The Interrelationship of Magnetospheric Processes

Abstract

Convection of plasma in the magnetosphere is one of the major aspects of magnetos-pheric dynamics. Attempts during the past 10 yr to understand this complicated phenomenon have led to a sequence of theoretical models of constantly increasing sophistication (see, for example, Axford (1969)). Most of these models have been formulated in qualitative terms. But although such qualitative models are very useful, and indeed indispensable, it is also necessary to construct the corresponding quantitative models: to write down the physical equations implied by the qualitative ideas, and solve them. Quantitative models, although of necessity greatly simplified and schematic, serve to test whether our qualitative models really behave as we think they do.

“One Ring to rule them all…” J. R. R. Tolkien