The interplanetary space is filled with solar wind that continuously flows out from the Sun. The solar wind is a plasma — an ionized gas consisting of charged particles. Shock waves are among the most important phenomena in space plasmas. The Earth’s bow shock stands ahead of the Earth’s magnetosphere and acts to slow down the incoming solar wind before it flows around the magnetosphere. Coronal mass ejections launched from the Sun can also drive shock waves which can accelerate charged particles to high energies, constituting a radiation hazard to technology and humans in space.
My research focuses on investigating what kind of structures form at shock waves in the solar wind, how solar wind turbulence and shocks interact, and how these phenomena influence particle acceleration at shock waves. In my work, I utilize in-situ spacecraft measurements from space and computer simulations. My research is basic research of space plasma physics, which contributes to the understanding of fundamental physical processes influencing space weather and to research of shock waves also in astrophysical environments.
I received my PhD from the University of Turku in August 2024. I have since worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Queen Mary University of London in the United Kingdom.