In-Situ Measurements and Remote Sensing of the Solar Wind
This project studies the solar wind's origins and particle acceleration using space-based measurements to forecast solar energetic particle events.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: May 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: $99,200 stipend plus $3,000 travel allowance; fellowship duration typically 2-3 years
Summary: Supports postdoctoral research combining in situ and remote sensing measurements to study solar wind origins and solar energetic particle events forecasting.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents with a PhD; relocation and health insurance benefits included.
Description
This fellowship opportunity at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) focuses on advancing the understanding of the solar wind and solar energetic particle (SEP) events through a combination of in situ measurements and remote sensing techniques. The solar corona's outer regions and the solar wind plasma are tenuous, where particle collisions are insufficient for equilibration, making plasma waves a dominant factor in dynamics. This research aims to elucidate the origins and source regions of the solar wind and the conditions that lead to SEP events, with the ultimate goal of developing forecasting capabilities.
The program integrates data from instruments such as the Advanced Composition Explorer (for element abundances and charge states) and remote sensing platforms like Hinode's Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph, SDO, and SOHO spacecraft. A key component is the Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph Pathfinder (UVSC-Pathfinder), an experiment under development for the Department of Defense Space Test Program, designed to detect suprathermal ions in the solar corona, which are believed to be precursors for shock waves from coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that generate SEP events.
This research is highly relevant to fields including atomic physics, plasma physics, shock waves, solar physics, solar wind studies, and spectroscopy.
