Syllabus for the 1999 School of Physics Course "Solar and Space Physics"
Lecture 1: Introduction and Overview of the Course (IHC)
material on the course's structure
20 lectures, 3 lecturers (10-5-5 split)
lecture timing, 2 per week
assessment: bi-weekly assignments (25
availability of notes (web?, photocopies?)
useful books: Benz, Chen, Melrose, Baumjohann & Treumann,
Sturrock, Kivelson and Russell ....
short overview and advertisement for the course as a whole.
Lecture 2: Plasma drifts (IHC)
plasma drifts (motions of single particles in varying electric/magnetic
fields)
parallel E field -> acceleration
E x B drift
motion but no energy gain
magnetic mirror & conservation of magnetic moment
Grad B drift
curvature drift
combination of grad B and curvature
energy gain due to drifts at shocks
time-varying B field
betatron acceleration.
Lecture 3: Distribution function, fluid and MHD theory (AJW)
distribution function and the Boltzmann and Vlasov equations
introduce fluid theory in terms of moments of the distribution function
equations of fluid theory (mass/number conservation,
momentum conservation, energy conservation, equations of state)
MHD theory
special case of fluid theory where combine the electron +
ion fluids
frozen-in flow
MHD dispersion equation and modes.
Lecture 4: MHD shocks and particle acceleration processes (MW)
Rankine Hugoniot conditions for MHD shocks
solutions for fast mode shocks and perhaps slow mode shocks
phenomology of shocks (i.e., fast mode shock has increases in B,
density etc.)
magnetic mirroring and particle reflection
shock-drift acceleration
Fermi acceleration.
Lecture 5: Basic phenomenonology of the Sun (MW)
Core / convective region / photosphere / transition region / corona distinctions
Characteristic energy production/transport mechanisms, temperatures, motions ...
Associated evidence: x-ray corona, supergranulation/granulation patterns,
eclipse observations etc.
Helioseismology
Evidence/arguments for fusion powering the Sun
Solar neutrino questions.
Lecture 6: Heating of the Corona (MW)
Phenomenology of spicules, granulation, sunspots, active regions, & coronal holes
Stress still an unsolved problem.
Exosphere model and Scudder's velocity filtration
Wave heating ideas (qualitative)
Magnetic reconnection ideas and nanoflares
Observational constraints.
Lecture 7: Formation of the solar wind (MW)
Parker solution for solar wind flow and magnetic field
supersonic nature of the flow (beyond, say, 5 solar radii)
radial variations of the density, speed, and temperature
radial variations of the magnetic field
Parker spiral
variations with heliolatitude
fast/slow streams and coronal holes / closed field regions
Lecture 8: Solar activity (MW)
active regions, flares, and loops (observations)
solar cycle and dynamo theory for the solar magnetic field
magnetic loop reconnection ideas for flares
X-ray observations and interpretation
electron and ion accleration
type III bursts
shocks and CMEs
type II bursts and solar wind observations
Lecture 9: Kinetic wave equation and wave modes (AJW)
general dispersion equation
cold plasma theory and modes: o, x, z/Langmuir, whistler
kinetic dispersion equation for Maxwellian distributions
Friede-Conte function and approximations
Langmuir and ion acoustic waves
ion cyclotron, Bernstein and upper hybrid waves (v. brief overview)
overview figure with modes as functions of frequency and propagation
angle.
Lecture 10: Basic kinetic instabilities and nonlinear processes (AJW)
Growth/damping <-> imaginary part of omega in dispersion equation
Thermal (Landau) damping for Langmuir waves
Beam instability for Langmuir waves
analytics and qualitative details of numerics
new mode associated with new electron component & source of free energy
wave energy comes from the beam electrons
Qualitative: wave instabilities re-distribute free energy and relax the
overall system toward thermal equilibrium, but wave-particle scattering can
energise a fraction of the particles.
Nonlinear wave-wave or wave-particle processes
illustrate second-order modifications of distribution function correspond to
these processes
illustrate wave quanta picture of these processes
conservation relations
give some examples.
Illustrate ideas using solar radio bursts.
