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Prairie Seminar Series - Dr. Andrew Yau

Fri. Jan. 23 12:30 PM - Fri. Jan. 23 01:30 PM
Location: 2M77


Dr. Andrew Yau

University of Calgary, Department of Physics & Astronomy

"Visualizing the Invisible in Space: CASSIOPE e-POP"

The CASSIOPE satellite marks Canada’s triumphant return to the ionosphere, fifty one years to the date after its original entry into the space age. Space weather is the manifestation of the complex interactions between the Sun’s electromagnetic and particle radiation and the Earth’s upper atmosphere and magnetic field. A partnership of Canadian university researchers from coast to coast, the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e-POP) on CASSIOPE is a suite of 8 plasma, magnetic field, radio, and optical instruments designed to capture in unprecedented details the web of effects of space weather on the ionosphere – both visible and invisible.  E-POP acts like a microscope in space: it acquires images of infrared and visible aurora, snapshots of plasma velocity distributions, and maps of radio scintillation and refraction, to help visualize the underlying plasma acceleration and wave-particle interaction processes and unlock the associated physics. Based on these images, snapshots and maps, we present a composite new perspective on the aurora and the three-way interactions between the Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere.

All are welcome to attend.