Physics Dept Seminar

October 6th, Tuesday (*SPECIAL DAY*)

Tracing Heavy Ions: Space Weather Modeling from Earth to the Moon

Prof. Mei-Yun Lin

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(Terrestrial Physics, Host: Hyomin Kim)

Room: ECE 202

Time: 11:45 am - 12:45 pm with 11:30 am teatime

Identifying the processes responsible for particle energization is one of the open questions in heliophysics research, whether it pertains to coronal heating, polar wind outflow, or magnetospheric transport. Changes in the plasma composition in the terrestrial environment regulate the interactions between the Earth’s electromagnetic environment and the solar wind. Heavy ions, in particular, play a crucial role in governing mass and energy flow, significantly shaping the dynamics and morphology of near-Earth current systems. This talk presents two applications of heavy ion tracing designed to track the origins of magnetospheric plasma from both the terrestrial ionosphere and the lunar exosphere, comparing their respective contributions to the broader space environment. By leveraging advanced numerical space weather models, these investigations not only unravel the origins of magnetospheric plasma but also provide robust modeling tools critical for assessing space weather impacts across the Earth-Moon system.