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Magnetospheric Plasma Physics: The Impact of Jim Dungey’s Research pp 199–219Cite as

Adventures in Parameter Space: Reconnection and the Magnetospheres of the Solar System

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Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings ((ASSSP,volume 41))

Abstract

The key to a deep understanding of the physics of a magnetosphere was provided by Jim Dungey in 1961 in a brief but highly influential paper (~3 citations per word to this time) that is referenced repeatedly in this volume. Jim was thinking about more than one system when he proposed the reconnecting magnetosphere; he was trying to understand both the terrestrial environment and the dynamics of the Sun. His ideas apply not only to those two systems but also to others of which nothing was known in 1961. From the early 1970s to the present time, spacecraft have been exploring the magnetospheres of other planets as well as the magnetosphere of the moon, Ganymede. Today the Voyager spacecraft are approaching the boundary of the largest solar system magnetosphere, the heliosphere. Understanding the structure and dynamics of these remote systems requires consideration of various parameters that govern such features as their size and shape and their interaction with the flowing plasmas in which they are embedded. So, taking a lead from another remarkable paper of Jim’s that explains many ideas important to space plasmas by inviting the reader to participate in “Adventures in Velocity Space,” this work provides an introduction to the range of parameter space that characterizes the diverse magnetospheres of the solar system and illustrates how Jim’s perceptive work fits into the interpretation of other magnetospheric systems.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1567, USA

    Margaret Galland Kivelson

  2. Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2143, USA

    Margaret Galland Kivelson

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  1. Margaret Galland Kivelson
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Correspondence to Margaret Galland Kivelson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Stanley W. H. Cowley FRS

  2. Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

    David Southwood

  3. St. Edmund's College, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Simon Mitton

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Kivelson, M.G. (2015). Adventures in Parameter Space: Reconnection and the Magnetospheres of the Solar System. In: Cowley FRS, S., Southwood, D., Mitton, S. (eds) Magnetospheric Plasma Physics: The Impact of Jim Dungey’s Research. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, vol 41. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18359-6_10

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