CUA scientist discovers a new way our
upper atmosphere is energized
Dr . Francesca Di Mare, a NASA-based CUA/PHaSER researcher, and Gregory Howes from the University of Iowa unveil a new type of turbulence in the Earth’s polar ionosphere. This turbulence consists of waves moving up and down the Earth’s magnetic field lines, called inertial Alfvén waves. By combining the TRICE-2 rockets’ measurements of the turbulent electric and magnetic field, the researchers deduced that the turbulent energy flows to small scales along a pathway that is different from previous observations of turbulence in space. The study provides a solid foundation for the unexpected energization of protons in the ionospheric plasma during periods of disturbed space weather.
Read more about these exciting new results in the Physical Review Letters article and the associted NASA press-release.
PHaSER scientist probes a century-old plasma theory using NASA's MMS mission
Dr. Jason Shuster, a UMd-based reseacher who has recently joined PHaSER, has led a research project that culminated in an article published by the highly regarded Nature Physics journal. Plasma – a fourth state of matter after solid, liquid, and gas – is known to be the most common form of matter in the universe. Dr. Shuster and his team, which included three more PHaSER researchers, was able to directly measure terms of the famous Vlasov equation bridging the gap between motions of the individual plasma particles and the large-scale properties of the geospace plasma. See the NASA blog on Jason's paper for more details.
Succesfull suborbital test of a new rocket instrument
On July 11th an experimental space plasma analyzer was launched from NASA Wallops Flight Facility aboard the DYNAMO-2 sounding rocket. The vehicle flew on a suborbital spaceflight to an altitude of 133 km before splashing down into the Atlantic. The instrument was led by Dr. Glyn Collinson, and supported through the CEPHEUS contract. The instrument is a prototype for the upcoming Endurance rocket mission, for which CUA is the PI institution.
PHaSER student receives prestigious scholarship award
Edward Tocco, U. of Maryland student working for Dr. Teresa Nieves of NASA Goddard's Heliospheric Physics Lab under the PHaSER agreement, has been selected as a John Mather Scholar. Award nomenees must have demonstrated high academic achievement, have a strong interest in space and Goddard Space Flight Center, and be currently holding a Goddard-based research internship. Recipients will meet with Dr John C Mather, Senior Astrophysicist and Goddard Fellow and Nobel Prize recipient. Join us in congratulating Edward Tocco on this prestigious career award.