21103, 2009.

    34. Lovejoy, S. and 15 co-authors including V.M. Uritsky, Nonlinear geophysics: why we need it, Eos, 90(48), p. 455-456, 2009.

    35. Uritsky, V.M., J. Davila, and E.I. Jones, Coexistence of self-organized criticality and intermittent turbulence in the solar corona – reply to comment, Physical Review Letters, 103 (3): Art. 039502, 2009.

    36. Uritsky, V. M., E. Donovan, A. J. Klimas, and E. Spanswick, Collective dynamics of bursty particle precipitation initiating in the inner and outer plasma sheet, Annales Geophysicae, 27 (2): 745-753, 2009.

    37. Uritsky, V.M., E. Donovan, A.J. Klimas, and E. Spanswick, Scale-free and scale-dependent modes of energy release dynamics in the nighttime magnetosphere, Geophysical Research Letters, 35 (21): Art. L21101, 2008.

    38. Serletis, A., O.Y. Uritskaya, and V.M. Uritsky, Detrended fluctuation analysis of the US stock market, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 18 (2): 599-603, 2008.

    39. Uritsky, V.M., M. Paczuski, D. Davila, and S. I. Jones, Coexistence of self-organized criticality and intermittent turbulence in the solar corona, Physical Review Letters, 99 (2), Art. No. 025001, 2007.

    40. Uritsky, V.M., A.J. Klimas, and D. Vassiliadis, Critical finite-size scaling of energy and lifetime probability distributions of auroral emissions, Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L08102, 2006.

    41. Uritsky, V.M., A.J. Klimas, and D. Vassiliadis, Analysis and prediction of high-latitude geomagnetic disturbances based on a self-organized criticality framework, Advances in Space Research, 37 (3), 539-546, 2006.

    42. Pulkkinen A, A.J. Klimas, D. Vassiliadis, and V.M. Uritsky, Role of stochastic fluctuations in the magnetosphere-ionosphere system: A stochastic model for the AE index variations, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 111 (A10), p.A10218 1 - 20, 2006.

    43. Pulkkinen A, A.J. Klimas, D. Vassiliadis, V.M. Uritsky, and E. Tanskanen, Spatiotemporal scaling properties of the ground geomagnetic field variations, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 111 (A3), p.A03305 1 - 15, 2006.

    44. Uritsky, V.M. and A.J. Klimas, Hysteresis-controlled instability waves in a scale-free driven current sheet model, Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 12, p.827-833, 2005.

    45. Klimas, A.J., V.M. Uritsky, D. Vassiliadis, and D.N. Baker, A mechanism for the loading-unloading substorm cycle missing in mhd global magnetospheric simulation models, Geophysical Research Letters, 32 (14), L14108, 2005.

    46. Valdivia, J.A. , J. Rogan, V. Munoz, L. Gomberoff, A. Klimas, D. Vassiliadis, V.M. Uritsky, S. Sharma, B. Toledo, and L. Wastavino, The magnetosphere as a complex system, Advances in Space Research, 35 (5), p.961-971, 2005.

    47. Klimas, A.J., V.M. Uritsky, D. Vassiliadis, and D.N. Baker, Reconnection and scale-free avalanching in a driven current-sheet model, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 109 (A2), p.A02218 1 - 14, 2004.

    48. Uritsky, V.M., N.A. Smirnova, V.N. Troyan, and F. Vallianatos, Critical dynamics of fractal fault systems and its role in the generation of electromagnetic emissions before major earthquakes, Physics and Chemistry of Earth, 29 (4-9), p.473-480, 2004.

    49. Kozelov, B.V., V.M. Uritsky, and A.J. Klimas, Power law probability distributions of multiscale auroral dynamics from ground-based TV observations, Geophysical Research Letters, 31 (20), L20804, 2004.

    50. Valdivia, J.A., A.J. Klimas, D. Vassiliadis, V.M. Uritsky, and J. Takalo, Self-organization in a current sheet model, Space Science Reviews, 107 (1-2), 515-522, 2003.

    Uritsky, V.M., A.J. Klimas, and D. Vassiliadis, Evaluation of spreading critical exponents from the spatiotemporal evolution of emission regions on the nighttime aurora, Geophysical Research Letters, 30 (15), p.1813-1816, 2003.

    52. Uritsky, V.M., A.J. Klimas, D. Vassiliadis, D. Chua, and G. Parks, Scale-free statistics of spatiotemporal auroral emissions as depicted by POLAR UVI images: Dynamic magnetosphere is an avalanching system, Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics, 107 (A12), p.1426-1436, 2002.

    53. Kamenskaya V.G., V.M.Uritsky, N.I.Muzalevskaya, S.V.Zvereva and L.V.Tomanov, Fractal characteristics of heart rate variability in adolescents at verbal testing, International Journal of Psychophysiology, 45 (1-2), p.161, 2002.

    54. Uritsky, V.M., A.J. Klimas, and D. Vassiliadis, Multiscale dynamics and robust critical scaling in a continuum current sheet model, Physical Review E, 65 (4), p.046113-1 - 046113-5, 2002.

    55. Uritsky, V.M., A.J. Klimas, J.A. Valdivia, D. Vassiliadis, and D.N. Baker, Stable critical behavior and fast field annihilation in a magnetic filed reversal model, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar - Terrestrial Physics, 63 (13), p.1425-1433, 2001.

    56. Uritsky, V.M., M.I. Pudovkin, and A. Steen, Geomagnetic substorms as perturbed self-organized critical dynamics of the magnetosphere, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar - Terrestrial Physics, 63 (13), p.1415-1424, 2001.

    57. Uritsky, V.M., A.J. Klimas, and D. Vassiliadis, Comparative study of dynamical critical scaling in the auroral electrojet index versus solar wind fluctuations, Geophysical Research Letters, 28 (19), p.3809-3812, 2001.

    58. Uritsky V.M., V.B. Slezin, E.A. Korsakova, S.K. Khorshev, and N.I.Muzalevskaya, Fractal diagnostics of alpha-rhythm malfunctions in epileptic patients, Biophysics, 44 (1), p. 33-37, 1999.

    59. Khorshev S.K., E.A. Korsakova, V.M. Uritsky, and V.B. Slezin, Diagnostics of epilepsy and its preclinical stage by the method of fractal EEG analysis, Epilepsy, 40 (suppl. 2x), p.279, 1999.

    60. Uritsky, V.M. and M.I. Pudovkin, Fractal dynamics of AE-index of geomagnetic activity as a potential manifestation of self-organized criticality in magnetosphere, Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, 38 (3), 17-28, 1998.

    61. Uritsky, V.M. and M.I. Pudovkin, Low Frequency 1/f-like fluctuations of the AE-index as a possible manifestation of self-organized criticality in the magnetosphere, Annales Geophysicae, 16 (12), p.1580-1588, 1998.

    62. Muzalevskaya N.I. and V.M. Uritsky, Antiblastomic effect of weak extremely low frequency stochastic magnetic field with a 1/f power spectrum, Biophysics, 42 (4), p.961-970, 1997.

    63. Uritsky V.M. and N.I. Muzalevskaya, Fractal stochastic electromagnetic background as a factor stabilizing processes of vital activity, Fractals, 1 (3), p.321-325, 1993.