Follow the mass: the Science Case for Transformational Multi-scale Observations of Mass and Energy Flow Dynamics in Earth’s Magnetosphere
Whitepaper #261 in the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024-2033. Main topics: basic research. Additional topics: planetary magnetospheres; space-based missions/projects; system science.
by David Malaspina, Robert Ergun, Jerry Goldstein, Constance Spittler, Bryce Unruh, Jason Link, Jeffrey Parker, Lauren De Moudt, Laila Andersson, Joseph Borovsky, Xiangning Chu, Dennis Gallagher, Vania Jordanova, Solene Lejosne, Naomi Maruyama, Scott Thaller, Brian Walsh, Jacob Bortnik, Aaron Breneman, Alexandros Chasapis, Thomas Chen, Seth Claudepierre, Gregory Cunningham, Alexander Drozdov, Scot Elkington, Christine Gabrielse, Katherine Goodrich, Ashley Greeley, Brian Larsen, Justin Lee, Carlos Maldonaldo, Phil Richards, Paul Song, and Maria Usanova
Published onJul 31, 2023
Follow the mass: the Science Case for Transformational Multi-scale Observations of Mass and Energy Flow Dynamics in Earth’s Magnetosphere
This paper describes the science motivation for transformational multi-scale observations of mass and energy flows in Earth’s magnetosphere, demonstrating why this is a persistent and critical Heliophysics knowledge gap. A spaceflight mission concept, Plasma Imaging LOcal and Tomographic experiment (PILOT), is described, which can provide the observations required to close this knowledge gap.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
