Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Lynn B Wilson

(RESEARCH AST, FIELDS AND PARTICLES)

Lynn B Wilson's Contact Card & Information.
Email: lynn.b.wilson@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.286.6487
Org Code: 672
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 672
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Missions & Projects

Brief Bio


 I started my work in space plasma physics at Saint John's University [Collegeville, MN] while working on my senior thesis [Advisor:  J. Crumley].  My thesis, titled:  A Theoretical Approach to Analyzing the Size and Shape of Solitary Waves, examined the possible shapes of electrostatic BGK electron phase-space holes assuming a Gaussian potential.  I was accepted into the graduate program at the University of Minnesota and participated in a summer research fellowship prior to the start of term continuing my work on solitary waves.  I worked for C.A. Cattell, J. Crumley's former doctoral advisor.

I started to officially work for Dr. Cattell after my first year of course work on waveform observations in and around collisionless shock waves.  I was appointed an RA for my second year as a graduate student and won the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, which funded my work from Sep. 2007 through May 2010.  I applied for both the NASA Postdoctoral Program and the Living With a Star Heliophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in early 2010.  I was awarded a fellowship for the later, but was later offered a permanent position as a civil servant at NASA, which I accepted.  I won the Dr. Leonard F. Burlaga/Arctowski Medal Fellowship in the summer of 2010 to fund the rest of my graduate career.

I defended my dissertation, titled:  The microphysics of collisionless shocks, in Sep. 2010.  Three days later, my fiance and I drove to Maryland from MInnesota to start my new career at NASA.

I continue to work on wave-particle microphysics and have helped with updating the calibration [in collaboration with Berkeley SSL] of an electrostatic analyzer on the Wind spacecraft.

 

Research Interests


Large amplitude whistler mode waves in the radiation belts

Solar System: Magnetospheres

I am interested in the properties of large amplitude whistler mode waves in the terrestrial radiation belts because they may play important roles in global radiation belt dynamics.


Energy dissipation in collisionless shocks

Heliophysics: Transient Events

Collisionless shock waves are a ubiquitous phenomena in space.  They are observed in situ around planets in our solar system and in front of transient solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections.  Collisionless shocks are thought to produce some of the highest energy cosmic rays and are known to be efficient accelerators of particles in our solar system.  Their capacity to accelerate particles and induce large magnetic effects in both the terrestrial magnetic field and our power grids make collisionless shocks a topic of considerable interest.

Shock waves are the result of a process called nonlinear wave steepening that has reached the point where the steepening is balanced by some form of energy dissipation.  In a collisional fluid (like our atmosphere), energy dissipation is accomplished by irreversibly transferring the bulk kinetic energy of the flow into random kinetic energy (i.e. heat) through binary particle collisions.  In a collisionless medium, this type of energy dissipation cannot limit wave steepening.

One of the theorized energy dissipation mechanisms is anomalous resistivity, due to wave-particle interactions.  Here, the waves create effective collisions with the particles involved in creating the currents in the ramp of a collisionless magnetized shock wave.  These anomalous collisions limit the current (i.e. relative drift between electrons and ions), thus limit the wave steepening.

Other forms of energy dissipation are thought to occur, including wave dispersion, particle reflection, and reversible macroscopic effects.  I am also interested in particle reflection and dispersive effects in collisionless shock waves.


Wave-Particle Interactions

Heliophysics: Plasma Processes

Wave-particle interactions is a generalized way to express the study of energy/momentum transfer between electromagnetic fields and charged particles.  I study these processes by examining data from instruments that measure electric and magnetic fields combined with data from particle detectors.  Using these data, in addition to theory, I can infer and sometimes definitively show evidence of wave-particle interactions.

These processes are important, as they are thought to play a role in:

  1. coronal heating;
  2. solar flare particle acceleration;
  3. particle acceleration at collisionless shocks; and
  4. particle heating at collisionless shocks.


Particle Acceleration

Heliophysics: Transient Events

I am interested in understanding how transient ion foreshock phenomena (TIFP) can locally accelerate particles. Some examples of TIFP include:

  1. short large amplitude magnetic structures or SLAMS;
  2. hot flow anomalies or HFAs; and
  3. foreshock bubbles or FBs.

The reasons are many fold, but a natural extension is for high energy shock acceleration. In particular, I am referring to the type of shock acceleration that involves a particle bouncing back-and-forth across the shock reflecting off of localize scattering centers, called diffusive shock acceleration or DSA. If we can show evidence that small-scale (compared to the bow shock, for instance) phenomena can locally accelerate particles, then it supports some shock acceleration theories (e.g., DSA) used to explain the origin of the observed high energy cosmic rays.

I was the first to show that SLAMS can locally accelerate ions generating their own miniature foreshocks [e.g., Wilson et al., 2013b]. I was also the first to show that similar structures can locally accelerate electrons [e.g., Wilson et al., 2016] to 100s of keV. This may help explain some of the synchrotron radiation observed in supernova remnants and other astrophysical phenomena.


Shock Acceleration

Heliophysics: Plasma Processes

I am interested in and currently working on multiple projects investigating particle acceleration at collisionless shock waves, both electrons and ions.  We are looking into whether the traditional theories of shock acceleration can explain observations and when they cannot, whether other processes are responsible (e.g., Can small-scale waves pre-energize particles sufficiently to inject them into higher order acceleration processes?).


