Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-m8s7h Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-16T13:53:51.003Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Plasma Universe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2016

Carl-Gunne Fälthammar
Carl-Gunne Fälthammar*
Affiliation:
Dept of Plasma Physics Royal Institute of Technology S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The term “Plasma Universe”, coined by Hannes Alfvén, emphasizes the fact that plasma phenomena discovered in the laboratory and in accessible regions of space, must be important also in the rest of the universe, which consists almost entirely of matter in the plasma state.

Relevant aspects of this concept will be discussed. They include the response of the plasma to electric currents, the support of magnetic-field aligned electric fields, violation of the frozen-field condition, rapid release of magnetically stored energy, acceleration of charged particles, chemical separation, filamentary and cellular structures, and critical velocity interaction.

Type
I. Introduction
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 142: Basic Plasma Processes on the Sun , 1990 , pp. 9 - 20
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1990 

References

Alfvén, H., On the Theory of Magnetic Storms and Aurorae, Tellus, 10, 104, 1958.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H., Electric Currents in Cosmic Plasmas, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys., 15, 271, 1977.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H., Double Radio Sources and the New Approach to Cosmical Plasma Physics, Astrophys. Space Sci., 54, 279, 1978.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H., Cosmic Plasma, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, 1981.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H., Paradigm Transition in Cosmic Plasma, Geophys. Res. Lett., 10, 487, 1983.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H., The Plasma Universe, Phys. Today, 39, 22, 1986.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H. and Arrhenius, G., Evolution of the Solar System, NASA SP-345, Washington, D.C. 1976.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H. and Fälthammar, C.-G., Cosmical Electrodynamics, Fundamental Principles, Oxford, 1963.Google Scholar
Alfvén, H. and Carlqvist, P., Currents in the Solar Atmosphere and a Theory of Solar Flares, Solar Physics, 1, 220, 1967.Google Scholar
Bohm, M. and Torvén, S., Extended Potential Drops Preceding Double Layer Formation in a Triple Plasma Device, XVIII Int. Conf. on Phenomena in Ionized Gases, Swansea, Contributed Papers 2, 318, 1987.Google Scholar
Borovsky, J.E., Parallel Electric Fields in Extragalactic Jets: Double Layers and Anomalous Resistivity in Symbiotic Relationships, Astrophys. J., 306, 451, 1986.Google Scholar
Brenning, N., and Danielsson, L., Experiment on the interaction between a Plasma and a Neutral Gas II, Phys. Fluids, 18, 661, 1975.Google Scholar
Brenning, N. and Axnäs, I., Critical Ionization Velocity Interaction: Some Unsolved Problems, Astrophys. Space Sci., 144, 15, 1988.Google Scholar
Brüning, K., Block, L.P., Marklund, G.T., Eliasson, L., Pottelette, R., Murphree, J.S., Potemra, T.A. and Perraut, S., Viking Observations Above a Post Noon Aurora, accepted for publication in J. Geophys. Res., 1989.Google Scholar
Carlqvist, P., Current Limitation and Solar Flares, Solar Physics, 7, 377, 1969.Google Scholar
Carlqvist, P., On the Acceleration of Energetic Cosmic Particles by Electrostatic Double Layers, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, PS-14, 794, 1986.Google Scholar
Chappell, C.R., Moore, T.E., and Waite, J.G. Jr., The Ionosphere as a Fully Adequate Source of Plasma for the Earth's Magnetosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 92, 5896, 1987.Google Scholar
Cloutier, P.A., Daniell, R.E., Dessler, A.J., and Hill, T.W., A Cometary Ionosphere Model for Io, Astrophys. Space Sci., 55, 93, 1978.Google Scholar
