Space Physics
Laser sails propelled by gigawatt-scale ground-based laser arrays have the potential to reach relativistic speeds, traversing the solar system in hours and reaching nearby stars in years. Here, we describe the danger interplanetary dust…
Measurements of transverse magnetic field and velocity components from Parker Solar Probe have revealed a coherent quasi-periodic pattern in the near-Sun solar wind. As well as being Alfv\'enic and arc-polarised, these deflections were…
Analysis of 8,804,545 electron velocity distribution functions (VDFs), observed by the $\mathit{Wind}$ spacecraft near 1 AU between January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2022, was performed to determine the spacecraft floating potential,…
The ambient solar wind plays a significant role in propagating interplanetary coronal mass ejections and is an important driver of space weather geomagnetic storms. A computationally efficient and widely used method to predict the ambient…
An increasingly salient public policy challenge is how to manage the growing number of satellites in orbit, including large constellations. Many policy initiatives have been proposed that attempt to address the problem from different…
Flux transfer events (FTEs) are a type of magnetospheric phenomena that exhibit distinctive observational signatures from the in-situ spacecraft measurements across the Earth's magnetopause. They are generally believed to possess a magnetic…
The solar wind is a continuous outflow of charged particles from the Sun's atmosphere into the solar system. At Earth, the solar wind's outward pressure is balanced by the Earth's magnetic field in a boundary layer known as the…
A central problem of space plasma physics is how protons and electrons are heated in a turbulent, magnetized plasma. The differential heating of charged species due to dissipation of turbulent fluctuations plays a key role in solar wind…
Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are affected by solar modulation while they propagate through the heliosphere. The study of the time variation of GCR spectra observed at Earth can shed light on the underlying physical processes, specifically…
Magnetospheric substorms are preceded by a slow growth phase of magnetic flux loading and current sheet thinning in the tail. Extensive datasets have provided evidence of the triggering of instabilities at substorm onset, including magnetic…
Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) waves can drive radiation belt depletion and Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites can detect the resulting electron and proton precipitation. The ELFIN (Electron Losses and Fields InvestigatioN) CubeSats…
Estimating high resolution models of the Earth's core magnetic field and its time variation in the polar regions requires that one can adequately account for magnetic signals produced by polar ionospheric currents, which vary on a wide…
Neglecting small fragments in space debris evolutionary models can lead to a significant underestimation of the collision risk for operational satellites. However, when scaling down to the millimeter range, the debris population grows to…
The field of Heliophysics has a branding problem. We need an answer to the question: ``What is Heliophysics\?'', the answer to which should clearly and succinctly defines our science in a compelling way that simultaneously introduces a…
Anthropogenic greenhouse gases have been changing significantly the climate and causing dire effects on the dynamics of the Earth System. We examine the conditions under which the well of a geostationary orbital lift can be used to dump…
Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observes unexpectedly prevalent switchbacks, which are rapid magnetic field reversals that last from seconds to hours, in the inner heliosphere, posing new challenges to understanding their nature, origin, and…
Space weather is a multidisciplinary research area connecting scientists from across heliophysics domains seeking a coherent understanding of our space environment that can also serve modern life and society's needs. COSPAR's ISWAT…
In this manuscript, I provide an updated interplanetary shock data base I published in previous works. This list has now 603 events. I also present and describe the data and methodologies used to compile this list. The main contribution of…
Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) are charged particles accelerated within the solar atmosphere or the interplanetary space by explosive phenomena such as solar flares or Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). Once injected into the interplanetary…
The Rapid Acquisition Atmospheric Detector (RAAD), onboard the LIGHT-1 3U CubeSat, detects photons between hard X-rays and soft gamma-rays, in order to identify and characterize Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs). Three detector…