Theoretical interpretations of upper atmosphere emissions

Theoretical interpretations of upper atmosphere emissions

Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Pilysics, 1964, Vol. 26, pp. 535 to 536. Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in ~'orthern Ireland BOOK REVIEWS H. ALF...

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Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Pilysics, 1964, Vol. 26, pp. 535 to 536. Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in ~'orthern Ireland

BOOK REVIEWS

H. ALFVIhN a n d CARL-i~UNbTE F~LTtIAMMAR: Cosmical E l e c t r o d y n a m i c s 2 n d E d i t i o n ( I n t e r n a t i o n a l Series of M o n o g r a p h s o n Physics). C l a r e n d o n Press: O x f o r d U n i v e r s i t y Press, 1963. 228 pp.~ 60s. THE first e d i t i o n of t h i s v a l u a b l e t r e a t i s e o n e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c p h e n o m e n a a p p e a r e d , u n d e r t h e n a m e of t h e f i r s t - m e n t i o n e d a u t h o r , t h i r t e e n y e a r s ago. T h e a u t h o r ' s o b j e c t i v e t h e n was t o discuss t h e t h e o r y of t h e b e h a v i o u r of c h a r g e d p a r t i c l e s i n electric a n d m a g n e t i c fields, a n d , s u b s e q u e n t l y , t o discuss t h e i m p l i c a t i o n of his r e s u l t s in t h r e e final c h a p t e r s o n solar physics, m a g n e t i c s t o r m s a n d a u r o r a e a n d cosmic r a d i a t i o n . Since 1950 t h e fields of p l a s m a p h y s i c s a n d m a g n e t o - h y d r o d y n a m i c s h a v e i n c r e a s e d g r e a t l y in i m p o r t a n c e , n o t a b l y in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e r m o n u c l e a r a n d s p a c e research. T h e second e d i t i o n is t h e r e f o r e p l a n n e d t o consist of a mm~ber of m o n o g r a p h s , t h e first of w h i c h is t h e p r e s e n t v o l u m e . I t is a m o d e r n i z e d a n d e x t e n d e d v e r s i o n of t h e t h e o r e t i c a l p a r t o n l y of its predecessor, a n d t r e a t s of t h e m o t i o n of c h a r g e d p a r t i c l e s in electric a n d m a g n e t i c fields, m a g n e t o - h y d r o d y n a m i c s a n d p l a s m a physics. E a c h c h a p t e r is, h o w e v e r , s u p p l e m e n t e d b y a useful reference list w h i c h is n o t r e s t r i c t e d to t h e o r y , a n d includes p a p e r s o n ionospheric, solar a n d cosmic a p p l i c a t i o n s . E. V. APPLETON

