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  • © 2020

Transient Magnetic Fields

Authors:

  • Provides a simple way of understanding how magnetic fields change with time

  • Includes online animations of magnetic field lines

  • Uniquely explains electromagnetic radiation generation, where an “electron scattering” analogue falls out naturally from the solution of Maxwell’s equations

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Table of contents (18 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
  2. Introduction

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 1-4
  3. The Vector Potential for a Current Step

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 5-9
  4. Fields and Field Lines

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 11-20
  5. Radiated Energy and the Sudden Turn-Off

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 21-24
  6. The Fields of a Linear Current Ramp

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 25-35
  7. The Stretching and Pinchoff of Loops

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 37-47
  8. Non-linear Current Ramps

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 49-82
  9. Other Examples of Interacting Fields

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 83-98
  10. Short-Wave Radiation

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 99-110
  11. Radiated Energy for General Current Ramps

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 111-126
  12. Oscillating Currents

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 127-136
  13. Single-Source Dynamics

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 137-149
  14. The Interaction of Two Sources

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 151-170
  15. Concentric Sources

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 171-181
  16. The Boundary-Value Approach

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 183-190
  17. The Conducting Core

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 191-198
  18. Summary

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 199-215
  19. Epilogue

    • Neil R. Sheeley Jr.
    Pages 217-221
  20. Back Matter

    Pages 223-231

About this book

This book is an original study aimed at understanding how vacuum magnetic fields change with time. Specifically, it describes the waves that radiate from a sphere when the electric current on its surface is turned on or off, either suddenly, gradually, or periodically.


Numerical simulations are an invaluable source of information about this and related subjects, but they are often more difficult to interpret than exact, closed-form solutions that can easily be applied to a variety of situations. Thus, the objective here is to obtain an exact solution of Maxwell’s equations in closed form—something simple, yet rigorous, which can be used as a model for understanding transient magnetic fields in more complicated situations. The work therefore stands as a self-contained solution of Maxwell’s equations for an electric current wrapped around the surface of a sphere.


This study assumes a strong background in electromagnetism or a related research area. Online animations are available for each figure to better illustrate the motions of magnetic field lines.

Reviews

“This book is a comprehensive report from the author’s theoretical investigations on transient magnetic fields … . All necessary calculations have been done analytically and presented in a very accessible manner, enabling the reader to follow them with ease. … The book has been carefully edited. It includes many color drawings showing the calculated magnetic field configurations.” (Radosław Szmytkowski, zbMATH 1479.78002, 2022)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Alexandria, USA

    Neil R. Sheeley

About the author

Dr. Sheeley received his BS (1960) and PhD (1965) degrees in physics from the Caltech in Pasadena CA. His PhD thesis was “Observations of Solar Magnetic Fields,” which was based on observations that he obtained at the Mt. Wilson Observatory under the supervision of Caltech Professor R.B. Leighton. Dr. Sheeley continued this work during 1965–1972 in the Solar Division of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, confirming his thesis result that strong magnetic fields exist outside of sunspots and discovering moving magnetic fields in the “moats” around sunspots. In 1973, Dr. Sheeley joined the Naval Research Laboratory and moved to Houston TX to take part in the operations phase of the NASA/Skylab mission. He spent 1974–1976 at KPNO in Tucson comparing these observations with Kitt Peak solar magnetograms.


In 1977, Dr. Sheeley moved to NRL in Washington DC, where he continued the Skylab data analysis and then began a long series of studies of the corona using observations with the Solwind white-light coronagraph on the P78-1 spacecraft (1979-1985), the LASCO coronagraph on SOHO (1995-), and the Secchi coronagraphs on the STEREO spacecraft (2006-). Also beginning in 1981, he used a flux-transport code developed by his NRL colleagues Dr. Jay Boris and Dr. C.R. DeVore to study the evolution of the Sun’s surface field. In 1986, he began a long-term collaboration with his NRL colleague, Dr. Yi-Ming Wang, who extended the flux-transport code into the corona. This work led to the Wang-Sheeley-Arge-enlil (WSA-enlil) solar wind and coronal mass ejection forecasting model, now on the National Weather Service website. 

In 2005, Dr. Sheeley received NRL’s E.O. Hulburt Award, and in 2009, he received the George Ellery Hale Prize of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society. Dr. Sheeley retired from NRL in November 2016 and has been continuing his magnetic field studies in his retirement. He currently holds a Visiting Research Scientist appointment at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the University of Arizona (LPL/ UA).


Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access