Understanding space weather is important in order to better protect telecommunications and power distribution networks. New research is developing simulations and modelling software to better understand how the Sun influences space weather in our solar system.
Various exploration missions have seen a vast amount of data gathered on space plasma, the high-energy ionised gas ejected from the Sun. Space plasma is responsible for space weather, so understanding the small-scale kinetic changes in plasma will help to predict space weather and protect telecommunication systems.
The EU-funded SHOCK project is creating large-scale models to achieve this understanding. The project aims to build a community of researchers in the field by improving computational ability, establishing simulations and models, and advancing a basic understanding of plasma processes.
A virtual mission laboratory has been designed, which can be used to visualise simulations of plasma kinetics. Researchers have begun initial work on the new simulation programmes, which will be used in conjunction with this laboratory.
Results on the study of the interaction between plasma and Mercury's magnetosphere have been generated and compared with NASA's MESSENGER mission data. Some research has also been conducted into the effects of the solar wind on the Earth's magnetosphere.
Once the simulations and models are completed, the project will investigate turbulence and fluid dynamics, as well as improve our understanding of the physical processes of solar wind. The data generated will be invaluable in predicting space weather in the solar system, which will help to protect telecommunication networks as well as future space missions.
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