Report on VERSIM 2020

Abstract

The 9th VLF/ELF Remote Sensing of Ionospheres and Magnetospheres Workshop (VERSIM 2020) was successfully held as a virtual meeting during the week of 16–20 November 2020. The meeting had been rescheduled from the original meeting (23–27 March 2020 at the Uji Campus, Kyoto University, Japan), cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The VERSIM workshop aims to bring together scientists from all across the globe to present and discuss topics related to the excitation, propagation, and effects of electromagnetic waves in the ELF/VLF (300 Hz – 30 kHz) range. The VERSIM group was established as a joint URSI/IAGA work group in 1975. It has been the main scientific body to specifically focus on whistlers in the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere (whistler waves were one of the first electromagnetic signals detected by ground instruments, and gave important clues about the Earth's active space environment). The scope of this group has grown substantially over the years. It has grown particularly in recent years with the recognition that whistler-mode chorus and hiss waves play a particularly important role in shaping the dynamics of the Earth's high-energy radiation belts (particularly topical in light of the continuing successful operation of the Van Allen Probes and the Arase (ERG) spacecraft). Whistler waves are also known to be intimately involved in the magnetic reconnection process (which is currently very topical due to the launch of the MMS satellite) and solar flaring. In addition to the traditional VERSIM topics, results of recent space missions, such as Arase, MMS, and the Van Allen Probes, were presented.