Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Structure and evolutionary history of the solar system, III

  • Published:
Astrophysics and Space Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Parts I and II of our analysis of the evolution of the solar system were devoted mainly to the mechanical processes. The present part (Part III) deals primarily with the plasma processes and the hydromagnetic aspects.

Much confusion in the cosmogonic field is due to the treatment of the early phases of the evolution of a circumstellar medium by pre-hydromagnetic methods, or by erroneous application of magnetohydrodynamics. In order to reduce the speculative element as far as possible the present analysis tries to connect the cosmogonic processes as directly as possible to laboratory plasma physics and to space phenomena actually observed today (Section 10).

Models of the Laplacian type have been made obsolete by magnetohydrodynamics. Furthermore they are in conflict with observations. A new model is suggested (Section 11).

A plasma surrounding a rotating central body may attain a state of partial corotation which is determined by the balance between gravitation and the centrifugal force acting on a plasma in a dipole field. Condensation from a partially corotating plasma results in grains orbiting in ellipses withe=1/3 and finally accreting to bodies at 2/3 of the central distance of the point of condensation (Section 12).

An application of the theory to the Saturnian rings and to the asteroidal belt shows that the falldown ratio 2/3 (derived from the geometry of a dipole field) is essential for the understanding of their structure. The structure of the groups of planets and satellites is also discussed but only in a preliminary way. The behavior of volatile substances is a major problem which still awaits an appropriate treatment (Section 13).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, A. F. O'd.: 1953,J. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 64, 26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, A. F. O'd.: 1962,The Planet Saturn: A History of Observation, Theory and Discovery, Macmillan, New York, 474 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H.: 1942–45,Stockholm Obs. Ann. 14, 5 and 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H.: 1943,Arkiv Math. Astron. Fysik 29A.

  • Alfvén, H.: 1961,Astrophys. J. 133, 1049–1054.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H.: 1967,Icarus 7, 387–393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H.: 1968a,Ann. Geophys. 24, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H.: 1968b,Icarus 8, 75–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H.: 1971,Science 173, 522–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H. and Arrhenius, G.: 1970a,Astrophys. Space Sci. 8, 338–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H. and Arrhenius, G.: 1970b,Astrophys. Space Sci. 9, 3–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H. and Arrhenius, G.: 1972,Moon 5, 210–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfvén, H. and Fälthammar, C.-G.: 1963,Cosmic. Electrodyn., Fundamental Principles, 2nd ed., Oxford Univ. Press.

  • Arrhenius, G.: 1971, in A. Elvius (ed.), ‘From Plasma to Planet’,Nobel Symp. 21, Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arrhenius, G. and Alfvén, H.: 1971,Earth Planetary Sci. Letters 10, 253–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babic, M., Sandahl, S., and Torvén, S.: 1971, ‘The Stability of a Strongly Ionized Positive Column in a Low Pressure Mercury Arc’,Proc. Xth Internat. Conf. on Phenomena in Ionized Gases, Oxford. p. 120.

  • Baxter, D. and Thompson, W. B.: 1971, in T. Gehrels (ed.), ‘Physical Studies of Minor Planets’, NASA SP-267.

  • Baxter, D. and Thompson, W. B.: 1973, ‘Elastic and Inelastic Scattering in Orbital Clustering; Submitted toAstrophys. J.

  • Berlage, H. P.: 1930,Koninkl. Ned. Akad. Wetenschap., Amsterdam 33, 719.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlage, H. P.: 1932,Koninkl. Ned. Akad. Wetenschap., Amsterdam 35, 553.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlage, H. P.: 1940,Koninkl. Ned. Akad. Wetenschap., Amsterdam 43, 532, 557.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlage, H. P.: 1948,Koninkl. Ned. Akad. Wetenschap., Amsterdam 51, 796.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlage, H. P.: 1948,Koninkl. Ned. Akad. Wetenschap., Amsterdam 51, 965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birkeland, K.: 1908,The Norwegian Polaris Expedition, 1902–1903, Aschenhong and Co., Christiania, Norway.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, L. P.; 1955,Tellus 7, 65–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, L. P.: 1956,Tellus 8, 234–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, L. P.: 1967,Planetary Space Sci. 15, 1479–1487.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, L. P.: 1972,Cosmic Electrodyn. 3, 349–376.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boström, R.: 1968,Ann. Géophys. 24, 681.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brandt, J. C.: 1970,Introduction to the Solar Wind, W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bratenahl, A. and Yeates, G. M.: 1970,Phys. Fluids 13, 2696–2709.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brecher, A.: 1971, ‘On the Primordial Condensation and Accretion Environment and the Remanent Magnetization of Meteorites’, inThe Evolutionary and Physical Problems of Meteorites, Proc. 13th Coll., IAU, New York.

  • Brecher, A.: 1972a, in H. Reeves (ed.), ‘Memory of Early Magnetic Fields in Carbonaceous Chondrites’.Proc. Symp. on Origin of the Solar System, Nice.

  • Brecher, A.: 1972b, ‘I: Vapor Condensation of Ni−Fe Phases and Related Problems’; ‘II: The Paleomagnetic Record in Carbonaceous Chondrites’,Ph. D. Thesis, University of California, San Diego.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, A. G. W.: 1962,Icarus 1, 13–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, A. G. W.: 1963,Icarus 1, 339–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, A. G. W.: 1972, Accumulation Processes in the Primitive Solar Nebula’, Preprint.

