Study of the magnetic field surrounding the Earth and how it interacts with the solar wind.
Earth's Magnetic Field: The structure and strength of the Earth's magnetic field.
Plasma Physics: The study of the behavior of charged particles (plasma) in a magnetic field.
Solar Wind: The stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun that interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere.
Magnetopause: The boundary between the magnetosphere and the solar wind.
Magnetotail: The extended tail of the Earth's magnetosphere that is formed by the solar wind.
Ionosphere: The upper atmosphere where ionization occurs due to the solar wind.
Van Allen Radiation Belts: The radiation belts that surround the Earth, composed of high-energy charged particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic field.
Magnetic Reconnection: The process by which magnetic field lines break and then rejoin, releasing energy and accelerating particles.
Magnetospheric Substorms: The sudden onset of geomagnetic disturbances that cause auroras and other visible effects.
Electromagnetic Waves: The various types of waves that can propagate through the magnetosphere, including Alfven waves, whistler waves, and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves.
Particle Acceleration: The mechanisms by which particles are accelerated to high energies in the magnetosphere, including magnetic reconnection and wave-particle interactions.
Magnetohydrodynamics: The study of the behavior of fluids that conduct electricity, including plasmas, in the presence of a magnetic field.
Radiation Biology: The study of the effects of ionizing radiation on living organisms, including the effect of radiation from the magnetosphere on astronauts.
Magnetosphere–Ionosphere Coupling: The interaction between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere, including the propagation of waves and the exchange of particles and energy.
Geomagnetic Storms: The severe disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere that can cause technological disruptions and power outages on Earth.
Magnetopause: The boundary separating the Earth's magnetic field from the solar wind, where the pressure of the solar wind is balanced by the Earth's magnetic field.
Magnetotail: The elongated, trailing portion of the Earth's magnetosphere, extending away from the Sun.
Plasmasphere: A region of dense plasma that surrounds the Earth, extending out to about 6 Earth radii.
Radiation belts: Regions of highly energetic charged particles trapped by the Earth's magnetic field.
Substorms: Explosive releases of energy that occur in the Earth's magnetosphere, resulting in auroral displays and other phenomena.
Solar wind disruption: Large-scale disturbances in the solar wind cause changes in the magnetosphere, including the formation of magnetospheric substorms and other phenomena.
Magnetospheric compression: Sudden increases in solar wind pressure can compress the magnetosphere, causing changes in its shape and size.
Magnetic reconnection: A process in which the Earth's magnetic field lines are broken and reconfigured, releasing energy and causing changes in the magnetosphere.
Particle precipitation: Charged particles from the Earth's magnetospheric radiation belts can precipitate into the Earth's atmosphere, causing auroras and other phenomena.
Magnetosheath: The region of the solar wind just outside the Earth's magnetopause where the solar wind is slowed down and compressed.