Abstract
This contribution is in support of Alfvén’s use of circuit theory to advance the understanding of complex plasma physical problems, such as magnetic reconnection; these ideas have often been misunderstood. Circuit analysis is not a full description of the physics, being a scalar relationship. However, it is suitable for dealing with energy relationships and cause and effect, and it is fully capable of showing fallacies behind various fashionable ideas, including steady-state reconnection.
“…dubious principle frozen into dogma”
Willy Brandt
Paper dedicated to Professor Hannes Alfvén on the occasion of his 80th birthday, 30 May 1988.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alfvén, H.: 1950, Cosmical Electrodynamics, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Alfvén, H.: 1981, Cosmic Plasma, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland.
Alfvén, H.: 1986, TRITA-EPP-86–04, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
Alfvén, H. and Fälthammar, C.–G.: 1963, Cosmical Electrodynamics, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Axford, I.: 1984, in E. W. Hones, Jr. (ed.), Magnetic Reconnection in Space and Laboratory Plasmas, AGU Monograph 30, p. 1.
Axford, I. and Hines, C. O.: 1961, Can. J. Phys. 39, 1433.
Coroniti, F. W.: 1985, Space Sci. Rev. 42, 399.
Cowley, S. W. H.: 1980, Space Sci. Rev. 26, 217.
Dungey, J. W.: 1961, Phys. Rev. Letters 6, 47.
Eastman, T. E. and Hones, E. W., Jr.: 1979, J. Geophys. Res. 84, 2019.
Foster, J. G: 1984, J. Geophys. Res. 89, 855.
Haerendel, G., Paschmann, G., Sckopke, N., Rosenbauer, H., and Hedgecock, P. C.: 1978, J. Geophys. Res. 83, 3195.
Heikkila, W. J.: 1975, Geophys. Res. Letters 2, 154.
Heikkila, W. J.: 1979, in W. P. Olson (ed.), Quantitative Magnetospheric Models, AGU Geophysical Monograph 21, p. 389.
Heikkila, W. J.: 1982, Geophys. Res. Letters 9, 159.
Heikkila, W. J.: 1984a, in E. W. Hones, Jr. (ed.), Magnetic Reconnection in Space and Laboratory Plasmas, AGU Geophysical Monograph 30, p. 39.
Heikkila, W. J.: 1984b, in T. Potemra (ed.), Magnetospheric Currents, AGU Geophysical Monograph 28, p. 208.
Heikkila, W. J.: 1986, Geophys. Res. Letters 131, 233.
Heikkila, W. J.: 1987, in A. T. Y. Lui (ed.), Magnetotail Physics, Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 65.
Heikkila, W. J., Pellinen, R. J., Fälthammar, C.–G., and Block, L. P.: 1979, Planetary Space Sci. 27, 1383.
Iijima and Potemra, T.: 1978, J. Geophys. Res. 83, 599.
Jordan, E. C. and Balmain, K. G.: 1968, Electromagnetic Waves and Radiating Systems, Prentice Hall, New York.
Kulsrud, R. M.: 1983, Phys. Today 36, 56.
Lemaire, J.: 1977, Planetary Space Sci. 25, 887.
Mitchell, D. G., Kutchko, F., Williams, D. J., Eastman, T. E., Frank, L. A., and Russell, C. T.: 1987, J. Geophys. Res. 92, 7394.
Mozer, F. S.: 1984, Geophys. Res. Letters 11, 135.
Paschmann, G., Papamastorakis, I., Sckopke, N., Sonnerup, B. U. Ö., Bame, S. J., and Russell, C. T.: 1985, J. Geophys. Res. 90, 12111.
Paschmann, G., Sonnerup, B. U. Ö., Papamastorakis, I., Sckopke, N., Haerendel, G., Bame, S. J., Asbridge, J. R., Gosling, J. T., Russell, C. T., and Elphic, R. G: 1979, Nature 282, 243.
Paulikas, G. A.: 1973, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 12, 117.
Plonsey, R. and Collin, R. E.: 1961, Principles and Applications of Electromagnetic Fields, Mraw-Hill, New York.
Ramo, S. and Whinnery, J. R.: 1953, Fields and Waves in Modern Radio, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Slavin, J. A., Smith, E. J., Sibeck, D. G., Baker, D. N., Zwickl, R. D., and Akasofu, S. I.: 1985, J. Geophys. Res. 90, 10875.
Sonnerup, B. U.Ö.: 1985, in R. Kundu and G. Holman (eds.), Unstable Current Systems and Plasma Instabilities in Astrophysics, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland.
Sonnerup, B. U. Ö., Paschmann, G., Papamastorakis, I., Sckopke, N., Haerendel, G., Bame, S. J., Asbridge, J. R., Gosling, J. T., and Russell, C. T.: 1981, J. Geophys. Res. 86, 10049.
Tsurutani, B. T., Jones, D. E., Slavin, J. A., Sibeck, D. G., and Smith, J. E.: Geophys. Res. Letters 11, 1062.
Vasyliunas, V. M.: 1968, J. Geophys. Res. 73, 5805.
Vasyliunas, V. M.: 1975, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 13, 303.
Vasyliunas, V. M.: 1983, in R. L. Carovillano and J. M. Forbes (eds.), Solar-Terrestrial Physics D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, p. 255.
Vasylianus, V. M.: 1984, in T. Potemra (ed.), Magnetospheric Currents, AGU Monograph 28, p. 63.
Zwickl, R. D., Baker, D. N., Bame, S. J., Feldman, W. C., Gosling, J. T., Hones, E. W., Jr., McComas, D. J., Tsurutani, B. T., and Slavin, J. A.: 1984, J. Geophys. Res. 89, 11007.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Heikkila, W.J. (1988). Elementary Ideas Behind Plasma Physics. 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_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3021-6_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7858-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-3021-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive