Module Identifier | PH38510 | ||
Module Title | THE SUN AND INTERPLANETARY SPACE | ||
Academic Year | 2002/2003 | ||
Co-ordinator | Dr Andrew R Breen | ||
Semester | Semester 1 | ||
Other staff | Professor Philip J S Williams, Professor Shadia R Habbal | ||
Pre-Requisite | Core Physics Modules at Level 2 | ||
Course delivery | Lecture | 20 lectures | |
Other | Workshop. 3 workshops/exercise classes | ||
Assessment | Semester Exam | 2 Hours end of semester examination for BSc students | 80% |
Semester Exam | 3 Hours end of semester examination for MPhys students | 80% | |
Semester Assessment | Course Work: 3 Exercise Classes Coursework Deadlines (by week of Semester): Exercise Class 1 Week 4 Exercise Class 2 Week 8 Exercise Class 3 Week 10 | 20% |
Sun (6) :
Structure of the Sun. Nuclear processes in the core. Solar neutrinos. Radiative and Convective zones. Solar seismology. Photosphere and Chromosphere. Sunspots, faculae, plages, prominences, filaments.Babcock-Leighton theory.
Solar Atmosphere (7) :
Corona. Coronal Heating.
Plasma density in corona and interplanetary space.
Scattering of light in the solar corona. Space-craft measurements.
Irregularities in corona and interplanetary space : Coronal features.
Dynamics of corona: Movement of visible features in the corona Doppler shift of spectral lines.
Coronal Activity: Flares. Solar radio emission. Bursts. X-Rays. Particle emission.
Solar wind and Heliosphere (5) :
Parker's theory. Solar breeze and solar wind. Effect of conductivity and viscosity. Spiral structure of Interplanetary magnetic field. Acceleration of solar wind near sun. Non-uniform flow and shock fronts. Terminator Shock.
Measurement of the solar wind. Interplanetary Scintillation and in-situ measurements.
Sun-Earth connections: Terrestrial effects of solar variability. Long period variations in activity. Solar wind and cosmic ray shielding. "Space climate".
Comets and Meteoroids (1):
Structure of Comets : Core, Coma, Cloud, Dust Tail, Plasma Tail and Ion Loading. Comets and Meteor Showers.