Kinetic Theory

Heliophysics: Inner Heliosphere

I developed software to model the solar wind velocity distribution functions (VDFs) as the sum of three functional forms.  Since the solar wind is a nonequilibrium, weakly collisional, kinetic gas the VDF is not a single, isotropic structure.  In such gases, the particles stream through/past each other with little-to-no interaction on short temporal/spatial scales.  Thus, modeling the VDF as a superposition of multiple components is justified.  The interesting thing is that the core electrons, traditionally modeled as a bi-Maxwellian, turn out to be better modeled by a bi-self-similar distribution, which is associated with inelasticity in coarse grain media and propagation through porous media.  The model functions and methodology are described in Wilson et al. [2019a] and the dataset Wilson et al. [2019b].

Current Projects


Wind Spacecraft

Inner Heliosphere

I work on the following projects related to the Wind spacecraft:

  1. I continue to write/update IDL libraries used to analyze and calibrate data from the Wind 3DP, MFI, and WAVES instruments
  2. I work to keep the Wind spacecraft Wikipedia page updated at:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIND_(spacecraft)
  3. I work to keep the Wind spacecraft home page updated at:
    http://wind.nasa.gov
  4. I continue to publish results using data from the Wind spacecraft
  5. David Malaspina (at LASP) and I created a dust impact database from the WAVES time domain sampler (TDS) receiver waveform capture data, publicly available from CDAWeb at http://cdaweb.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html/
  6. I am working with the University of Minnesota WAVES group to create a final archive for the WAVES TDS waveform captures for the entire mission


THEMIS Spacecraft

Plasma Processes

  1. Contribute to and help to update TDAS (now called SPEDAS) software
  2. Examine energy dissipation mechanisms in collisionless shocks
  3. Examine particle acceleration by
  4. Examine energy dissipation mechanisms in magnetic reconnection


Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission

Plasma Processes

I am currently working with several groups on wave and particle data analysis of heating and acceleration in both reconnection regions and at collisionless shock waves.


Parker Solar Probe

Inner Heliosphere

Determine the acceleration and evolution of the solar wind by examining particle velocity distribution functions simultaneously observed with electromagnetic fields.


Kinetic Theory

Inner Heliosphere

I developed software to model the solar wind velocity distribution functions (VDFs) as the sum of three functional forms. Since the solar wind is a nonequilibrium, weakly collisional, kinetic gas the VDF is not a single, isotropic structure. In such gases, the particles stream through/past each other with little-to-no interaction on short temporal/spatial scales. Thus, modeling the VDF as a superposition of multiple components is justified. The interesting thing is that the core electrons, traditionally modeled as a bi-Maxwellian, turn out to be better modeled by a bi-self-similar distribution, which is associated with inelasticity in coarse grain media and propagation through porous media. The model functions and methodology are described in Wilson et al. [2019a] and the dataset Wilson et al. [2019b].


SunRISE Mission

Solar Radiation

I am the Mission Scientist for the SunRISE mission and am working closely with the science operations center (SOC) to develop software to automate the generation of common data format (CDF) files. I am very interested in the SunRISE mission because it may help us better understand particle acceleration at collisionless shocks, a topic of great interest in much of my research.

Positions/Employment


Research Assistant

University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN

May 2006 - August 2007


Research Fellow

University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN

September 2007 - September 2010


Research Astrophysicist

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

September 2010 - Present


Deputy Project Scientist

NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center

2012 - June 2016

deputy project scientist for the Wind spacecraft


Wind Project Scientist

NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center

June 2016 - Present


Team Leader

International Space Science Institude - Bern, Switzerland

May 2018 - August 2022

ISSI Team Leader for Resolving the Microphysics of Collisionless Shock Waves (no funding)


GEM Focus Group Leader

Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) - N/A

January 2019 - Present

GEM Focus Group Leader for Particle Heating and Thermalization in Collisionless Shocks in the MMS Era (no funding)


SHINE Steering Committee Member

NSF - N/A

2018 - August 2022


Associate Editor

Frontiers in Physics - Lausanne, Switzerland

2019 - August 2020

Associate editor for a special section on Collisionless Shock Research: Current State and Perspectives for Frontiers in Physics


Editor

Geoscience Letters - Singapore

September 2018 - November 2023

Member of the Editorial Board for the journal Geoscience Letters, a journal of the AOGS


SunRISE Mission Scientist

NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center

February 2021 - Present

The Goddard Mission Scientist for the SunRISE mission (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-mission-to-study-causes-of-giant-solar-particle-storms).

