Research Projects

When the first American satellite, Explorer I, was launched into space it inadvertently discovered one of the most significant features of our local space environment: the Van Allen Radiation Belts.  This region contains highly energetic particles that are hazardous.  This research involves one promising remediation mechanism based on interactions between these particles and very-low frequency electromagnetic waves known as whistlers.

The Van Allen Radiation Belt is a region in the near-Earth space populated with high-energy, electrically charged particles. Because of their very high energy, these particles present a significant threat to low-Earth orbiting satellites, the International Space Station, and its human crew. The radiation damage to satellite electronics increases when the amount of energetic particles in the radiation belt increases by a factor of 10 or 100 due to the plasma eruptions on the Sun or the high-altitude nuclear explosions. Results from high-altitude nuclear tests produced in 1968 combined with modern computer simulations demonstrate that even a relatively "modest" nuclear explosion (equivalent to a few tenths of kilotons in TNT) in the upper atmosphere can reduce the lifetime of many very important and expensive commercial, military, intelligence, and communication satellites from years to months. Therefore, it is a matter of national security to develop a solid understanding of the basic physics of remediation of energetic particles from the space. One possible way to achieve this goal is to use large amplitude electromagnetic waves. They can efficiently interact with energetic particles and precipitate them from the magnetosphere into the atmosphere. We will study the observations of large-amplitude whistlers detected by the Van Allen Probes satellites in the radiation belt. We also will model these waves with comprehensive numerical models and compare the numerical results with the observed wave dynamics in the magnetosphere. The results from this project are very important for future experiments including launching waves into the radiation belt from ground antennas (like HAARP and Arecibo) or from space platforms.