Module Identifier | PHM5760 | |||||||||||
Module Title | STUDIES IN THE UPPER POLAR ATMOSPHERE | |||||||||||
Academic Year | 2004/2005 | |||||||||||
Co-ordinator | Dr Eleri Pryse | |||||||||||
Semester | Semester 2 | |||||||||||
Pre-Requisite | Successful Completion of Year 3 of the MPhys Scheme | |||||||||||
Course delivery | Lecture | 130 lectures | ||||||||||
Seminars / Tutorials | 30 exercises | |||||||||||
Assessment |
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These qualify for 30 ECTTS which are equivalent to 60 Aberystwyth Credits.
(15 ECTS ~ 30 Aberystwyth Credits)
This course describes the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere and the consequences of these processes for the ionised region of the upper atmosphere i.e. the ionosphere. Energy, particles and momentum transferred from the solar wind manifest themselves in the upper polar atmosphere, particularly as the aurora, but also in terms of powerful electric currents and wind systems (ion winds as well as winds in the neutral gas). Central Elements in this course are the descriptions of the Earth's magnetic field, the magnetosphere, ionisation processes and the formation of the ionosphere.
AGF-304 Radar Diagnostics of Space Plasma
(15 ECTS Credits ~ 30 Aberystwyth Credits)
This course contains fundamental theories of signal processing and incoherent scatter processes and gives an introduction to radar technology. A technical description of the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) including transmitter, receivers and antenna design is given. On the basis of theoretical models for incoherent scattering cross-section a presentation will be given on the main principles for conducting plasma experiments with an incoherent scatter radar and the plasma parameters that can be described from the autocorrelation functions observed by such a radar.
This module is at CQFW Level 7