Abstract
RECENT theories of magnetic storms and auroræ due to Alfvén1 and Martyn2 have had considerable success in explaining various observations, though Alfvén and Chapman have both pointed out3 that the most satisfactory test of these theories would be an experimental one. Further insight into these theories may also be expected using a different theoretical approach: instead of calculating typical orbits for the particles, the continuous gas model may be used. This facilitates the use of Maxwell's equations in considering the effect of the charged particles on the electromagnetic field; the knowledge gained about the field can then be used in discussing the orbits.
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References
Alfvén, H., “Cosmical Electrodynamics” (Oxford, 1950).
Martyn, D. F., Nature, 167, 92 (1951).
Alfvén, H., Nature, 167, 984 (1951). Chapman, S., Nature, 168, 86 (1951).
Dungey, J. W., Ph.D. thesis (Cambridge, 1951). It is hoped to publish a detailed account elsewhere.
Giovanelli, R. G., Man. Not. Roy. Astro. Soc., 107, 338 (1947); 108, 163 (1948).
Hoyle, F., “Some Recent Researches in Solar Physics” (Camb. Univ. Press, 1949).
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DUNGEY, J. Theories of Magnetic Storms and Auroræ. Nature 170, 795 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/170795a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/170795a0
