Auroral Physics

About this book

This volume, which was first published in 1991, presents a comprehensive review of all aspects of the physics of the aurorae australis and borealis. The broad topics covered relate to the different sections of a conference held in Cambridge to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Professor Sydney Chapman, FRS, who can be considered the founder of the subject in its modern form. Contributions from an international group of experts in the field discuss the physical causes and effects of the aurorae, the nightly show of dancing lights in the atmosphere, at heights above 100 km. The book is aimed primarily at students and researchers in auroral physics, but will also be of interest to magnetospheric, ionospheric and atomospheric physicists.

Contents

Preface; Participants; Part I. Introductory Observations: 1. Auroral phenomena S.-I. Akasofu; Part II. Aurural Spectoscopy and Thermosphere: 2. Overview of auroral spectroscopy A. Vallance Jones; 3. Auroral excitation processes M. H. Rees and D. Lummerzheim; 4. Auroral emission processes and remote sensing R. R. Mrier and D. J. Strickland; 5. Thermospheric response and feedback to auroral inputs D. Rees and T. J. Fuller-Rowell; 6. Thermospheric dynamics, energetics and composition at auroral latitudes T. L. Killeen, F. G. McCormac, A. G. Burns and R. G. Roble; Part III. Auroral Particles and Acceleration Mechanisms: 7. Overview of electron and ion precipitation in the auroral oval P. T. Newell, C.-I. Meng and D. A. Hardy; 8. Diagnosis of auroral acceleration mechanisms by particle measurements J. L. Burch; 9. Characteristics of magnetic-field aligned electric fields in the auroral acceleration region L. P. Block and C.-G. Falthammar; 10. Auroral electron acceleration: a case for the stochastic alternative D. A. Bryant, D. S. Hall and R. Bingham; 11. Auroral ion acceleration and its relationship to ion composition E. G. Shelley and H. L. Collin; 12. Ion precipitation and the transport of ions accelerated by auroral processes J. M. Bosqued; Part IV. Auroras and Magnetospheric Configuation: 13. What determines the size of the auroral oval? G. L. Siscoe; 14. The quiet-time aurora and the magnetospheric configuration R. Lundin, L. Eliasson and J. S. Murphree; 15. Discrete auroras and magnetatail processes L. R. Lyons; 16. Auroral luminosity and its relationship to magnetospheric plasma domains Yu. I. Galperin and Ya. I. Feldstein; 17. The aurora and middle magnetospheric processes B. H. Mauk and C.-I. Meng; 18. Auroral plasma waves D. A. Gurnett; Part V. Aurural Substorms and Dynamics: 19. Overview of observations and models of auroral substorms G. Rostoker; 20. Diagnosis of auroral dynamics using global aurora imaging with emphasis on large-scale evolutions J. D. Craven and L. A. Frank; 21. Diagnosis of auroral dynamics using global auroral imaging with emphasis on localized and transient features G. G. Shepherd and J. S. Murphree; 22. Poleward motions of auroral structures E. W. Hones, Jr., A. B. Galvin and P. R. Higbie; 23. A magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling theory of substorms including magnetotail dynamics J. R. Kan, L. Zhu, A. T. Y. Lui and S.-I. Akasofu; Part VI. Auroral Structures: 24. Overview of auroral spatial scales D. J. Gourney; 25. Mesoscale structures in auroral phenomena O. A. Troshichev; 26. The pulsating aurora and its relationship to fields and charged-particle precipitation P. J. Tanskanen; 27. Electrodynamics of active auroral forms: westward traveling surges and omega bands W. Baumjohann; 28. Large-scale distribution of discrete auroras and field-aligned currents E. Friis-Christensen and K. Lassen; Part VII. Aurora and Ionosphere: 29. The auroral electrojets: relative importance of ionspheric conductivities and electric fields Y. Kamide; 30. Large-scale currents connecting the polar ionosphere with the magnetosphere T. Iijima; 31. Ionosphere-magnetosphere mapping of dynamic auroral structures during substorms E. Nielson; 32. Incoherent scatter observations of the auroral ionosphere with the EISCAT radar facility J. Rottger; 33. Ground-based measurements of joule heating rates O. de la Beaujardiere, R. Johnson and V. B. Wickwar; 34. Global observations: a future research thrust in auroral and magnetospheric research D. J. Williams; Index; Colour plates.

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