Man, through intensive observations of natural phenomena, has learned about some of the basic principles which govern nature. The aurora is one of the most fascinating of these natural phenomena, and by studying it, man has just begun to comprehend auroral phenomena in terms of basic cosmic electrodynamic processes. The systematic and extensive observation of the aurora during and after the great international enterprise, the International Geophysical Year (lGY), led to the concept of the auroral substorm. Like many other geophysical phenomena, auroral displays have a dual time (universal- and local-time) dependence when seen by a ground-based observer. Thus, it was a difficult task for single observers, rotating with the Earth once a day, to grasp a transient feature of a large-scale auroral display. Such a complexity is inevitable in studying many geophysical features, in particular the polar upper atmospheric phenomena. However, it was found that their complexity began to unfold when the concept of the auroral substorm was introduced. In a book entitled Polar and Magnetospheric Substorms, the predeces sor to this book, I tried to describe the auroral phenomena as completely as possible in terms of the concept of the auroral substorm. At that time, the first satellite observations of particles and magnetic fields during substorms were just becoming available, and it was suggested that the auroral sub storm is a manifestation of a magnetospheric phenomenon called the magnetospheric substorm.

The magnetosphere is the region where cosmic rays and the solar wind interact with the Earth's magnetic field, creating such phenomena as the northern lights and other aurorae. The configuration and dynamics of the magnetosphere are of interest to planetary physicists, geophysicists, plasma astrophysicists, and to scientists planning space missions. The circulation of solar wind plasma in the magnetosphere and substorms have long been used as the principle paradigms for studying this vital region. Charles F. Kennel, a leading scientist in the field, here presents a synthesis of the convection and substorm literatures, and an analysis of convection and substorm interactions; he also suggests that the currently accepted steady reconnection model may be advantageously replaced by a model of multiple tail reconnection events, in which many mutually interdependent reconnections occur. Written in an accessible, non-mathematical style, this book introduces the reader to the exciting discoveries in this fast-growing field.

Earth's Magnetosphere: Formed by the Low Latitude Boundary Layer, Second Edition, provides a fully updated overview of both historical and current data related to the magnetosphere and how it is formed. With a focus on experimental data and space missions, the book goes in depth relating space physics to the Earth's magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. Starting with Newton's law, this book also examines Maxwell's equations and subsidiary equations such as continuity, constitutive relations and the Lorentz transformation, Helmholtz' theorem, and Poynting's theorem, among other methods for understanding this interaction.This new edition of Earth's Magnetosphere is updated with information on such topics as 3D reconnection, space weather implications, recent missions such as MMS, ionosphere outflow and coupling, and the inner magnetosphere. With the addition of end-of-chapter problems as well, this book is an excellent foundational reference for geophysicists, space physicists, plasma physicists, and graduate students alike. - Offers an historical perspective of early magnetospheric research, combined with progress up to the present - Describes observations from various spacecraft in a variety of regions, with explanations and discussions of each - Includes chapters on prompt particle acceleration to high energies, plasma transfer event, and the low latitude boundary layer

An overview of current knowledge and future research directions in magnetospheric physics In the six decades since the term 'magnetosphere' was first introduced, much has been theorized and discovered about the magnetized space surrounding each of the bodies in our solar system. Each magnetosphere is unique yet behaves according to universal physical processes. Magnetospheres in the Solar System brings together contributions from experimentalists, theoreticians, and numerical modelers to present an overview of diverse magnetospheres, from the mini-magnetospheres of Mercury to the giant planetary magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. Volume highlights include: Concise history of magnetospheres, basic principles, and equations Overview of the fundamental processes that govern magnetospheric physics Tools and techniques used to investigate magnetospheric processes Special focus on Earth’s magnetosphere and its dynamics Coverage of planetary magnetic fields and magnetospheres throughout the solar system Identification of future research directions in magnetospheric physics The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about the Space Physics and Aeronomy collection in this Q&A with the Editors in Chief

