Collaborative Research: ANSWERS: Ion-Neutral Coupling in Geospace and its Impact on Space Weather

Plasma (a gas that is hot enough for its constituent atoms to be ionized) is the most abundant state of matter in our solar system and the universe. Understanding how plasma interacts with neutral elements in the atmospheres around the Sun and Earth is important for space weather modeling and prediction. For instance, predicting satellite drag requires knowledge of the density of Earth's thermosphere, which is modified by solar radiation and ions from solar wind. Yet, space weather models sometimes ignore the effects of plasma-neutral interactions or rely on dated models developed using simple experiments. This project will undertake a pioneering laboratory investigation of collisions in plasmas, develop new models for plasma-neutral interaction, and fold them into state-of-the-art space weather models. The team will also create science kits with hands-on activities and instructional materials and distribute them to every elementary school in 21 counties in West Virginia. The project is a collaborative effort between West Virginia University, University of Texas at Arlington, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Electric Power Research Institute and Spark! Imagination and Science Center in West Virginia. Understanding ion-neutral interactions is important for modeling magnetosphere/ionosphere/thermosphere coupling and the dynamics of the solar chromosphere, which influence space weather. Ion-neutral collision frequency plays a critical role for both Joule heating and ionospheric and chromospheric (ambipolar) conductivity. The project team will conduct a multi-fluid, multi-species laboratory study of ion-neutral coupling, develop a new model for collision frequency for the terrestrial ionosphere, and incorporate ion-neutral coupling in a chromosphere simulation model. The newly developed collision frequency model will be incorporated into the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model and the Space Weather Modeling Framework and validated using space-based observations. Wider scientific community participation in this work will be encouraged through two workshops. The research and educational activities will involve postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students. ANSWERS projects advance the nation’s STEM expertise and societal resilience to space weather hazards by filling key knowledge gaps regarding the coupled Sun-Earth system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.