Nitya Agarwala
(Graduate Research Assistant)
| Email: | nitya.agarwala@nasa.gov |
| Org Code: | 675 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 675 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | CATHOLIC UNIV OF AMERICA |
Brief Bio
PhD researcher in space plasma physics at Catholic University of America and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. My research focuses on Earth's magnetosphere, including particle energization mechanisms in flux ropes and diamagnetic plasma structures in the cusp. My work uses data from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission and applies multi-spacecraft analysis techniques to understand the fundamental physical processes governing energy transfer and plasma dynamics in near-Earth space.
Current Projects
Dynamics and Particle Energization of Earthward Flux Ropes
Earth's Magnetosphere
My research focuses on addressing critical gaps in understanding, including the erosion of leading edges through magnetic reconnection, energization of ions and electrons, and the kinetic scale structure near the reconnection X-line. Leveraging multi-point, high-resolution data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Spacecraft, I aim to unravel the complexities of flux rope dissipation and contribute to valuable insights to the broader field of space physics.
Education
PhD in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology
Catholic University of America (2023-Current)
MPhys in Physics with astrophysics
University of Manchester (2017-2021)