Teaching Experience


Sep 2005 - May 2006    Teaching Assistant, University of Minnesota, MInneapolis, MN

Sep 2002 - May 2005    Teaching Assistant, Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN

Education


Ph.D. (Space Plasma Physics), Sep. 2010, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

B.A. (Physics), May 2005, Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN

Professional Societies


American Geophysical Union

2006 - Present


European Geosciences Union

2011 - Present


American Physical Society

2011 - Present


American Institute Of Aeronautics & Astronautics

2016 - Present

Professional Service


Committee Member, 2015

Strategic Planning Committee, Heliophysics Science Division

SHINE Steering Committee 2018--Present

Session Convener

Meeting: 2012 Fall AGU Meeting

Title: "Wave-Particle Interactions and Collisionless Shocks"


Meeting: 2014 Fall AGU Meeting

Title: "Twenty years of Wind observations"


Meeting: 2016-2020 Fall AGU Meetings

Title: "Collisionless Shock Waves in Astrophysical Plasmas"

Meeting: 2019 Fall AGU Meeting

Title: "A Quarter Century of Wind observations"


Journal Referee 2011-Present

- Advances in Space Research

- Annales Geophysicae

- Astronomy & Astrophysics

- Astrophysics & Space Science

- The Astrophysical Journal Letters

- The Astrophysical Journal

- Geophysical Research Letters

- Journal of Plasma Physics

- Journal of Geophysical Research

- Nature

- Physical Review Letters

- Physics of Plasmas

- Planetary and Space Science

- Reviews of Modern Plasma Physics

- Space Science Reviews

- Geophysical Monograph Series

Awards


  • 2022 Outstanding Reviewer Award - Geophysical Research Letters [Oct. 19, 2023]
  • 2019 NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal
  • 2016 Editors' Citation for Excellence in Refereeing – Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics [Mar. 2017]
  • Code 670 Peer Award [Aug 2016]
  • Dr. Leonard F. Burlaga/Arctowski Medal Fellowship [Summer 2010]
  • NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, Heliophysics Division [Sep 2007 - May 2010]

Grants


A Dust Impact Database for the Wind Spacecraft

Heliophysics Guest Investigator (HGI) - NASA (NNH14ZDA001N-HGI) - Awarded: 2015-01-01


Dates:  - 


Non-Maxwellian Electron Distributions and X-Ray Spectra of Galaxy Clusters

Science Innovation Fund (SIF) - NASA - Awarded: 2015-10-01


Dates:  - 


Electron Acceleration by Transient Ion Foreshock Phenomena

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH15ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2016-02-11


Dates:  - 


The true origin of the heliospheric ion suprathermal tail

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH15ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2016-02-11


Dates:  - 


Interpreting spacecraft observations of accelerated particles via ab-initio simulations

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH17ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2018-05-31


Dates:  - 


Plasma heating across the bow shock: How particle distribution functions revolutionize the current understanding

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH17ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2018-05-31


Dates:  - 


Resolving the Microphysics of Collisionless Shock Waves

ISSI 2018 - International Space Science Institute - Awarded: 2018-05-15


Dates: 2018-05-15  - 2020-04-30


Electron Energy Partition at Collisionless Shock Waves

Heliophysics Innovation Fund (HIF) - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Awarded: 2018-10-01


Dates:  - 


Interpreting spacecraft observations of accelerated particles via ab-initio simulations

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH17ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2018-06-01


Dates:  - 


Plasma heating across the bow shock: How particle distribution functions revolutionize the current understanding

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH17ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2018-04-01


Dates:  - 


Particle Heating and Thermalization in Collisionless Shocks in the MMS Era

GEM Focus Group - NSF - Awarded: 2019-04-01


Dates: 2019-04-01  - 2024-03-31


Continuation of: Electron Energy Partition at Collisionless Shock Waves

Heliophysics Innovation Fund (HIF) - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Awarded: 2019-10-01


Dates:  - 


Investigating the Mechanisms of Particle Energization in Collisionless Heliospheric Shocks

Heliophysics Theory, Modeling, and Simulations (HTMS) - NASA (NNH19ZDA001N-HTMS) - Awarded: 2020-06-19


Dates:  - 


Magnetic reconnection and instabilities in the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH19ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2020-06-19


Dates:  - 


Influence of High-Frequency Waves and Instabilities on the Structure and Energy Partition of Collisionless Shocks

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA - Awarded: 2021-07-09


Dates:  - 


Multi-scale Assessment of the Kinematics of Shocks (MAKOS)

Heliophysics Mission Concept Study (HMCS) - NASA (NNH21ZDA001N-HMCS) - Awarded: 2021-09-24



Heliospheric Distributed In-Situ Constellation (HelioDISC)

Heliophysics Mission Concept Study (HMCS) - NASA (NNH21ZDA001N-HMCS) - Awarded: 2021-09-24



Investigating the radial evolution of the interaction between solar wind plasma, macroscopic structures, and intermediate frequency waves

Living with a Star (LWS) - NASA (NNH21ZDA001N-LWS) - Awarded: 2022-04-29


Dates:  - 


The Influence of Realistic Velocity Distribution Functions on the Dynamics and Instabilities Within Collisionless Shocks

Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR) - NASA (NNH21ZDA001N-HSR) - Awarded: 2022-09-16


Dates:  - 


Understanding Energy Partitioning in Collisionless Shocks

Heliophysics Theory, Modeling and Simulations (HTMS) - NASA (NNH22ZDA001N-HTMS) - Awarded: 2023-09-11


Dates:  - 


Space Weather Investigation Frontier (SWIFT)

Heliophysics Flight Opportunities Studies (HFOS) - NASA (NNH22ZDA001N-HFOS) - Awarded: 2023-03-01


Dates:  - 

Special Experience


IDL Programming:

TPLOT (TDAS and/or SPEDAS):

I rewrote and commented a significant fraction of the Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory IDL library called TPLOT as a stand-alone software library (https://github.com/lynnbwilsoniii/wind_3dp_pros) for the Wind/3DP instrument.  The software has helped in data analysis in multiple refereed publications.  I am currently working to integrate these updates into the TDAS/SPEDAS software libraries.

