Award Abstract # 2149779
Collaborative Research: ANSWERS: Ion-Neutral Coupling in Geospace and its Impact on Space Weather

NSF Org: AGS
Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Recipient: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORPORATION
Initial Amendment Date: April 22, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: July 11, 2025
Award Number: 2149779
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Mangala Sharma
msharma@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4773
AGS
 Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: May 1, 2022
End Date: April 30, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $1,627,940.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $1,590,842.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $788,129.00
FY 2023 = $449,301.00

FY 2025 = $353,412.00
History of Investigator:
  • Piyush Mehta (Principal Investigator)
    piyush.mehta@mail.wvu.edu
  • John Stewart (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Weichao Tu (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • EARL SCIME (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Christopher Fowler (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: West Virginia University Research Corporation
886 CHESTNUT RIDGE ROAD
MORGANTOWN
WV  US  26505-2742
(304)293-3998
Sponsor Congressional District: 02
Primary Place of Performance: West Virginia University
1306 Evansdale Drive PO Box 6106
Morgantown
WV  US  26506-6106
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): M7PNRH24BBM8
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): AERONOMY,
Space Weather Research
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 8092, 4444, 9150
Program Element Code(s): 152100, 808900
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

Plasma (a gas that is hot enough for its constituent atoms to be ionized) is the most abundant state of matter in our solar system and the universe. Understanding how plasma interacts with neutral elements in the atmospheres around the Sun and Earth is important for space weather modeling and prediction. For instance, predicting satellite drag requires knowledge of the density of Earth's thermosphere, which is modified by solar radiation and ions from solar wind. Yet, space weather models sometimes ignore the effects of plasma-neutral interactions or rely on dated models developed using simple experiments. This project will undertake a pioneering laboratory investigation of collisions in plasmas, develop new models for plasma-neutral interaction, and fold them into state-of-the-art space weather models. The team will also create science kits with hands-on activities and instructional materials and distribute them to every elementary school in 21 counties in West Virginia. The project is a collaborative effort between West Virginia University, University of Texas at Arlington, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Electric Power Research Institute and Spark! Imagination and Science Center in West Virginia.

Understanding ion-neutral interactions is important for modeling magnetosphere/ionosphere/thermosphere coupling and the dynamics of the solar chromosphere, which influence space weather. Ion-neutral collision frequency plays a critical role for both Joule heating and ionospheric and chromospheric (ambipolar) conductivity. The project team will conduct a multi-fluid, multi-species laboratory study of ion-neutral coupling, develop a new model for collision frequency for the terrestrial ionosphere, and incorporate ion-neutral coupling in a chromosphere simulation model. The newly developed collision frequency model will be incorporated into the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model and the Space Weather Modeling Framework and validated using space-based observations. Wider scientific community participation in this work will be encouraged through two workshops. The research and educational activities will involve postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students. ANSWERS projects advance the nation?s STEM expertise and societal resilience to space weather hazards by filling key knowledge gaps regarding the coupled Sun-Earth system.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.

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