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Abstract Whistler‐mode hiss waves are crucial to the dynamics of Earth's radiation belts, particularly in the scattering and loss of energetic electrons and forming the slot region between the inner and outer belts. The generation of hiss waves involves multiple potential mechanisms, which are under active research. Understanding the role of hiss waves in radiation belt dynamics and their generation mechanisms requires analyzing their temporal and spatial evolutions, especially for strong hiss waves. Therefore, we developed an Imbalanced Regressive Neural Network (IR‐NN) model for predicting hiss amplitudes. This model addresses the challenge posed by the data imbalance of the hiss data set, which consists of predominantly quiet‐time background samples and fewer but significant active‐time intense hiss samples. Notably, the IR‐NN hiss model excels in predicting strong hiss waves (>100pT). We investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of hiss wave during a geomagnetic storm on 24–27 October 2017. We show that hiss waves occur within the nominal plasmapause, and follow its dynamically evolving shape. They exhibit intensifications with 1 and 2 hr timescale similar to substorms but with a noticeable time delay. The intensifications begin near dawn and progress toward noon and afternoon. During the storm recovery phase, hiss intensifications may occur in the plume. Additionally, we observe no significant latitudinal dependence of the hiss waves within |MLAT| < 20°. In addition to describing the spatiotemporal evolution of hiss waves, this study highlights the importance of imbalanced regressive methods, given the prevalence of imbalanced data sets in space physics and other real‐world applications. 

An important question that is being increasingly studied across subdisciplines of Heliophysics is “how do mesoscale phenomena contribute to the global response of the system?” This review paper focuses on this question within two specific but interlinked regions in Near-Earth space: the magnetotail’s transition region to the inner magnetosphere and the ionosphere. There is a concerted effort within the Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) community to understand the degree to which mesoscale transport in the magnetotail contributes to the global dynamics of magnetic flux transport and dipolarization, particle transport and injections contributing to the storm-time ring current development, and the substorm current wedge. Because the magnetosphere-ionosphere is a tightly coupled system, it is also important to understand how mesoscale transport in the magnetotail impacts auroral precipitation and the global ionospheric system response. Groups within the Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions Program (CEDAR) community have also been studying how the ionosphere-thermosphere responds to these mesoscale drivers. These specific open questions are part of a larger need to better characterize and quantify mesoscale “messengers” or “conduits” of information—magnetic flux, particle flux, current, and energy—which are key to understanding the global system. After reviewing recent progress and open questions, we suggest datasets that, if developed in the future, will help answer these questions. 

Abstract Radio emission from interplanetary shocks, planetary foreshocks, and some solar flares occurs in the so-called “plasma emission” framework. The generally accepted scenario begins with electrostatic Langmuir waves that are driven by a suprathermal electron beam on the Landau resonance. These Langmuir waves then mode-convert to freely propagating electromagnetic emissions at the local plasma frequency f pe and/or its harmonic 2 f pe . However, the details of the physics of mode conversion are unclear, and so far the magnetic component of the plasma waves has not been definitively measured. Several spacecraft have measured quasi-monochromatic Langmuir or slow extraordinary modes (sometimes called z -modes) in the solar wind. These coherent waves are expected to have a weak magnetic component, which has never been observed in an unambiguous way. Here we report on the direct measurement of the magnetic signature of these waves using the Search Coil Magnetometer sensor of the Parker Solar Probe/FIELDS instrument. Using simulations of wave propagation in an inhomogeneous plasma, we show that the appearance of the magnetic component of the slow extraordinary mode is highly influenced by the presence of density inhomogeneities that occasionally cause the refractive index to drop to low values where the wave has strong electromagnetic properties. 

Abstract Whistler‐mode chorus waves play an essential role in the acceleration and loss of energetic electrons in the Earth’s inner magnetosphere, with the more intense waves producing the most dramatic effects. However, it is challenging to predict the amplitude of strong chorus waves due to the imbalanced nature of the data set, that is, there are many more non‐chorus data points than strong chorus waves. Thus, traditional models usually underestimate chorus wave amplitudes significantly during active times. Using an imbalanced regressive (IR) method, we develop a neural network model of lower‐band (LB) chorus waves using 7‐year observations from the EMFISIS instrument onboard Van Allen Probes. The feature selection process suggests that the auroral electrojet index alone captures most of the variations of chorus waves. The large amplitude of strong chorus waves can be predicted for the first time. Furthermore, our model shows that the equatorial LB chorus’s spatiotemporal evolution is similar to the drift path of substorm‐injected electrons. We also show that the chorus waves have a peak amplitude at the equator in the source MLT near midnight, but toward noon, there is a local minimum in amplitude at the equator with two off‐equator amplitude peaks in both hemispheres, likely caused by the bifurcated drift paths of substorm injections on the dayside. The IR‐based chorus model will improve radiation belt prediction by providing chorus wave distributions, especially storm‐time strong chorus. Since data imbalance is ubiquitous and inherent in space physics and other physical systems, imbalanced regressive methods deserve more attention in space physics. 