Calibration:

I wrote IDL software to calibrate and/or calculate efficiencies for an electrostatic analyzer and a dipole wire electric field antenna on the Wind spacecraft.

Beam Fitting Routines:

I wrote a library of routines that help a user isolate and fit a bi-Maxwellian velocity distribution function to a secondary beam population from an array of input IDL structures, each of which define a velocity distribution from an electrostatic analyzer instrument (e.g., 3DP from Wind or ESA from THEMIS).

Distribution Fitting Routines:

I wrote a library of routines that use a nonlinear least-squares algorithm to fit solar wind electron velocity distributions to multiple different model functions allowing for inputs from Wind/3DP, THEMIS/ESA, or MMS/FPI.

Frame Transformation Routines:

I wrote a library of routines that allow a user to interactively change the frame of reference in which a 3D particle velocity distribution is shown.  This allows one to change from, say, the level-2 velocity frame to the frame where the peak phase space density is centered on the origin in velocity space.

Adaptive Interval Minimum Variance Analysis Routines:

These routines perform minimum variance analysis (MVA) and automatically determine which subintervals have the best results.  These routines save a tremendous amount of time from the usual iterative method of zoom-in then zoom-out until one finds a good interval on which to perform MVA.

Rankine-Hugoniot Relations:

I wrote a standalone IDL library that numerically solves the Rankine-Hugoniot relations and returns a shock normal unit vector, an upstream shock normal speed (in spacecraft and shock rest frame), a downstream shock normal speed (in shock rest frame), and an array of all possible unit normal chi-squared results for testing minimum results.

Velocity Distribution Function Fitting Routines:

I wrote a series of routines that fit particle velocity distribution functions (VDF) to the sum of three, user-defined model functions.  The routines determine the number density, bulk flow velocity, and thermal speeds (parallel and perpendicular to the quasi-static magnetic field) of the three components within the VDF.  For solar wind electrons, the three components are the core, halo, and beam/strahl.  The details of the software can be found at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4365/ab22bd.

Mathematica:

I wrote a set of Mathematica packages for dispersion relation tests, visualizations of several phenomena (e.g., cyclotron resonance or nonlinear wave steepening), numerical estimates of critical Mach numbers, cold plasma and two-fluid dispersion solvers and analytical tests for numerical IDL routines.

