The heliosphere and magnetospheres of the planets provide large natural plasma laboratories. This book is a broad, yet selective treatment of the physics of ionized gases and charged particles in the solar-terrestrial environment. The first few chapters deal with the fundamentals of plasma physics, covering such topics as single-particle motion, plasmas as fluids, magnetohydrodynamics, a brief introduction to kinetic theory, and plasma waves. Subsequent chapters discuss observations of the sun and the solar wind, energetic particles in interplanetary space and in the magnetoshperes, magnetized and unmagnetized planets, and solar-terrestrial relations, in particular the aurora. These chapters also describe the applications of these principles to space-plasma observations and introduce more-complex phenomena, such as collisionless shocks and wave-particle interactions.>

Klappentext

Observations and physical concepts are interwoven to give basic explanations of phenomena and also show the limitations in these explanations and identify some fundamental questions.

Compared to conventional plasma physics textbooks this book focuses on the concepts relevant in the large-scale space plasmas. It combines basic concepts with current research and new observations in interplanetary space and in the magnetospheres.

Graduate students and young researchers starting to work in this special field of science, will find the numerous references to review articles as well as important original papers helpful to orientate themselves in the literature.

Emphasis is on energetic particles and their interaction with the plasma as examples for non-thermal phenomena, shocks and their role in particle acceleration as examples for non-linear phenomena.

This second edition has been updated and extended. Improvements include: the use of SI units; addition of recent results from SOHO and Ulysses; improved treatment of the magnetosphere as a dynamic phenomenon; text restructured to provide a closer coupling between basic physical concepts and observed complex phenomena.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Charged Particles in Electromagnetic Fields.- 3. Magnetohydrodynamics.- 4. Plasma Waves.- 5. Kinetic Theory.- 6. Diffusive Transport.- 7. Shock Waves.- 8. Sun and Solar Wind: Plasmas in the Heliosphere.- 9. Energetic Particles in the Heliosphere.- 10. The Terrestrial Magnetosphere.- 11. The Dynamic Magnetosphere.- 12. Planetary Magnetospheres.- 13. Solar-Terrestrial Relationships.- 14. Instrumentation.- A.1 List of Symbols.- A.2 Useful Relations.- A.2.1 Vector Identities.- A.2.2 Vector Calculus.- A.2.3 Cylindrical Coordinates.- A.2.4 Spherical Coordinates.- A.3 Useful Numbers.- A.3.1 Fundamental Constants.- A.3.2 Numbers in Plasmas.- References.