Magnetospheric Research at MSSL

We are active in three main areas of magnetospheric research: the cusp, the magnetopause and magnetotail & substorm physics. In addition we are studying key boundaries such as the bow shock and the underlying physical processes which form them. We are particularly interested in magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause and in the magnetotail.

The principal tool we use for this research is data from the ESA 4-spacecraft Cluster mission and China/ESA Double Star mission. We also use data from the Polar, Interball, Geotail, ACE and Wind satellites. 

Current active research areas:

  • Sun-Earth connections

  • Magnetopause reconnection and Flux Transfer Events 

  • Dynamics and structure of the cusp region

  • Wave-particle interaction in the cusp

  • Formation and properties of the Low-Latitude Boundary Layer

  • Large-scale waves at the flank magnetopause

  • Particle acceleration during the magnetotail reconnection

  • Dynamics and properties of the magnetotail current sheet

  • Physics of  magnetospheric substorms

  • Structure of  flux ropes in the magnetotail


11 July 2006
Christopher J. Owen & Yulia V. Bogdanova
cjo@mssl.ucl.ac.uk &jb@mssl.ucl.ac.uk