Publications


Refereed

2024. "The multiview observatory for solar terrestrial science (MOST)." Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics 254 106165 [10.1016/j.jastp.2023.106165] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Erratum: “The Statistical Properties of Solar Wind Temperature Parameters Near 1 au” (2018, ApJS, 236, 41)." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 269 (2): 62 [10.3847/1538-4365/ad07de] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Spacecraft Floating Potential Measurements for the Wind Spacecraft." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 269 (2): 52 [10.3847/1538-4365/ad0633] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Multipoint Detection of GRB221009A’s Propagation through the Heliosphere." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 956 (1): L4 [10.3847/2041-8213/acf933] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The multi-point assessment of the kinematics of shocks (MAKOS)." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 10 [10.3389/fspas.2023.1199711] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Shocklets and Short Large Amplitude Magnetic Structures (SLAMS) in the High Mach Foreshock of Venus." Geophysical Research Letters 50 (18): [10.1029/2023gl104610] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Investigating a Solar Wind Stream Interaction Region using Interplanetary Spacecraft Radio Signals: A Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation Study." The Astrophysical Journal 955 (2): 90 [10.3847/1538-4357/acedac] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The importance of recruitment and retention in Heliophysics: it’s not just a pipeline problem." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 10 [10.3389/fspas.2023.1216449] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Electron Acceleration and Heating during Magnetic Reconnection in the Earth's Quasi-parallel Bow Shock." The Astrophysical Journal 954 (1): 25 [10.3847/1538-4357/ace321] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "How Magnetic Reconnection May Affect the Coherence of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections." The Astrophysical Journal 953 (1): 15 [10.3847/1538-4357/acdcf7] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Correction to: Kinetic theory and fast wind observations of the electron strahl." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 523 (2): 2399-2400 [10.1093/mnras/stad1443] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Anterograde Collisional Analysis of Solar Wind Ions." The Astrophysical Journal 950 (1): 51 [10.3847/1538-4357/accc32] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Interpretation of Flat Energy Spectra Upstream of Fast Interplanetary Shocks." The Astrophysical Journal 950 (1): 62 [10.3847/1538-4357/acc942] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "A Machine Learning–Based Approach to Time-series Wave Identification in the Solar Wind." The Astrophysical Journal 949 (2): 40 [10.3847/1538-4357/acc8d5] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The Faraday Effect Tracker of Coronal and Heliospheric Structures (FETCH) instrument." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 10 1064069 [10.3389/fspas.2023.1064069] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Cultivating a culture of inclusivity in heliophysics." Frontiers in Physics 11 [10.3389/fphy.2023.1061683] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Phase-space Energization of Ions in Oblique Shocks." The Astrophysical Journal 944 (1): 15 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-4357/acaf53] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Multi-spacecraft observations of shocklets at an interplanetary shock." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 520 (1): 437-445 [Full Text] [10.1093/mnras/stad104] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "The need for accurate measurements of thermal velocity distribution functions in the solar wind." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 9 1063841 [Full Text] [10.3389/fspas.2022.1063841] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Properties of a Supercritical Quasi-perpendicular Interplanetary Shock Propagating in the Terrestrial Foreshock Region." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 263 (11): 15 [10.3847/1538-4365/ac94c8] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Interplanetary mesoscale observatory (InterMeso): A mission to untangle dynamic mesoscale structures throughout the heliosphere." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 9 1002273 [10.3389/fspas.2022.1002273] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Decadal and Annual Variations in Meteoric Flux From Ulysses, Wind, and SOFIE Observations." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 127 (10): e2022JA030749 [10.1029/2022ja030749] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Energy Partition at Collisionless Supercritical Quasi‐Perpendicular Shocks." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 127 (10): e2022JA030637 [10.1029/2022ja030637] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Effects from dayside magnetosphere to distant tail unleashed by a bifurcated, non-reconnecting interplanetary current sheet." Frontiers in Physics 10 942486 [10.3389/fphy.2022.942486] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Characteristics of Multi-scale Current Sheets in the Solar Wind at 1 au Associated with Magnetic Reconnection and the Case for a Heliospheric Current Sheet Avalanche." The Astrophysical Journal 933 (181): 21 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac73f6] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Particle Energization in Space Plasmas Using On-Board Wave-Particle Correlator Instrumentation." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 9 912868 [10.3389/fspas.2022.912868] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Linear Theory of Electromagnetic Ion Beam Instabilities in the Earth’s Forshock: Peter Gary’s Contributions (1981–1991)." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 9 899642 [10.3389/fspas.2022.899642] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Direct First Parker Solar Probe Observation of the Interaction of Two Successive Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections in 2020 November." The Astrophysical Journal 930 (1): 88 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac590b] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Modern Faraday Rotation Studies to Probe the Solar Wind." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 9 id 841866 [10.3389/fspas.2022.841866] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Strong reconnection electric fields in shock-driven turbulence." Physics of Plasmas 29 (4): 042304 [10.1063/5.0077529] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "The Extended Field-aligned Suprathermal Proton Beam and Long-lasting Trapped Energetic Particle Population Observed Upstream of a Transient Interplanetary Shock." The Astrophysical Journal 925 (2): 198 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac3c47] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "A Revised Understanding of the Structure of the Venusian Magnetotail From a High‐Altitude Intercept With a Tail Ray by Parker Solar Probe." Geophysical Research Letters 49 (1): e2021GL096485 [10.1029/2021gl096485] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Comparative Analysis of the 2020 November 29 Solar Energetic Particle Event Observed by Parker Solar Probe." The Astrophysical Journal 920 (2): 123 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac157f] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Evaluating the deHoffmann‐Teller Cross‐Shock Potential at Real Collisionless Shocks." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 126 (8): e2021JA029295 [10.1029/2021ja029295] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "A field–particle correlation analysis of a perpendicular magnetized collisionless shock." Journal of Plasma Physics 87 (3): 905870316 [10.1017/s0022377821000623] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Prompt Response of the Dayside Magnetosphere to Discrete Structures Within the Sheath Region of a Coronal Mass Ejection." Geophysical Research Letters 48 (11): e2021GL092700 [10.1029/2021gl092700] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Electron Bernstein waves and narrowband plasma waves near the electron cyclotron frequency in the near-Sun solar wind." Astronomy & Astrophysics 650 (A97): 10 [10.1051/0004-6361/202140449] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "ARTEMIS Observations of Plasma Waves in Laminar and Perturbed Interplanetary Shocks." The Astrophysical Journal 913 (2): 144 [10.3847/1538-4357/abf56a] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "MMS Observations of Energized He+ Pickup Ions at Quasiperpendicular Shocks." The Astrophysical Journal 913 (2): 112 [10.3847/1538-4357/abf4d9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "A Quarter Century of Wind Spacecraft Discoveries." Reviews of Geophysics 59 (2): e2020RG000714 [10.1029/2020rg000714] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Oblique High Mach Number Heliospheric Shocks: The Role of α Particles." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 126 (5): e2020JA028962 [10.1029/2020ja028962] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Depleted Plasma Densities in the Ionosphere of Venus Near Solar Minimum From Parker Solar Probe Observations of Upper Hybrid Resonance Emission." Geophysical Research Letters 48 (9): e2020GL092243 [10.1029/2020gl092243] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Direct Multipoint Observations Capturing the Reformation of a Supercritical Fast Magnetosonic Shock." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 911 (2): L31 [10.3847/2041-8213/abec78] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "An Encounter With the Ion and Electron Diffusion Regions at a Flapping and Twisted Tail Current Sheet." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 126 (3): e2020JA028903 [10.1029/2020ja028903] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The Dynamics of a High Mach Number Quasi-perpendicular Shock: MMS Observations." The Astrophysical Journal 908 (1): 40 [10.3847/1538-4357/abcb88] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The Discrepancy Between Simulation and Observation of Electric Fields in Collisionless Shocks." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 7 (592634): 14 [10.3389/fspas.2020.592634] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of Earth's Oblique Bow Shock Reformation by Foreshock Ultralow‐Frequency Waves." Geophysical Research Letters 48 (2): e2020GL091184 [10.1029/2020gl091184] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "The Rapid Variability of Wave Electric Fields Within and Near Quasiperpendicular Interplanetary Shock Ramps: STEREO Observations." The Astrophysical Journal 904 (174): 14 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-4357/abbeec] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Magnetic reconnection and kinetic waves generated in the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock." Physics of Plasmas 27 (9): 092901 [Full Text] [10.1063/5.0012443] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Ion-scale Current Structures in Short Large-amplitude Magnetic Structures." The Astrophysical Journal 898 (121): 13 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-4357/ab9b8b] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Lower-Hybrid Drift Waves Driving Electron Nongyrotropic Heating and Vortical Flows in a Magnetic Reconnection Layer." Physical Review Letters 125 (2): 025103 [10.1103/physrevlett.125.025103] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "A Study of a Magnetic Cloud Propagating Through Large‐Amplitude Alfvén Waves." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 125 (6): e2019JA027638 [10.1029/2019ja027638] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Microscopic, Multipoint Characterization of Foreshock Bubbles With Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS)." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 125 (7): e2019JA027707 [10.1029/2019ja027707] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Nonstationary Quasiperpendicular Shock and Ion Reflection at Mars." Geophysical Research Letters 47 (11): e2020GL088309 [10.1029/2020gl088309] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Electron Energy Partition across Interplanetary Shocks. III. Analysis." The Astrophysical Journal 893 (22): 21 [10.3847/1538-4357/ab7d39] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Laboratory Observations of Ultra-low-frequency Analog Waves Driven by the Right-hand Resonant Ion Beam Instability." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 891 (L11): 6 [10.3847/2041-8213/ab75f4] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Electron Energy Partition across Interplanetary Shocks. II. Statistics." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 245 (24): 29 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-4365/ab5445] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Electron Scattering by Low-frequency Whistler Waves at Earth’s Bow Shock." The Astrophysical Journal 886 (53): 11 [10.3847/1538-4357/ab4a81] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Magnetic reconnection in a quasi-parallel shock: two-dimensional local particle-in-cell simulation." Geophysical Research Letters 46 (16): 9352-9361 [Full Text] [10.1029/2019GL083397] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Electron Energy Partition across Interplanetary Shocks. I. Methodology and Data Product." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 243 (8): 26 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-4365/ab22bd] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Evolution of the Suprathermal Proton Population at Interplanetary Shocks." The Astronomical Journal 158 (1): 12 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-3881/ab1e49] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Supplement to: Electron energy partition across interplanetary shocks." Zenodo 28 75806 [Full Text] [10.5281/zenodo.2875806] [Dataset]