Coakley, P., Hershkowitz, N., Hubbard, R. and Joyce, G., Experimental Observations of Strong Double Layers, Phys. Rev. Lett., 40, 230, 1978.Google Scholar
Coroniti, F.V., Space Plasma Turbulent Dissipation: Reality or Myth?;, Space Sci. Rev., 42, 399, 1985.Google Scholar
Fahleson, U.V., Experiments with Plasma Moving Through Neutral Gas, Phys. Fluids, 4. 123, 1961.Google Scholar
Fridman, M. and Lemaire, J., Relationship Between Auroral Electrons Fluxes and Field-Aligned Electric Potential Difference, J. Geophys. Res., 85, 664, 1980.Google Scholar
Fälthammar, C.-G., Problems Related to Macroscopic Electric Fields in the Magnetosphere, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys., 15, 457, 1977.Google Scholar
Fälthammar, C.-G., Generation Mechanisms for Magnetic-Field-Aligned Electric Fields in the Magnetosphere, J. Geomagn. Geoelectr., 30, 419, 1978.Google Scholar
Fälthammar, C.-G., Magnetic-Field-Aligned Electric Fields, ESA Journal, 7, 385, 1983.Google Scholar
Fälthammar, C.-G., Akasofu, S.-I., and Alfvén, H., The Significance of Magnetospheric Research for Progress in Astrophysics, Nature, 275, 185, 1978.Google Scholar
Galeev, A.A., Gringauz, K.I., Klimov, S.I., Remizov, A.P., Sagdeev, R.Z., Savin, S.P., Sokolov, A. Yu., Verigin, M.I., and Szego, K., Critical Ionization Velocity Effects in the Inner Coma of Comet Halley: Measurements by Vega-2, Geophys. Res. Letters, 13, 845, 1986.Google Scholar
Gold, T. and Soter, S., Cometary Impact and the Magnetization of the Moon, Planet. Space Sci., 24, 45, 1976.Google Scholar
Haerendel, G., Plasma Flow and Critical Velocity Ionization in Cometary Comae, Geophys. Res. Letters, 13, 255, 1986.Google Scholar
Hasan, S.S., and ter Haar, D., The Alfvén-Carlqvist Double-Layer Theory of Solar Flares, Astrophys. Space Sci., 56, 89, 1978.Google Scholar
Jacobsen, C., and Carlqvist, P., Solar Flares Caused by Circuit Interruptions, Icarus, 3, 270, 1964.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, R.L., What Auroral Electron and Ion Beams Tell Us About Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling, Space Sci. Rev., 37, 313, 1984.Google Scholar
Knight, S., Parallel Electric Fields, Planet. Space Sci., 21, 741, 1973.Google Scholar
Lindeman, R.A., Vondrak, R.R., Freeman, J.W., and Snyder, C.W., The Interaction Between an Impact-produced Neutral Gas Cloud and the Solar Wind at the Lunar Surface, J. Geophys. Res., 79, 2287, 1974.Google Scholar
Luhmann, J., An Assessment of the Conditions for Critical Velocity Ionization at the Weekly Magnetized Planets, Paper XIII.1.6 at the XXVIIth COSPAR Meeting, Helsinki, 1988.Google Scholar
Petelski, E.F., Fahr, H.J, Ripken, H.W., Brenning, N., and Axnäs, I., Enhanced Interaction of the Solar Wind and the Interstellar Neutral Gas by Virtue of a critical Velocity Effect, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 87, 20, 1980.Google Scholar
Raadu, M., The Role of Electrostatic Instabilities in the Critical Ionization Velocity Mechanism, Astrophys. Space Sci., 55, 125, 1978.Google Scholar
Raadu, M.A., The Physics of Double Layers and Their Role in Astrophysics, Physics Reports, 178, 25–97, 1989.Google Scholar
Sherman, J.C., Review of the Critical Velocity of Gas-Plasma Interaction II: Theory, Astrophys. Space Sci., 24, 487, 1973.Google Scholar
Torbert, R., Review of Ionospheric CIV Experiments, Paper XIII.2.1 at the XXVIIth COSPAR Meeting, Helsinki, 1988.Google Scholar
Torvén, S. and Andersson, D., Observations of Electric Double Layers in a Magnetized Plasma Column, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 12, 717, 1979.Google Scholar
Torvén, S. and Lindberg, L., Properties of a Fluctuating Double Layer in a Magnetized Plasma Column, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 13, 2285, 1980.Google Scholar
Torvén, S., Lindberg, L., and Carpenter, R.T., Spontaneous Transfer of Magnetically Stored Energy to Kinetic Energy by Electric Double Layers, Plasma Phys. and Controlled Fusion, 27, 143, 1985.Google Scholar
Williams, A.C., Weisskopf, M.C., Elsner, R. F., Darbro, W., and Sutherland, P.G., Accretion onto Neutron Stars with the Presence of a Double Layer, Astrophys. J., 305, 759, 1986.Google Scholar