Evolution of electron temperature in particle-in-cell simulation of magnetic reconnection.

Auroral borealis captured by crew onboard the International Space Station. Image: NASA

Magnetospheric MultiScale mission being prepared for launch. Image: NASA

EISCAT_3D will use radar observations and the incoherent scatter technique for studies of the atmosphere and near-Earth space environment above the Fenno-Scandinavian Arctic. Image: NIPR

MagnetoHydroDynamic (MHD) simulation of the Earth's magnetosphere.

Welcome

The Space Physics Plasma Group (SPPG) explores how magnetic explosions occur in space, how near-Earth space is shaped, and how it reacts to solar eruptions. We also work to understand Space Weather, the dangerous effects space processes have on humans and their equipment in space and on the ground.

We are located at the Department of Physics and Technology within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the University of Bergen.

Norah Kaggwa Kwagala joins the WMO expert team on Space Weather

Before the summer, Norah Kaggwa Kwagala joined the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as a member of the Expert Team on Space Weather. At the moment, the team brings together experts from all over the world. The Expert team on Space Weather (ET-SWx) has been established to lead the delivery of the space weather related research Read More ...

FRIPRO funding to SPPG

Cecilia Norgren receives FRIPRO funding from Norges forskningsråd for her proposal ‘Xplode – Why, how, and where do magnetic fields discharge?’. Through a combined use of kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and in situ spacecraft observations by the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission, the project will aim to answer the questions of when and where magnetic reconnection is Read More ...

Lindis Bjoland joins SPPG

Lindis Bjoland recently started as a researcher at the Space Plasma Physics group. During the next year, she will do a feasibility study to assess how the new EISCAT_3D radar can contribute to and enhance the European Space Agency’s space weather data products and improve their services in the Arctic region. Her research has been Read More ...

The Plasma Observatory selected for further study by ESA

The Plasma Observatory is a multi-spacecraft mission proposal to study the coupling of fluid and ion scales within astrophysical plasmas in near-Earth space, advancing the knowledge of particle energisation and energy transfer. It was recently selected for further study for ESA’s M7 mission opportunity. Cecilia Norgren from SPPG is a member of the Plasma Observatory Read More ...