2019. "Understanding the Role of α Particles in Oblique Heliospheric Shock Oscillations." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 124 (4): 2393-2405 [Full Text] [10.1029/2018ja026301] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Impulsively Reflected Ions: A Plausible Mechanism for Ion Acoustic Wave Growth in Collisionless Shocks." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 124 (3): 1855-1865 [Full Text] [10.1029/2018ja026436] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Observational Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection in the Terrestrial Bow Shock Transition Region." Geophysical Research Letters 46 (2): 562-570 [Full Text] [10.1029/2018gl080944] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "MMS Observations of Electrostatic Waves in an Oblique Shock Crossing." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 123 (11): 9430-9442 [10.1029/2018ja025830] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Flat Proton Spectra in Large Solar Energetic Particle Events." Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1100 012014 [10.1088/1742-6596/1100/1/012014] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Solar Wind Induced Waves in the Skies of Mars: Ionospheric Compression, Energization, and Escape Resulting From the Impact of Ultralow Frequency Magnetosonic Waves Generated Upstream of the Martian Bow Shock." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 123 (9): 7241-7256 [10.1029/2018ja025414] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Autogenous and efficient acceleration of energetic ions upstream of Earth’s bow shock." Nature 561 (7722): 206-210 [10.1038/s41586-018-0472-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Statistical Study of the Properties of Magnetosheath Lion Roars." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 123 (7): 5435-5451 [10.1029/2018ja025343] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Electron Bulk Acceleration and Thermalization at Earth’s Quasiperpendicular Bow Shock." Physical Review Letters 120 (22): 225101 [10.1103/physrevlett.120.225101] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "The Statistical Properties of Solar Wind Temperature Parameters Near 1 au." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 236 (2): 41 [10.3847/1538-4365/aab71c] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Kinetic Properties of an Interplanetary Shock Propagating inside a Coronal Mass Ejection." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 859 (1): L4 [10.3847/2041-8213/aac269] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Generation of Kappa Distributions in Solar Wind at 1 au." The Astrophysical Journal 853 (2): 142 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-4357/aaa713] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Kinetic theory and fast wind observations of the electron strahl." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 474 (1): 115-127 [Full Text] [10.1093/mnras/stx2555] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Revisiting the structure of low-Mach number, low-beta, quasi-perpendicular shocks." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 122 (9): 9115-9133 [Full Text] [10.1002/2017ja024352] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Fermi acceleration of electrons inside foreshock transient cores." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 122 (9): 9248-9263 [Full Text] [10.1002/2017ja024480] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Subcritical Growth of Electron Phase-space Holes in Planetary Radiation Belts." The Astrophysical Journal 846 (83): 8 [10.3847/1538-4357/aa8367] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Statistical study of particle acceleration in the core of foreshock transients." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 122 (7): 7197-7208 [10.1002/2017ja024043] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Electron Scattering by High-frequency Whistler Waves at Earth’s Bow Shock." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 842 (2): L11 [Full Text] [10.3847/2041-8213/aa7759] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Parallel electron heating in the magnetospheric inflow region." Geophysical Research Letters 44 (10): 4384-4392 [10.1002/2017gl073404] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "A Database of Interplanetary and Interstellar Dust Detected by the Wind Spacecraft." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 121 (10): 9369-9377 [Full Text] [10.1002/2016ja023209] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Relativistic Electrons Produced by Foreshock Disturbances Observed Upstream of Earth’s Bow Shock." Physical Review Letters 117 (21): 215101 [Full Text] [10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.215101] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Prompt acceleration of magnetospheric electrons to ultrarelativistic energies by the 17 March 2015 interplanetary shock." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 121 (8): 7622-7635 [10.1002/2016ja022596] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "A PROTON-CYCLOTRON WAVE STORM GENERATED BY UNSTABLE PROTON DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS IN THE SOLAR WIND." The Astrophysical Journal 819 (1): 6 [10.3847/0004-637x/819/1/6] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Low Frequency Waves at and Upstream of Collisionless Shocks." Geophysical Monograph Series, In: Low-Frequency Waves in Space Plasmas 216 269-291 [10.1002/9781119055006.ch16] [Article in Book]

