Design, calibration, and experiments to improve the feasibility of student-built magnetometers for heliophysics research

Abstract

Dynamic interactions between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere can create strong geomagnetic field disturbances and trigger geomagnetically induced currents. Geomagnetically induced currents may cause damage to infrastructure such as damage to high-voltage power transformers and increased corrosion of pipelines. Ground observations of geomagnetic fields are widely used for geomagnetically induced current studies; however, there is insufficient information on the spatial extent of the localized geomagnetically induced current events due to a lack of spatial coverage. The Space Weather UnderGround is an education and outreach program, first initiated by Dr. Charles Smith at the University of New Hampshire and expanded to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Space Weather UnderGround program is aimed to educate high school students on space weather phenomena while equipping them with STEM skills. Students who participate learn to build a semi-professional magnetometer kit which is then used by researchers as a cost-effective and research-capable array of magnetometers across Alaska and New Hampshire. The Space Weather UnderGround magnetometer array provides high resolution geomagnetic field data with 1nT/s accuracy, and the data is made publicly available for improving our understanding and prediction of geomagnetically induced currents. Several University of Alaska Fairbanks Space Weather UnderGround magnetometer designs have been developed between 2021 and 2023, and various experiments and calibrations have been conducted to improve their applicability towards heliophysics research. This thesis will give a brief introduction to magnetometers and space weather, while focusing on the Simple Aurora Monitor and its use in the Space Weather UnderGround program. Next, sensor and deployment experiments will be described, including deployment vessels developed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Space Weather UnderGround team. Finally, the data acquisition process, along with the educational outcomes of the project, will be discussed.