Transport and Energy Conversion in the Heliosphere: Lectures Given at the CNRS Summer School on Solar Astrophysics, Oleron, France, 25–29 May 1998 (Lecture Notes in Physics)

The book contains courses taught to a public of Ph.D. students, post-docs and confirmed researchers in all fields of heliospheric plasma physics. It aims at identifying physical issues which are common to two different fields of astronomy: solar and magnetospheric physics. Emphasis is given to basic processes of transport and conversion of energy: magnetic reconnection is discussed in detail from the viewpoints of MHD and kinetic physics. Processes of charged particle acceleration are reviewed and compared with recent observations. The subject is introduced by a summary of MHD, and the basic structures and parameters of the solar atmosphere, terrestrial ionosphere and magnetosphere are reviewed. The book combines a pedagogic and comprehensive presentation of physical issues and raises fully open questions, with the complementary and sometimes conflicting views of geophysicists and solar physicists. The book's focus, while basic, opens new avenues. Annotation The book contains courses taught to a public of Ph. D. students, post-docs & confirmed researchers in all fields of heliospheric plasma physics. It aims at identifying physical issues which are common to two different fields of astronomy: solar & magnetospheric physics. Emphasis is given to basic processes of transport & conversion of energy: magnetic reconnection is discussed in detail from the viewpoints of MHD & kinetic physics. Processes of charged particle acceleration are reviewed & compared with recent observations. The subject is introduced by a summary of MHD, & the basic structures & parameters of the solar atmosphere, terrestrial ionosphere & magnetosphere are reviewed. The book combines a pedagogic & comprehensive presentation of physical issues & raises fully open questions, with the complementary & sometimes conflicting views of geophysicists & solar physicists. The book's focus, while basic, opens new avenues Introduction to MHD / Jean Heyvaerts Magnetic reconnection : classical aspects / Clare E. Parnell Structuring of the solar plasma by the magnetic field / Pascal Démoulin, Karl-Ludwig Klein Structuring of the magnetospheric plasma by the solar terrestrial interactions / Dominique Fontaine Self-consistent kinetic approach for low-frequency and quasi-static electromagnetic perturbations in magnetic-mirror confined plasmas / René Pellat ... [et al.]. Introduction to MHD....Pages 1-58 Magnetic Reconnection: Classical Aspects....Pages 61-97 Structuring of the Solar Plasma by the Magnetic Field....Pages 99-135 Structuring of the Magnetospheric Plasma by the Solar Terrestrial Interactions....Pages 137-164 Self-Consistent Kinetic Approach for Low Frequency and Quasi-static Electromagnetic Perturbations in Magnetic-Mirror Confined Plasmas....Pages 165-214 This text aims to identify physical issues which are common to two different fields of astronomy: solar and magnetospheric physics. Emphasis is given to basic processes of transport and conversion of energy, magnetic reconnection is discussed from the viewpoints of MHD and kinetic physics. A plasma is a conducting fluid, gas or liquid.