Early Studies in Solar Wind Coupling and Substorms

The space age began while I was a Physics student at Berkeley. NASA stimulated space research by the creation of eight centers of excellence each with a new building and very large grants. These centers became the nucleus of research activities that continue 55 years later. Data from new instruments and spacecraft provided unique opportunities for young people to make significant discoveries. In my case the concept of the auroral substorm was crucial, as later were data from the first instrumented synchronous satellite ATS‐1, and one of the first eccentric orbiters OGO‐5. In this account I describe my early experiences and the difficulties of completing my undergraduate degree. I then describe graduate work at Berkeley and multiple trips to the auroral zone. On completion of my PhD I began work at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and soon became a professor. My graduate work and early research as a professor enabled me to introduce important concepts including the substorm growth phase, the concept of a magnetospheric substorm, the substorm current wedge, the near‐Earth neutral line, the dipolarization of the synchronous magnetic field during substorms, the semiannual variation in geomagnetic activity, and algorithms to predict the Dst index and AL index. I also did extensive work in investigations of ULF waves, magnetic storms, and the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere, but these occurred later and are not discussed. I end with the question of whether it is possible today for young people with a background similar to mine to achieve similar success.