Abstract
Since the radiation belts were discovered by Van Allen in 1958, observations of trapped particles have rapidly built up a large body of information. Knowledge of the neutral atmosphere as well as the ionosphere shows that for energetic particles the probable time before colliding with another particle of any kind may be extremely long. Then the only feature known to affect the motion of the particle is the electromagnetic field and, conversely, over a long time even weak electromagnetic disturbances can be important. Consequently, electromagnetic disturbances should be important in determining the form of the radiation belts, and it will be seen that certain features encourage an interpretation of this kind. The physics of the radiation belts may be regarded as a part of plasma physics, namely the realm in which collisions are negligible. This needs qualifying in that there is a boundary layer (the ionosphere) where collisions are important, and this is analogous to laboratory plasma containment devices. The energy range of trapped particles is wide, but includes the energy range required for fusion reactors. The mean free time in the radiation belts is extreme, but the neglect of collisions yields a great simplification in theoretical work, and an
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Dungey, J. W.
[1]
- Imperial College of Science and Technology, London (United Kingdom)
Citation Formats
Dungey, J. W.
Effects of Electromagnetic Perturbations on Particles Trapped in the Radiation Belts.
IAEA: N. p.,
1965.
Web.
Dungey, J. W.
Effects of Electromagnetic Perturbations on Particles Trapped in the Radiation Belts.
IAEA.
Dungey, J. W.
1965.
"Effects of Electromagnetic Perturbations on Particles Trapped in the Radiation Belts."
IAEA.
@misc{etde_22145725,
title = {Effects of Electromagnetic Perturbations on Particles Trapped in the Radiation Belts}
author = {Dungey, J. W.}
abstractNote = {Since the radiation belts were discovered by Van Allen in 1958, observations of trapped particles have rapidly built up a large body of information. Knowledge of the neutral atmosphere as well as the ionosphere shows that for energetic particles the probable time before colliding with another particle of any kind may be extremely long. Then the only feature known to affect the motion of the particle is the electromagnetic field and, conversely, over a long time even weak electromagnetic disturbances can be important. Consequently, electromagnetic disturbances should be important in determining the form of the radiation belts, and it will be seen that certain features encourage an interpretation of this kind. The physics of the radiation belts may be regarded as a part of plasma physics, namely the realm in which collisions are negligible. This needs qualifying in that there is a boundary layer (the ionosphere) where collisions are important, and this is analogous to laboratory plasma containment devices. The energy range of trapped particles is wide, but includes the energy range required for fusion reactors. The mean free time in the radiation belts is extreme, but the neglect of collisions yields a great simplification in theoretical work, and an understanding of collision-free plasmas is expected to be useful. Observations in space have great advantages. The quantity measured by a particle-detector sensitive to a limited range of energy and with a limited cone of acceptance is the velocity distribution function, which is fundamental in theoretical work. Local electric and magnetic measurements are also made with very little disturbance by the spacecraft. The disadvantage is that simultaneous measurements cannot be made at many different points.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1965}
month = {Jun}
}
title = {Effects of Electromagnetic Perturbations on Particles Trapped in the Radiation Belts}
author = {Dungey, J. W.}
abstractNote = {Since the radiation belts were discovered by Van Allen in 1958, observations of trapped particles have rapidly built up a large body of information. Knowledge of the neutral atmosphere as well as the ionosphere shows that for energetic particles the probable time before colliding with another particle of any kind may be extremely long. Then the only feature known to affect the motion of the particle is the electromagnetic field and, conversely, over a long time even weak electromagnetic disturbances can be important. Consequently, electromagnetic disturbances should be important in determining the form of the radiation belts, and it will be seen that certain features encourage an interpretation of this kind. The physics of the radiation belts may be regarded as a part of plasma physics, namely the realm in which collisions are negligible. This needs qualifying in that there is a boundary layer (the ionosphere) where collisions are important, and this is analogous to laboratory plasma containment devices. The energy range of trapped particles is wide, but includes the energy range required for fusion reactors. The mean free time in the radiation belts is extreme, but the neglect of collisions yields a great simplification in theoretical work, and an understanding of collision-free plasmas is expected to be useful. Observations in space have great advantages. The quantity measured by a particle-detector sensitive to a limited range of energy and with a limited cone of acceptance is the velocity distribution function, which is fundamental in theoretical work. Local electric and magnetic measurements are also made with very little disturbance by the spacecraft. The disadvantage is that simultaneous measurements cannot be made at many different points.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1965}
month = {Jun}
}