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The Role of Magnetohydrodynamics in Heliospheric Space Plasma Physics Research

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Plasma and the Universe

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Abstract

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is a fairly recent extension of the field of fluid mechanics. While much remains to be done, it has successfully been applied to the contemporary field of heliospheric space plasma research to evaluate the ‘macroscopic picture’ of some vital topics via the use of conducting fluid equations and numerical modeling and simulations. Some representative examples from solar and interplanetary physics are described to demonstrate that the continuum approach to global problems (while keeping in mind the assumptions and limitations therein) can be very successful in providing insight and large scale interpretations of otherwise intractable problems in space physics.

Paper dedicated to Professor Hannes Alfvén on the occasion of his 80th birthday, 30 May 1988.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Environment Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, USA

    Murray Dryer & Zdenka Kopal Smith

  2. Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama, Huntsville, USA

    Shi Tsan Wu

Authors
  1. Murray Dryer
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  2. Zdenka Kopal Smith
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  3. Shi Tsan Wu
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

    Carl-Gunne Fälthammar

  2. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, La Jola, California, USA

    Gustaf Arrhenius

  3. Chevron Oil Field Research Company, La Habra, California, USA

    Bibhas R. De

  4. Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

    Nicolai Herlofson

  5. University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

    D. Asoka Mendis

  6. Department of Astronomy, The University, Manchester, UK

    Zdeněk Kopal

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© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Dryer, M., Smith, Z.K., Wu, S.T. (1988). The Role of Magnetohydrodynamics in Heliospheric Space Plasma Physics Research. In: Fälthammar, CG., Arrhenius, G., De, B.R., Herlofson, N., Mendis, D.A., Kopal, Z. (eds) Plasma and the Universe. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3021-6_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3021-6_28

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