Andrew Walsh

    Instrument Operations Scientist

     

    Main Research Fields

    My research focuses on the the structure and dynamics of the terrestrial magnetotail, particularly the properties of and asymmetries in the particle distributions in the magnetotail plasma sheet. Examining these distributions allows us to understand how mass and energy enter the magnetosphere from the solar wind and ionosphere, which particle acceleration processes are the most effective in the magnetotail and ultimately how the seed population for the ring current and radiation belts is formed. I am also working on how the particle acceleration that happens in the magnetotail and closer to the Earth results in the bright visible aurora. I use data from ESA's Cluster and Double Star missions in my research.


    Keywords

    • Magnetosphere
    • Magnetotail
    • Plasma Sheet
    • Aurora
    • Dawn-Dusk Asymmetry
    • Particle Accelaration

    Ongoing collaborations

    • M.G.G.T. Taylor; ESTEC
    • C. Forsyth, A. N. Fazakerley, C. J. Owen; Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL, UK
    • A. Masters; ISAS/JAXA, Japan
    • K. R. Murphy, I. J. Rae, I. R. Mann, C. E. J. Watt; University of Alberta, Canada
    • Dawn-Dusk Asymmetries Team, International Space Science Institute, Switzerland

    Publications

    Publications

    Project/mission at ESA

    Solar Orbiter