2016. "ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MICROBURSTS AND NONLINEAR ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES IN PLANETARY RADIATION BELTS." The Astrophysical Journal 816 (2): 51 [10.3847/0004-637x/816/2/51] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Ion distributions in the Earth's foreshock: Hybrid-Vlasov simulation and THEMIS observations." J. Geophys. Res. 120 3684-3701 [10.1002/2014JA020519] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "THEMIS observations of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves and associated ion heating near the Earth’s dayside magnetopause." J. Geophys. Res. 120 3380-3392 [10.1002/2015JA020984] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Structure of a reconnection layer poleward of the cusp: Extreme density asymmetry and a guide field." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 119 (9): 7343-7362 [Full Text] [10.1002/2014JA019879] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Quantified energy dissipation rates in the terrestrial bow shock: 2. Waves and dissipation." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 119 (8): 6475-6495 [Full Text] [10.1002/2014JA019930] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Quantified energy dissipation rates in the terrestrial bow shock: 1. Analysis techniques and methodology." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 119 (8): 6455-6474 [Full Text] [10.1002/2014JA019929] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "A Statistical Analysis of Properties of Small Transients in the Solar Wind 2007-2009: STEREO and Wind Observations." Journal of Geophysical Research 119 (2): 689-708 [Full Text] [10.1002/2013JA019115] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Interplanetary and interstellar dust observed by the Wind/WAVES electric field instrument." Geophysical Research Letters 41 (2): 266-272 [Full Text] [10.1002/2013GL058786] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "A statistical analysis of properties of small transients in the solar wind 2007-2009: STEREO andWind observations." JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS 119 689-708 [10.1002/2013JA019115] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "THEMIS observations of the magnetopause electron diffusion region: Large amplitude waves and heated electrons." Geophys. Res. Lett. 40 2884-2890 [Full Text] [10.1002/grl.50565] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Shocklets, SLAMS, and field-aligned ion beams in the terrestrial foreshock." J. Geophys. Res. 118 957-966 [Full Text] [10.1029/2012JA018186] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Electrostatic Solitary Waves in the Solar Wind: Evidence for Instability at Solar Wind Current Sheets." J. Geophys. Res. 118 591-599 [Full Text] [10.1002/jgra.50102] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Electromagnetic waves and electron anisotropies downstream of supercritical interplanetary shocks." J. Geophys. Res. 118 5-16 [Full Text] [10.1029/2012JA018167] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Short large-amplitude magnetic structures (SLAMS) at Venus." Journal of Geophysical Research 117 (A10): A10221 [Full Text] [10.1029/2012JA017838] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Explaining polarization reversals in STEREO wave data." Journal of Geophysical Research 117 A04317 [10.1029/2011JA017425] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Observations of Electromagnetic Whistler Precursors at Supercritical Interplanetary Shocks." Geophysical Research Letters 39 L08109 [10.1029/2012GL051581] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Large-Amplitude Whistler Waves and Electron Acceleration in the Earth’s Radiation Belts: A Review of STEREO and Wind Observations." Geophys. Monogr. Ser. 199 41-51 [Full Text] [10.1029/2012GM001322] [Article in Book]