Lecture 11: Interplanetary physics (IHC)
fast and slow solar wind streams
origin and periodicity
forward and reverse shock pairs
processing of plasma
density, speed, and velocity profiles
variations of solar wind with heliolatitude
faster flow over poles
Ulysses observations
heliospheric current sheet
cosmic rays
Lecture 12: Time and spatial variations of the solar wind (IHC)
travelling interplanetary shocks and CMEs
particle acceleration
association with magnetospheric activity and solar activity
type III bursts: electron beams, Langmuir waves, radio emissions
radial variations
non-fluid behaviour of the electron temperature
existence of core and halo electron distributions
interstellar pick-up ions
effects of pick-up ions on the solar wind flow
slowing due to mass loading
increased temperature of ions
magnetic turbulence
comets
pick-up ions
MHD waves
Lecture 13: Earth's bow shock, magnetosheath and foreshock (IHC)
basic bow shock
rationales for a bow shock and analogy with water/bullet phenomena
shock jump conditions and consequences for the flow
magnetic mirroring
two-fluid model and cross-shock potential
gyrating ions and associated dissipation at the shock
ion and electron temperature increases
turbulent / laminar and critical Mach numbers
variations with solar wind parameters like the Alfven Mach number
(changes in shock position, shape etc. )
foreshock physics
mirroring of solar wind particles and escape of sheath particles
E x B drift and velocity dispersion -> electron and ion beam features
wave instabilities
Langmuir, ion acoustic, MHD waves
radio emission
shock-drift acceleration and Fermi acceleration
lunar foreshock (assignment)
Lecture 14: Basic structure of the magnetosphere (IHC)
magnetosheath
magnetopause
discontinuity, thinness, collisionless -> porous
magnetic field geometries and magnetic reconnection
cusp
magnetic neutral sheet
plasma sheet
plasmasphere
magnetic tail
current regions (bow shock, Birkeland I and II, magnetopause ...)
flux transfer events
ring current location and origin
radiation belts
large solar storm and anomalous cosmic rays
magnetospheric convection patterns
ionospheric convection patterns
Lecture 15: Space weather (IHC)
phenomenology of SSCs (sudden storm commencements)
travelling interplanetary shocks + CME's
magnetic shock
induced EMF's in cables etc.
effects on human activity
magnetic substorms
changes in solar wind Bz etc.
dipolarization
thinning of plasma sheets
flow onsets and bursty bulk flows
plasmoids
geosynchronous particle injections
ring current, Dst, AE variations
ionospheric and auroral manifestations (outflows etc.)
magnetic reconnection models
effects on human activity
energetic particle hazards
spacecraft
human
Lecture 16: Earth's ionosphere and upper atmosphere (IHC)
creation
photoionization
importance of chemistry and recomination
exosphere
fluid description
properties
E and F layers
sounding
polar wind and outflow models
ionosphere
magnetosphere
solar wind coupling
changes in convection patterns
enhanced auroral activity and changes in location
Lecture 17: auroral physics (IHC)
auroral radiation caused by precipitating electron-atom/ion collisions
auroral oval connected to edges of plasma sheet
current regions / electron motions / wave packets / plasma cavities
AKR
auroral arcs
polar cap
polar cap potential related to length of magnetotail
polar rain and polar wind
Lecture 18: Jupiter, its moons, and magnetosphere (AJW)
intrinsic magnetosphere
bow shock etc.
large size of magnetosphere assoc with strong B and weaker solar wind
effects of fast rotation
radiation belts
Io
Io flux tube, electron acceleration and Jovian decametric radiation
Io plasma torus
mass loading of the magnetosphere
Galileo results on magnetospheres for Ganymede etc.
Lecture 19: Other planets and their interactions with the solar wind (AJW)
Venus
insufficient magnetic field for bow shock to stand off from the atmosphere
collisional charge-exchange pick-up ions
extended foreshock
Mars
weak magnetic field and atmosphere
bow shock and foreshock
Saturn
Jupiter-like
rings and dusty plasma effects
Neptune and Uranus
planetary magnetic fields have strong quadrupole components
planetary field axes and rotation combine to have poles pointing
toward the Sun and perpendicular to the Sun-planet line at various
orbital phasesother phases
