Research
Radiation belt physics, ULF waves, magnetospheric turbulence, solar wind-magnetosphere coupling, and machine-learning space weather prediction.
Space physics
Mechanisms of energization, transport, and decay of relativistic electrons in the Van Allen belts. Enhancement and dropout events during geomagnetic storms. Formation, evolution, and decay of ultrarelativistic remnant belts. Adiabatic and non-adiabatic processes in the outer radiation belt. Auroral phenomena and their influence on radiation belt dynamics.
Space physics
Role of electromagnetic ULF waves in trapped charged particle dynamics. Magnetospheric turbulence and total pressure balance during storms and substorms. Eddy diffusion coefficients in the plasma sheet (THEMIS observations). Wave-particle interactions and relativistic electron loss processes.
Data science
Prediction of ground magnetic perturbations and geomagnetically induced currents (GIC). Probabilistic forecasting using deep learning (RNN, CNN, LSTM). ML model explainability for operational space weather (SHAP, LIME). Plasmapause location with machine learning.
Space physics
Solar wind dynamic pressure effects on magnetospheric turbulence. Foreshock transients and magnetospheric perturbations (NASA LWS). Expanding plasma systems: solar and stellar winds. Adiabatic invariants and non-adiabatic mechanisms in solar wind expansion.
Projects
FONDECYT Initiation 2025 · ANID
PI: Dr. Victor Pinto
FONDECYT Regular 2025 · ANID
PI: Prof. Marina Stepanova · Co-I: Dr. Victor Pinto
FONDECYT Regular 2024 · ANID
PI: P.S. Moya · Co-I: Dr. Victor Pinto
FONDEF IDEA I+D 2025 · FONDEF/ANID
Director: M. Bravo (Universidad Adventista de Chile) · Principal investigator (USACH): Dr. Victor Pinto
NASA LWS · NASA
PI: J. Liu (UCLA) · International collaborator: Dr. Victor Pinto
CNPq Conhecimento Brasil · CNPq
PI: J.P. Marchezi (INPE) · Co-I: Dr. Victor Pinto
FONDEQUIP 2023 · ANID
Director: Dr. Victor Pinto
