Radiation belts and relativistic electrons
Enhancements and dropouts in the outer belt; formation, confinement and decay of ultrarelativistic remnant belts; radial response of electrons to geomagnetic disturbances.
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Research
Research
I study how the solar wind controls the dynamics of Earth's radiation belts: when and why relativistic electrons are accelerated, transported or lost. I combine satellite data (Van Allen Probes, THEMIS, GOES) and ground magnetometers with machine learning models to forecast geomagnetic perturbations and geomagnetically induced currents (GIC).
Themes
ULF waves and magnetospheric turbulence
How ULF wave power relates to relativistic electron fluxes; turbulence and pressure balance in the dynamic magnetosphere.
Machine learning for space weather
Forecasting ground magnetic perturbations and GIC with deep neural networks, probabilistic forecasting and explainability techniques.
Solar wind–magnetosphere coupling
Solar wind control of the inner magnetosphere and the effects of geomagnetic storms on technology.
Projects
My role in funded projects. Details of each project are on the group website.
Active
Principal investigator
FONDECYT Initiation grant · ANID · 2025–2028
ULF waves and trapped particles in the radiation belts
Principal investigator
FONDEF IDEA I+D · ANID · 2025–2027
Pilot space weather platform for Chile
Principal investigator for USACH; led by Universidad Adventista de Chile
Director
FONDEQUIP · ANID · 2023–
High-performance computing (HPC) platform, Department of Physics
Co-investigator
FONDECYT Regular · ANID · 2025–2029
Turbulence and pressure balance in the magnetosphere
PI: M. Stepanova
Co-investigator
FONDECYT Regular · ANID · 2024–2028
Physics of expanding plasmas (solar and stellar winds)
PI: P. S. Moya
Co-investigator
CNPq (Brazil) · CNPq · 2025–2029
GIC in Brazil and precipitation in the South Atlantic Anomaly
PI: J. P. Marchezi (INPE)
International collaborator
NASA Living With a Star · NASA · 2023–2027
Foreshock transients and magnetospheric perturbations
PI: J. Liu (UCLA)
Completed
Principal investigator
Academic Insertion grant · ANID · 2022–2025
Principal investigator
DICYT Regular · USACH · 2024–2025
Principal investigator
DICYT Juventud Investigadora · USACH · 2024