(POSTDOC)
| Email: | samantha.wallace@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.286.7511 |
| Org Code: | 671 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 671 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | CATHOLIC UNIV OF AMERICA |
Using the ADAPT-WSA model to identify where in situ solar wind observations originated from on the Sun. We apply our modeling techniques to test empirical relationships and proxies for solar wind acceleration, characterize the solar wind originated from specific sources (e.g. active regions, quiet Sun, deep inside coronal holes), and ultimately investigate how the solar wind is formed (i.e. heated, released, and accelerated). I also work on model development to further enable this type of research.
Solar Physics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
November 2020 - Present
"Characterizing the In Situ Observed Solar Wind by its Solar Source Locations" - Using ADAPT-WSA to identify periods when the observed solar wind at L1 originates from helmet streamers and pseudostreamers. We investigate whether the magnetic properties of the streamer (i.e. unipolar or dipolar) determine how the solar wind is heated, released, and accelerated, or whether the local magnetic properties at the open-closed boundary and/or underlying the streamer cusp (i.e active region vs. quiet Sun) drive the solar wind formation process.
Solar Physics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
January 2018 - October 2020
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico - Albuquerque, NM
August 2015 - December 2017
"On the Relationship between Magnetic Expansion Factor and Observed Speed of the Solar Wind from Coronal Pseudostreamers" - tested empirical proxies for solar wind formation (heating, release, acceleration) pertaining specifically to pseudostreamers (e.g. expansion factor, field line distance from coronal hole boundary). Developed a methodology using ADAPT-WSA to identify periods when the observed solar wind originates from the magnetic open-closed boundary of coronal pseudostreamers; compared observed solar wind speed with magnetic expansion factor along source region field lines for pseudostreamer solar wind.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach, FL
August 2013 - May 2015
Responsible for teaching and facilitating Physics I lab; created lectures, homework, and quizzes; held for office hours for discussion with students.
Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Lab - Albuquerque, NM
2012 - 2016
Summer research intern in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
"Estimating Total Open Heliospheric Magnetic Flux" - Developed a methodology for manually identifying coronal holes on synoptic EUV maps with a computer software; derived total open flux with EUV coronal holes and ADAPT photospheric field maps.
Solar Physics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
May 2017 - August 2017
National Solar Observatory - Tucson, AZ
June 2011 - August 2011
Doctorate in Physics, passed defense with distinction, University of New Mexico, 2020
Dissertation: "Understanding Solar Wind Formation by Identifying the Origins of In Situ Observations"
Masters of Science in Engineering Physics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 2015
Thesis: "Comparing Different Methods for Estimating Total Open Heliospheric Magnetic Flux"
Bachelors of Science in Space Physics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 2012
2014 - Present
2017 - Present
NSF Solar Heliosphere and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
John Mather Nobel Scholars Award, July 2018
Best Student Tutorial/Research Talk, SHINE Conference, Cocoa Beach, FL, July 2018
Best Student Research Talk, SHINE Conference, Santa Fe, NM, July 2016
Ronald E. McNair Outstanding Scholar of the Year Award, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, May 2012
Identifying pseudostreamers with PROBA-2 SWAP: A comparative study of observed and model-derived pseudostreamers
PROBA-2 Guest Investigator Grant - Royal Observatory of Belgium - Awarded: 0000-00-00
2022. "On Differentiating Multiple Types of ULF Magnetospheric Waves in Response to Solar Wind Periodic Density Structures." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 127 (3): [10.1029/2021ja030144] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "On the Relationship between Magnetic Expansion Factor and Observed Speed of the Solar Wind from Coronal Pseudostreamers." The Astrophysical Journal 898 (1): 78 [10.3847/1538-4357/ab98a0] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Source and Propagation of a Streamer Blowout Coronal Mass Ejection Observed by the Parker Solar Probe." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 246 (2): 69 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab6ff9] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Analysis of the Internal Structure of the Streamer Blowout Observed by the Parker Solar Probe During the First Solar Encounter." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 246 (2): 63 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab61f5] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "The Heliospheric Current Sheet in the Inner Heliosphere Observed by the Parker Solar Probe." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 246 47 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab5dac] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Estimating Total Open Heliospheric Magnetic Flux." Solar Physics 294 (2): [10.1007/s11207-019-1402-1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Helios Observations of Quasiperiodic Density Structures in the Slow Solar Wind at 0.3, 0.4, and 0.6 AU." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 124 (2): 837-860 [10.1029/2018ja026182] [Journal Article/Letter]