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Weijie Sun

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Assistant Research Scientist

Contact

Location

Climate & Space Research Building 1414

2455 Hayward Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143

Education

  • 2012.9 – 2016.7, Ph.D. in Space Physics, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
  • 2014.9 – 2015.8, Visiting Ph.D. Student, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic & Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States.
  • 2005.9 – 2012.6, B. S. in Applied Physics, M. S. in Theoretical Physics, Shandong University, Weihai, China.

Professional Service

  • Manuscript Reviewer for Geophysical Research Letters (GRL), Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics (JGR-Space Physics), The Astrophysical Journal Letter (ApJL), The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ), Astrophysics and Space Science, Planetary and Space Science, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, Earth and Planetary Physics, Chinese Journal of Space Science, etc.
  • Proposal Reviewer for NASA-Heliophysics Supporting Research (HSR), NASA-Heliophysics Guest Investigator Open (HGIO), NASA-Participating Scientist Programs, European Science Foundation, etc.
  • Scientist-In-The-Loop (SITL) of the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission (2018 – Present)
  • Co-Investigator, Mercury Plasma/Particle Experiment (MPPE) of Mercury Magnetosphere Orbiter (Mio), ESA-JAXA BepiColombo Mission
  • Invited Speakers for American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA), International Conference on Substorms (ICS), BepiColombo-Hermean Environment Working Group (HEWG), Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission Community Workshop, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Space Science Seminar, etc.

Research Interests

  • Planetary Magnetospheres
  • Magnetic Reconnection and Magnetic Structures
  • Analysis Methods for Single-Spacecraft and Multi-Spacecraft Data

Biography

2021.6 – Now, Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

2018.4 – 2021.5, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

2016.7 – 2018.3, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Awards

  • 2016.5: Top-Ten Students with Academic Research Honor, Peking University
  • 2012.9-2016.7: Presidential Scholarship, Peking University

Publications

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8E047TYAAAAJ&hl=en

Selected Publications:

(* corresponding author)

