The compression of the geo-magnetosphere: A physical model and the effects of compression

This thesis presents the results from an investigation of magnetospheric compression. In this research we provide the space physics community with an accurate physical model of the magnetospheric response to dynamic pressure fronts traveling in the solar wind. We also solve the question about the mechanism controlling the dynamic nature of the observed compressional signals. Finally we address the problem of energizing the inner magnetosphere via compression.; In this venture, we first present predictions from several models that map out a standardized global change in geomagnetic field when a generic pressure front interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere. These results all predict the presence of a depression region at high altitudes on the dayside where total fields decrease, and qualitative comparisons with Polar observations prove reasonable. We also use a more rigorous mathematical test to verify the result, which determines the most accurate representation of magnetospheric physics.; We use an MHD model to examine the time dependent (∂/∂ t) nature of observed changes in the geomagnetic field. We establish a connection between the speed of a solar wind structure and the duration of the compressional signal.; Finally, we discuss how magnetospheric compression can lead to an energy transfer from particles to waves. An energy exchange results in a post-compressional enhancement of transverse ULF wave power, and the occurrence rate of these observations exhibit a reliance on the magnitude of the compression.