2011. "Large amplitude whistlers in the magnetosphere observed with Wind-Waves." Journal of Geophysical Research 116 9224 [Full Text] [10.1029/2010JA015919] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "The properties of large amplitude whistler mode waves in the magnetosphere: Propagation and relationship with geomagnetic activity." Geophysical Research Letters 38 17107 [Full Text] [10.1029/2011GL048671] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Observations of a high-latitude stable electron auroral emission at ~16 MLT during a large substorm." Journal of Geophysical Research 116 7215 [Full Text] [10.1029/2010JA016132] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Large-amplitude transmitter-associated and lightning-associated whistler waves in the Earth's inner plasmasphere at L < 2." Journal of Geophysical Research 116 (A6): A06310 [Full Text] [10.1029/2010JA016288] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Observation of relativistic electron microbursts in conjunction with intense radiation belt whistler-mode waves." Geophysical Research Letters 38 L08107 [Full Text] [10.1029/2011GL046810] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Large-amplitude electrostatic waves observed at a supercritical interplanetary shock." J. Geophys. Res. 115 (A12): 12104 [Full Text] [10.1029/2010JA015332] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Electron trapping and charge transport by large amplitude whistlers." Geophysical Research Letters 37 20106 [Full Text] [10.1029/2010GL044845] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Observations of large-amplitude, narrowband whistlers at stream interaction regions." J. Geophys. Res. 115 (A8): A08104 [Full Text] [10.1029/2009JA014920] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Low-frequency whistler waves and shocklets observed at quasi-perpendicular interplanetary shocks." Journal of Geophysical Research 114 10106 [Full Text] [10.1029/2009JA014376] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Low-frequency whistler waves and shocklets observed at quasi perpendicular interplanetary shocks." Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics) 114 [10106-10.1029/2009JA014376] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Waves in Interplanetary Shocks: A Wind/WAVES Study." Physical Review Letters 99 041101 [Full Text] [10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.041101] [Journal Article/Letter]

Talks, Presentations and Posters


Invited

Spacecraft floating potential measurements for the Wind spacecraft

December 28, 2023

Parker Solar Probe Working Group: QTN/Electron


Nonlinear waves on the whistler mode branch

October 27, 2023

Seminar for the Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK


The Structure of Collisionless Shocks

July 28, 2023

ASTRONUM 2023 Workshop, held in Pasadena, CA


Nonequilibrium solar wind particle distributions: Why care?

June 10, 2023

Colloqium for the Centre for Mathematical Plasma As- trophysics, at the Department of Mathematics of the KU Leuven, Belgium


Particle Energization at Collisionless Shock Waves and Particle Transport in the Interplanetary Medium

September 18, 2022

6th ICM Theory and Computation Workshop, held August 15–19, 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark


Suprathermal particles and collisionless shocks

August 1, 2022

2022 SHINE Conference, held June 27 to July 1, 2022, Honolulu, Hawaii


Comparative collisionless shocks beyond Earth

June 13, 2022

MMS Community Workshop, May 9–13, 2022, Daytona Beach, FL


Particle Energization at Collisionless Shock Waves

November 9, 2021

Presentation for the Monthly Meeting of the National Capital Astronomers


Particle Energization at Collisionless Shock Waves

March 16, 2021

Space Plasma Physics Seminar for the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University

Other

Selected Public Outreach


2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival

May 2012 - May 2012

I volunteered for half a day to speak to and interact with attendees that stopped by the Heliophysics Division booth.

3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival

May 2014 - May 2014

I volunteered for an entire day to speak to and interact with attendees that stopped by the Heliophysics Division booth.

4th USA Science & Engineering Festival

May 2016 - May 2016

I volunteered for an entire day to speak to and interact with attendees that stopped by the Heliophysics Division booth.


5th USA Science & Engineering Festival

May 2018 - May 2018

I volunteered for an entire day to speak to and interact with attendees that stopped by the Heliophysics Division booth.


Science Panel Discussion for the National Space Club Scholars Program and the GSFC High School Internship Program

August 2012 - August 2012

 The panel discussed our various pathways from our childhood to NASA and all the obstacles we overcame. The idea is to give the young audience ideas and help for becoming a scientist and potentially working at NASA.

Science Panel Discussion for the National Space Club Scholars Program and the GSFC High School Internship Program

August 2013 - August 2013

 The panel discussed our various pathways from our childhood to NASA and all the obstacles we overcame. The idea is to give the young audience ideas and help for becoming a scientist and potentially working at NASA.

Transforming the Middle School Science Classroom to Inspire Achievement: A CTY Curricular Collaboration

December 2015 - December 2015

The event was held at the Johns Hopkins Mount Washington Conference Center in Baltimore, MD on Nov. 20 and 21, 2015.  Dr. Wilson was invited to participate as a content expert for the development of a generalized 8th grade course on Forces and Motion accessible to schools with a wide range of financial capacities.


Lunch with Jr. Academy of Science Students

March 2016 - March 2016

Informal discussion about possible career choices with high school students in the Jr. Academy of Science