Daedalus MASE (Mission Assessment through Simulation Exercise) is an open-source package of scientific analysis tools aimed at research in the Lower Thermosphere-Ionosphere (LTI). It was created with the purpose to assess the performance and demonstrate closure of the mission objectives of Daedalus, a mission concept targeting to performin-situmeasurements in the LTI. However, through its successful usage as a mission-simulator toolset, Daedalus MASE has evolved to encompass numerous capabilities related to LTI science and modeling. Inputs are geophysical observables in the LTI, which can be obtained either throughin-situmeasurements from spacecraft and rockets, or through Global Circulation Models (GCM). These include ion, neutral and electron densities, ion and neutral composition, ion, electron and neutral temperatures, ion drifts, neutral winds, electric field, and magnetic field. In the examples presented, these geophysical observables are obtained through NCAR’s Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. Capabilities of Daedalus MASE include: 1) Calculations of products that are derived from the above geophysical observables, such as Joule heating, energy transfer rates between species, electrical currents, electrical conductivity, ion-neutral collision frequencies between all combinations of species, as well as height-integrations of derived products. 2) Calculation and cross-comparison of collision frequencies and estimates of the effect of using different models of collision frequencies into derived products. 3) Calculation of the uncertainties of derived products based on the uncertainties of the geophysical observables, due to instrument errors or to uncertainties in measurement techniques. 4) Routines for the along-orbit interpolation within gridded datasets of GCMs. 5) Routines for the calculation of the global coverage of anin situmission in regions of interest and for various conditions of solar and geomagnetic activity. 6) Calculations of the statistical significance of obtaining the primary and derived products throughout anin situmission’s lifetime. 7) Routines for the visualization of 3D datasets of GCMs and of measurements along orbit. Daedalus MASE code is accompanied by a set of Jupyter Notebooks, incorporating all required theory, references, codes and plotting in a user-friendly environment. Daedalus MASE is developed and maintained at the Department for Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Democritus University of Thrace, with key contributions from several partner institutions. 

Abstract This letter exploits the radial alignment between the Parker Solar Probe and BepiColombo in late 2022 February, when both spacecraft were within Mercury’s orbit. This allows the study of the turbulent evolution, namely, the change in spectral and intermittency properties, of the same plasma parcel during its expansion from 0.11 to 0.33 au, a still unexplored region. The observational analysis of the solar wind turbulent features at the two different evolution stages is complemented by a theoretical description based on the turbulence transport model equations for nearly incompressible magnetohydrodynamics. The results provide strong evidence that the solar wind turbulence already undergoes significant evolution at distances less than 0.3 au from the Sun, which can be satisfactorily explained as due to evolving slab fluctuations. This work represents a step forward in understanding the processes that control the transition from weak to strong turbulence in the solar wind and in properly modeling the heliosphere. 

Abstract. The lower-thermosphere–ionosphere (LTI) system consists of the upper atmosphere and the lower part of the ionosphere and as such comprises a complex system coupled to both the atmosphere below and space above. The atmospheric part of the LTI is dominated by laws of continuum fluid dynamics and chemistry, while the ionosphere is a plasma system controlled by electromagnetic forces driven by the magnetosphere, the solar wind, as well as the wind dynamo. The LTI is hence a domain controlled by many different physical processes. However, systematic in situ measurements within this region are severely lacking, although the LTI is located only 80 to 200 km above the surface of our planet. This paper reviews the current state of the art in measuring the LTI, either in situ or by several different remote-sensing methods. We begin by outlining the open questions within the LTI requiring high-quality in situ measurements, before reviewing directly observable parameters and their most important derivatives. The motivation for this review has arisen from the recent retention of the Daedalus mission as one among three competing mission candidates within the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Explorer 10 Programme. However, this paper intends to cover the LTI parameters such that it can be used as a background scientific reference for any mission targeting in situ observations of the LTI.