Theoretical Interpretations of Upper Atmosphere Emissions. E d i t e d b y D. R. BATES. P e r g a m o n Press, 1963. 264pp., 70s. THIs v o l u m e , r e p r i n t e d f r o m Planetary and Space Science, Vol. 10, c o n t a i n s 21 p a p e r s r e a d a t a s y m p o s i u m h e l d i n P a r i s in J u n e 1962 w i t h a n i n t r o d u c t i o n b y J. DuFAY s u m m a r i z i n g t h e h i s t o r i c a l d e v e l o p m e n t of s t u d i e s of u p p e r a t m o s p h e r i c emissions. T h e first four p a p e r s d e a l w i t h airglow. V. I. K r a s s o v s k y e x a m i n e s h y d r o x y l emissions; A. D a l g a r n o a r g u e s t h a t v i b r a t i o n a l e x c i t a t i o n h a s n o significant effect o n t h e c h e m i s t r y of t h e n o c t u r n a l a t m o s p h e r e ; D. B u r b l e r p o i n t s o u t a s t r o n g c o r r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n i n t e r t r o p i e a l arcs a n d t h e w e s t e r n glow (red 6300-6364 airglow) w i t h electronic r e c o m b i n a t i o n in t h e F - l a y e r a n d suggests t h a t t h e f o r m e r r e s u l t s f r o m h o r i z o n t a l diffusion a n d t h e l a t t e r f r o m v e r t i c a l diffusion of e l e c t r o n s ; a n d D. M. H u n t e n discusses t h e p r o d u c t i o n of N2+. T h e r e follow a s u r v e y b y T. O b a y a s h i of t h e g e o p h y s i c a l effects of t h e h i g h a l t i t u d e n u c l e a r explosions in t h e Pacific in t h e a u t u m n of 1958 a n d a t N o v a y a Z e m l y a in O c t o b e r 1961, a n d p a p e r s b y T. M. D o n a h u e a n d G. T h o m a s o n t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of h y d r o g e n in t h e o u t e r a t m o s p h e r e a n d b y N. N. Shefov o n h e l i u m in t h e u p p e r a t m o s p h e r e . T h e s u c c e e d i n g four p a p e r s are d y n a m i c a l studies. G . J . F . M a c d o n a l d discusses c i r c u l a t i o n a n d tides a b o v e 40 k m in t h e u p p e r a t m o s p h e r e a n d J . E. B l a m o n t t u r b u l e n c e b e t w e e n 90 a n d 130 kin. T. T o h m a t s u a n d T. N a g a t a i n d i c a t e t h e b e a r i n g of s t u d i e s of t h e o x y g e n g r e e n line. a n d A. V a l l a n c e J o n e s of m e t a l l i c emissions in t h e twilight, o n a t m o s p h e r i c d y n a m i c s . T h e r e m a i n i n g t e n p a p e r s a r e c o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e a u r o r a . K. D. Cole p r o v i d e s a n e x t e n s i v e r e v i e w of d a t a c o n c e r n i n g t h e m o t i o n s of a u r o r a a n d r a d i o - a u r o r a a n d e x a m i n e s t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h ionospheric c u r r e n t s y s t e m s ; h e considers t h a t m a j o r a d v a n c e s will b e possible only w h e n o b s e r v a t i o n s w i t h g r e a t l y i m p r o v e d r e s o l u t i o n in space a n d t i m e b e c o m e available. P . J . Kellogg gives a n a c c o u n t of r e c e n t m e a s u r e m e n t s of t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of energetic p a r t i c l e s i n c i d e n t o n t h e o u t e r a t m o s p h e r e , i n c l u d i n g some cases of q u i t e i n t e n s e p r e c i p i t a t i o n w h e n t h e lifetime of a n e l e c t r o n i n t h e t r a p p i n g region a p p e a r s t o be n o m o r e t h a n a few s e c o n d s ; h e e x a m i n e s s e v e r a l possible m e c h a n i s m s of p r e c i p i t a t i o n a n d c o n c l u d e s t h a t n o one process c a n 535

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Book reviews

account for all the observations. P. A. Forsyth discusses the mechanisms responsible for radar echoes from aurora. Y. I. Galperin describes the proton aurora and B. P. Sandford the polarglow attroral emissions t h a t are associated with a polar cap absorption event. T . M . Mulyarchik and P. V. Shcheglov investigate the heating of the atmosphere in the attroral zone that m a y be caused by corpuscular streams and mention other possible heating mechanisms. G. S. IvanovKholodny, surveying the results of research into the connection between the radiation belts and the aurora t h a t have shown t h a t the necessarily great fluxes cannot be the result of the leakage of trapped particles from the belts, suggests that the fluxes of soft electrons which excite aurorae m ay be formed in the upper atmosphere itself at comparatively low altitudes. J. W. Dungey discusses the interaction of solar plasma with the geomagnetic field taking into account the effect of an interplanetary field and shows t h a t this provides an interpretation of the auroral zones. C. O. Hines examines the effects of the large scale electric fields in the magneto-sphere on the low energy plasma there and on the trajectories of high energy particles. Finally A. Omholt supplies a comprehensive review of recent observations and experiments which provide evidence concerning the origin of the aurora and indicates lines of study likely to prove fruitful; he advocates synoptic studies of the appearance of the proton aurora and further rocket observations to confirm, and to ascertain more precisely, the part played by protons in exciting the aurora; he emphasizes the need to obtain a consistent picture of auroral morphology when the tilting and and rotation of the magnetic dipole axis are taken into account and the value of model experiments in the laboratory on auroral theories. The introduction and the paper by D. Barbier are in French; the rest of the papers are in English. JAMES ])ATON