Basics of the Solar Wind

by Meyer-Vernet, Nicole

• ISBN13: 9781107407459
• ISBN10: 1107407451
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-13
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

The Sun continually ejects matter into space, blowing a huge bubble of supersonic plasma. This solar wind bathes the whole solar system and shapes all planetary environments. The growth of space technology has considerably increased our knowledge of this medium. This 2007 book presents an introduction to the subject, starting with basic principles and including all the latest advances from space exploration and theory. It contains a short introduction to plasma physics and discusses the structure of the solar interior and atmosphere, the production of solar wind and its perturbations. It explains the objects of the Solar System, from dust to comets and planets, and their interaction with the solar wind. The final sections explore the astrophysical point of view. The topics are treated at various levels of difficulty both qualitatively and quantitatively. This book will appeal to graduate students and researchers in earth and atmospheric sciences, and astrophysics.

Table of Contents

Preface

The Wind From the Sun: an Introduction

A brief history of ideas

Looking at the Sun

Observing the solar wind

Toolkit for Space Plasma Physics

What is a plasma?

Dynamics of a charged particle

Many particles: from kinetics to MHD

Basic tools for ionisation

Problems

Anatomy of the Sun

An (almost) ordinary star

Structure and dynamics

Some guesses on solar magnetism

Problems

The Outer Solar Atmosphere

From the photosphere to the corona

Force balance and magnetic structures

Energy balance

Some prominent species

Time variability

Coronal heating: Boojums at work?

Hydrostatic instability of the corona

Problems

How does the solar wind blow?

The basic problem

Simple fluid theory

Letting the temperature vary

A mixture of fluids

Kinetic descriptions

Building a 'full' theory?

Problems

Structure and Perturbations

Basic large-scale magnetic field

Three-dimensional structure during the solar cycle

Major perturbations

Waves and turbulence

Minor constituents

Problems

Bodies in the Wind: Dust, Asteroids, Planets and Comets

Bodies in the wind

Basics of the interaction

The magnetospheric engine

Physics of heliospheric dust grains

Comets; 7.6. Problems

The Solar Wind in the Universe

The frontier of the heliosphere

Cosmic rays

Examples of winds in the universe

Problems

Index

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