It has become increasingly clear that the magnetosphere becomes intermittently unstable and explosively releases a large amount of energy into the polar upper atmos phere. This particular magnetospheric phenomenon is called the magnetospheric sub storm. It is manifested as an activity or disturbance ofvarious polar upper atmospheric phenomena, such as intense auroral displays and X-ray bursts. Highly active conditions in the polar upper atmosphere result from a successive occurrence of such an element ary activity, the polar substorm, which lasts typically of order one to three hours. The concept of the magnetospheric substorm and its manifestation in the polar upper atmosphere, the polar substorm, has rapidly crystallized during the last few years. We can find a hint of such a concept in the term 'polar elementary storm' introduced by Kristian Birkeland as early as 1908. However, we are greatly indebted to Sydney Chapman, who established the basic foundation of magnetospheric physics and has led researches in this field during the last half century. Indeed, the terms 'polar magnetic substorm' and 'auroral substorm' were first suggested by Sydney Chapman. The concept of the substorm was then soon extended by Neil M. Brice of Cornell University, and Kinsey A. Anderson and his colleagues at the University ofCaliforrlia, Berkeley, who introduced the term 'magnetospheric substorm'. We owe many of these recent developments in magnetospheric physics to the great international enterprise, the International Geophysical Year (IGY) and subse quent international cooperative effort (IGC, IQSY).

All aspects of space plasmas in the Solar System are introduced and explored in this text for senior undergraduate and graduate students. Introduction to Space Physics provides a broad, yet selective, treatment of the complex interactions of the ionized gases of the solar terrestrial environment. The book includes extensive discussion of the Sun and solar wind, the magnetized and unmagnetized planets, and the fundamental processes of space plasmas including shocks, plasma waves, ULF waves, wave particle interactions, and auroral processes. The text devotes particular attention to space plasma observations and integrates these with phenomenological and theoretical interpretations. Highly coordinated chapters, written by experts in their fields, combine to provide a comprehensive introduction to space physics. Based on an advanced undergraduate and graduate course presented in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, the text will be valuable to both students and professionals in the field.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 197. Many of the most basic aspects of the aurora remain unexplained. While in the past terrestrial and planetary auroras have been largely treated in separate books, Auroral Phenomenology and Magnetospheric Processes: Earth and Other Planets takes a holistic approach, treating the aurora as a fundamental process and discussing the phenomenology, physics, and relationship with the respective planetary magnetospheres in one volume. While there are some behaviors common in auroras of the different planets, there are also striking differences that test our basic understanding of auroral processes. The objective, upon which this monograph is focused, is to connect our knowledge of auroral morphology to the physical processes in the magnetosphere that power and structure discrete and diffuse auroras. Understanding this connection will result in a more complete explanation of the aurora and also further the goal of being able to interpret the global auroral distributions as a dynamic map of the magnetosphere. The volume synthesizes five major areas: auroral phenomenology, aurora and ionospheric electrodynamics, discrete auroral acceleration, aurora and magnetospheric dynamics, and comparative planetary aurora. Covering the recent advances in observations, simulation, and theory, this book will serve a broad community of scientists, including graduate students, studying auroras at Mars, Earth, Saturn, and Jupiter. Projected beyond our solar system, it may also be of interest for astronomers who are looking for aurora-active exoplanets.

Full text e-book available as part of the Elsevier ScienceDirect Earth and Planetary Sciences subject collection.

This unique , authoritative book introduces and accurately depicts the current state-of-the art in the field of space storms. Professor Koskinen, renowned expert in the field, takes the basic understanding of the system, together with the pyhsics of space plasmas, and produces a treatment of space storms. He combines a solid base describing space physics phenomena with a rigourous theoretical basis. The topics range from the storms in the solar atmosphere through the solar wind, magnetosphere and ionosphere to the production of the storm-related geoelectric field on the ground. The most up-to-date information available ist presented in a clear, analytical and quantitative way. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 is a phenomenological introduction to space weather from the Sun to the Earth. Part 2 comprehensively presents the fundamental concepts of space plasma physics. It consists of discussions of fundamental concepts of plasma physics, starting from underlying electrodynamics and statistical physics of charged particles and continuing to single particle motion in homogeneous electromagnetic fields, waves in cold plasma approximation, Vlasov theory, magnetohydrodynamics, instabilities in space plasmas, reconnection and dynamo. Part 3 bridges the gap between the fundamental plasma physics and research level physics of space storms. This part discusses radiation and scattering processes, transport and diffiusion, shocks and shock acceleration, storms on the Sun, in the magnetosphere, the coupling to the atmosphere and ground. The book is concluded wtih a brief review of what is known of space stroms on other planets. One tool for building this briege ist extensive cross-referencing between the various chapters. Exercise problems of varying difficulty are embedded within the main body of the text.