PHY 424: Atmospheric and Space Physics

1. Content

Chapter	#	Topic	Week
1. Introduction	1.1	Space physics	1
	1.2	Solar system	1
	1.3	Plasma	2
	1.4	Solar wind	2
	1.5	Magnetosphere	2
2. Single particle motion	2.1	Electromagnetic field equations	3
	2.2	Electromagnetic gyration	4, 5
	2.3	Electric drift	6
	2.4	Magnetic drift	7
	2.5	Adiabatic invariants	8
3. Trapped particles	3.1	Dipole field	9
	3.2	Bounce motion	9
	3.3	Drift motion	10
	3.4	Ring current	10
4. Collisions and conduction	4.1	Collisions in plasma	11
	4.2	Plasma conductivity	11
	4.3	Ionosphere	11
	4.4	Ionospheric conductivity	12
	4.5	Ionospheric current	12
	4.6	Aurora	12
5. Convection and storms	5.1
6. Space mission design	6.1
7. Chandra X-ray Observatory	7.1

Type	Assessment	Marks	Total
Continuous	Attendance	10	50
	Punctuality	10
	Python projects	30
Summative	Midterm viva	25	50
Summative	Final viva	25	50

W Baumjohann & RA Treumann, Basic Space Plasma Physics, Imperial College Press, 1997.
MG Kivelson & CT Russell, Introduction to Space Physics, Cambridge University Press, 1995.