  1. Sun, W. J.*, J. A. Slavin, A. Milillo, R. M. Dewey, S. Orsini, X. Jia, J. M. Raines, S. Livi, J. M. Jasinski, S. Fu, J. Zhao, Q. G. Zong, Y. Saito, and C. Li (2022). MESSENGER observations of planetary ion enhancements at Mercury’s northern magnetospheric cusp during Flux Transfer Event Showers. J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 127. e2022JA030280. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JA030280
    • This study was highlighted by AGU publications in EOS as Rehnberg, M. (2022), Solar wind a major driver of atmospheric sodium at Mercury, Eos, 103, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EO220258.
  2. Sun, W. *, J. A. Slavin, R. Nakamura, D. Heyner, K. J. Trattner, J. Z. D. Mieth, J. Zhao, Q. G. Zong, S. Aizawa, N. Andre, and Y. Saito (2022). Dayside magnetopause reconnection and flux transfer events under radial interplanetary magnetic field (IMF): BepiColombo Earth-flyby observations, Ann. Geophys., 40, 217–229. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-217-2022
  3. Sun, W. *, R. M. Dewey, S. Aizawa, J. Huang, J. A. Slavin, S. Fu, Y. Wei, and C. Bowers (2022). Review of Mercury’s Dynamic Magnetosphere: Post-MESSENGER Era and Comparative Magnetospheres, Science China Earth Sciences, 65, 25–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-021-9828-0
  4. Sun, W. J.*, J. A. Slavin, A. W. Smith, R. M. Dewey, G. K. Poh, X. Jia, J. M. Raines, S. Livi, Y. Saito, D. J. Gershman, G. A. DiBraccio, S. M. Imber, J. P. Guo, S. Y. Fu, Q. G. Zong, and J. T. Zhao (2020). Flux Transfer Event Showers at Mercury: Dependence on Plasma β and Magnetic Shear and their Contribution to the Dungey Cycle. Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL089784. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089784
  5. Sun, W. J.*, J. A. Slavin, R. Dewey, Y. Chen, G. DiBraccio, J. Raines, J. Jasinski, X. Jia, and M. Akhavan-Tafti (2020). MESSENGER observations of Mercury’s nightside magnetosphere under extreme solar wind conditions: reconnection-generated structures and steady convection, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 125,e2019JA027490. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JA027490
  6. Sun, W. J.*, J. A. Slavin, A. M. Tian, S. C. Bai, G. K. Poh, M. Akhavan-Tafti, S. Lu, S. T. Yao, G. Le, R. Nakamura, B. L. Giles, and J. L. Burch (2019). MMS study of the structure of ion-scale flux ropes in the Earth’s cross-tail current sheet. Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 6168– 6177. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083301
  7. Sun, W. J.*, J. A. Slavin, R. M. Dewey, J. M. Raines, S. Y. Fu, Y. Wei, T. Karlsson, G. K. Poh, X. Jia, D. J. Gershman, Q. G. Zong, W. X. Wan, Q. Q. Shi, Z. Y. Pu, and D. Zhao (2018). A comparative study of the proton properties of magnetospheric substorms at Earth and Mercury in the near magnetotail. Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 7933–7941. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079181
  8. Sun, W. J.*, S. Y. Fu, Y. Wei, Z. H. Yao, Z. J. Rong, X. Z. Zhou, J. A. Slavin, W. X. Wan, Q. G. Zong, Z. Y. Pu, Q. Q. Shi, and X. C. Shen (2017). Plasma sheet pressure variations in the near-Earth magnetotail during substorm growth phase: THEMIS observations. J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 122, 12,212–12,228. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024603
  9. Sun, W. J.*, J. M. Raines, S. Y. Fu, J. A. Slavin, Y. Wei, G. K. Poh, Z. Y. Pu, Z. H. Yao, Q. G. Zong, and W. X. Wan (2017), MESSENGER observations of the energization and heating of protons in the near Mercury magnetotail, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 8149–8158, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074276
  10. Sun, W. J.*, S. Y. Fu, J. A. Slavin, J. M. Raines, Q. G. Zong, G. K. Poh, and T. H. Zurbuchen (2016), Spatial distribution of Mercury’s flux ropes and reconnection fronts: MESSENGER observations, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 121, 7590–7607. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JA022787
  11. Sun, W.-J.*, J. A. Slavin, S. Fu, J. M. Raines, T. Sundberg, Q.-G. Zong, X. Jia, Q. Shi, X. Shen, G. Poh, and Z. Pu (2015), MESSENGER observations of Alfvénic and compressional waves during Mercury’s substorms, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 6189–6198. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065452
  12. Sun, W.-J.*, J. A. Slavin, S. Fu, J. M. Raines, Q.-G. Zong, S. M. Imber, Q. Shi, Z. Yao, G. Poh, D. J. Gershman, Z. Pu, T. Sundberg, B. J. Anderson, H. Korth, and D. N. Baker (2015), MESSENGER observations of magnetospheric substorm activity in Mercury’s near magnetotail. Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 3692–3699. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL064052
  13. Sun, W.-J., S. Fu*, Z. Pu, G. K. Parks, J. A. Slavin, Z. Yao, Q.-G. Zong, Q. Shi, D. Zhao, and Y. Cui (2014), The current system associated with the boundary of plasma bubbles, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 8169–8175. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062171
  14. Sun, W.-J., S. Fu*, G. K. Parks, Z. Pu, Q.-G. Zong, J. Liu, Z. Yao, H. Fu, and Q. Shi (2014), Electric fields associated with dipolarization fronts, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 119, 5272–5278. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JA020045 
    • This study was highlighted by AGU publications in EOS as “Balcerak, E. (2014), Studying electric fields in dipolarization fronts, Eos Trans. AGU, 95(45), 416. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014EO450010 ”
  15. Sun, W., S. Fu*, Q. Shi, Q. Zong, Z. Yao, T. Xiao, and G. K. Parks (2014), THEMIS observation of a magnetotail current sheet flapping wave, Chin. Sci. Bull., 59(2), 154-161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-013-0056-x
  16. Sun, W. J., S. Y. Fu*, G. K. Parks, J. Liu, Z. H. Yao, Q. Q. Shi, Q.-G. Zong, S. Y. Huang, Z. Y. Pu, and T. Xiao (2013), Field-aligned currents associated with dipolarization fronts, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 4503–4508. https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50902
  17. Sun, W. J., Q. Q. Shi*, S. Y. Fu, Z. Y. Pu, M. W. Dunlop, A. P. Walsh, Q. G. Zong, T. Xiao, C. L. Tang, H. Reme, C. Carr, E. Lucek, and A. Fazakerley (2012), Cluster and TC-1 observation of magnetic holes in the plasma sheet, Ann. Geophys., 30, 583-595. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-583-2012
  18. Sun, W. J., Q. Q. Shi*, S.Y. Fu, Q. G. Zong, Z. Y. Pu, L. Xie, T. Xiao, L. Li, Z. X. Liu, H. Reme, E. Lucek (2010), Statistical research on the motion properties of the magnetotail current sheet: Cluster observations. Sci China Tech Sci, 53: 1732-1738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-010-3153-y