Space Physics

Space Physics Seminar Series

Primary Current Research Efforts of Rice SPA Faculty

David Alexander

Particle acceleration and transport in solar flares

Prominence dynamics, activity, and eruption

Reconstruction of 3D coronal magnetic field

Emergence of sunspot magnetic fields and coronal helicity injection

Stephen Bradshaw

Astrophysics of the Sun: heating in the solar atmosphere; energy transport processes; time-dependent ionization states; emission line spectroscopy

Plasma physics: electron and ion kinetics; non-equilibrium processes; non-local phenomena; hybrid fluid-kinetic models

Numerical modeling: high-order solvers; shock capturing; adaptive grids

Anthony Chan

Theory and simulations of radiation belt dynamics

Quasilinear theory and wave-particle interactions

Stanislav Sazykin

Simulations of substorms and magnetic storms

Coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere models

Subauroral and low-latitude ionospheric electrodynamics

Development of the coupled global SWMF model

Frank Toffoletto

Simulations of plasma sheet transport processes

Development of coupled global OpenGGCM-RCM and LFM-RCM codes

Magnetospheric equilibria

Advanced analysis tools

Richard Wolf

Plasma sheet transport--theory and data analysis

Thin-filament simulations

Links above have complete descriptions of ongoing research programs

Examples of SPA research at Rice:

Magnetic field lines and surfaces of constant plasma pressure in Earth's magnetosphere, calculated using the RCM-Friction code (a version of the Rice Convection Model which has been merged with a magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium code).		A composite image showing a fast coronal mass ejection (from SOHO/LASCO) and a He 304 image (from SOHO/EIT). Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are the most energetic phenomena in the solar system and a major source of Space Weather.