The proposed work will provide a user-friendly tool to determine how the ultra-low-freuqnecy (ULF) electromagnetic waves are connected to the earth s BOW shock in the upstream foreshock region,…

This is a $149,700 grant awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Regents of the University of Michigan to develop a user-friendly tool to analyze ultra-low-frequency (ULF) electromagnetic waves detected by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission and connect them to the Earth's bow shock. The proposed work will leverage advanced magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models to map the observed waves to a 2D plane, enabling statistical analysis under different solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field conditions. This research is directly relevant to the MMS mission's goal of understanding shock physics and will enhance the science return of the mission. The contract has no set-aside designation and runs through May 31, 2028.

The proposed work will provide a user-friendly tool to determine how the ultra-low-freuqnecy (ULF) electromagnetic waves are connected to the earth s BOW shock in the upstream foreshock region, which is critical information for determining the wave generation mechanisms through wave analysis using the data from the magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) mission. There is no such tool readily available in the community currently. The proposed work will leverage on the recent advance in the study of global structures of the BOW shock using global magenetohydrodynamic (MHD) models by the PI, and will combine the model results and the MMS data to map the observed waves to the plane ordered by the backstreming ION motion and the interplaneaty magnetic field (IMF). IT effectively reduces the 3-d geometry to a 2-d plane, allowing for statistical analysis of the waves observed under all different solar wind and IMF conditions. The work will enhance science return of the MMS mission and is directly relenvant to one of the the mission science goals of understanding shock physics