THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SOLAR WIND AND THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD.
Abstract
The report consists of a study of the interaction between the solar wind and the earth's magnetic field, which takes into account: (1) the presence of an interplanetary magnetic field within the solar wind, and (2) the possibility that the solar wind may be penetrated by field lines emanating from the earth. The first part of the report (Chapters I-IV) contains a qualitative discussion of the field and flow patterns which may develop under the conditions stated above. The second part of the report explores two methods for the treatment of the MHD equations which govern the interaction, namely, expansion in spatial coordinates, and parametric expansions. The first method, which is suitable for local studies of the flow, is applied to the region in the immediate vicinity of the stagnation line behind the bow shock. The results of this treatment are embodied in a local field-flow pattern, which reveals several features which can be attributed directly to the presence of an interplanetary field within the solar wind, weak as those fields may be.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0609216
Entities
People
- G. Siscoe
- J. P. Penhune
- J. W. Carpenter
- S. Frankenthal
- S. Olbert