  • Carlqvist, P.: 1969,Solar Phys. 7, 377–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlin, T. C.: 1905, inCarnegie Institution Yearbook No. 4, 171–185.

  • Cloutier, P. A., Anderson, H. R., Park, R. J., Vondrack, R. R., Spizer, R. J., and Sandel, B. R.: 1970,J. Geophys. Res. 75, 2595–2600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cloutier, P. A.: 1971,Rev. Geophys. 9, 987–996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, A. E., Franklin, F. A., and Palluconi, F. D.: 1973,Icarus (in press).

  • Danielsson, L. and Lindberg, L.: 1964,Phys. Fluids 7, 1878–1879.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danielsson, L. and Lindberg, L.: 1965,Arkiv Fysik 28, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • De, B. and Arrhenius, G.: 1973, ‘Inhomogeneous Plasmas and Primordial Condensation: Inferences from Present-Day Observations (in preparation).

  • Dessler, A. J.: 1968,Ann. Geophys. 24, 333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dollfus, A.: 1961, in G. P. Kuiper and B. M. Middlehurst (eds.),The Solar System,3, p. 568, Univ. of Chicago Press.

  • Dollfus, A.: 1967,Compt. Rend. 264, 882.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franklin, F. A. and Colombo, G.: 1970,Icarus 12, 338–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gollnow, H.: 1962,Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 74, 163–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guérin, P.: 1972, Personal communication.

  • Giuli, R. T.: 1968a,Icarus 8, 301–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giuli, R. T.: 1968b,Icarus 9, 186–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haerendel, G. and Lüst, R.: 1970, in B. M. McCormac (ed.),Particles and Fields in the Magnetosphere, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, 213–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hattori, T., Nakano, T., and Hayashi, C.: 1969,Prog. Theor. Phys. 42, 781–798.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoyle, F.: 1946,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 106, 406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoyle, F.: 1960,Quart. J. Roy. Astron. Soc. 1, 28–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoyle, F.: 1963, in R. Jastrow and A. G. W. Cameron (eds.),Origin of the Solar System, Academic Press, New York, pp. 63–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, M. C., Mozer, F. S., and Fahleson, U. V.: 1971,J. Geophys. Res. 76, 6054–6066.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuiper, G. P.: 1951, in J. A. Hynek, (ed.),Astrophysics, McGraw-Hill, New York, p. 404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, S. S.: 1972,Astrophys. Space Sci. 16, 52–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehnert, B.: 1967,Plasma Phys. 9, 301–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehnert, B.: 1970,Cosmic Electrodyn. 1, 397–410.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, B. J.: 1962,New Sci. 13, 323–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. S.: 1971,Icarus 15, 174–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindberg, L., Witalis, E., and Jacobson, C. T.: 1960,Nature 185, 452–453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindberg, L. and Jacobsen, C. T.: 1964,Phys. Fluids. Suppl. S44, 844.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindberg, L. and Kristoferson, L.: 1971,Cosmic Electrodyn. 2, 305–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundquist, S.: 1948,Arkiv. Math. Astron. Fysik 35A.

  • Lundquist, S.: 1951,Phys. Rev. 83, 307–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lüst, R. and Schlüter, A.: 1955,Z. Astrophys. 38, 190–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malmfors, K. G.: 1945,Arkiv. Math. Astron. Fysik 32A, No. 8.

  • McCord, T. B.: 1966,Astron. J. 71, 585–590.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrea, W. H.: 1960,Proc. Roy. Soc. London 256, 245–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrea, W. H.: 1963,Contr. Phys. 4, 278–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, C., Jr.: 1969, ‘Sputter Condensation of Silicates’, Ph.D. thesis, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, C., Jr.: 1971,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 35, 551–566.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moulton, R. F.: 1905,Carnegie Institution Yearbook No. 4, pp. 186–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mozer, F. S. and Fahleson, U. V.: 1970,Planetary Space Sci. 18, 1563–1571.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neugebauer, G., Becklin, E., and Hyland, A. R.: 1971,Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 9, 67–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Öpik, E. J.: 1962,Icarus 1, 200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persson, H.: 1963,Phys. Fluids 6, 1756–1759.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persson, H.: 1966,Phys. Fluids 9, 1090–1098.

    Google Scholar 

  • Podgorny, I. M. and Sagdeev, R. Z.: 1970,Soviet Phys. Usp. 98, 445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Safronov, V. S.: 1958,Vopr. Kosmog. 6, 63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Safronov, V. S.: 1960,Vopr. Kosmog. 7, 59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schindler, K.: 1969,Rev. Geophys. 7, 51–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, O. Yu.: 1944,Dokl. Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R. 45, 245–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, O. Yu.: 1946, ‘A New Theory on the Origin of the Earth’,Priroda, No. 7, 6–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, O. Yu.: 1947,Trans. All-Union Geog. Soc., No. 3, 265–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, O. Yu.: 1959,A Theory of the Origin of the Earth; Four Lectures (tr. by G. H. Hanna), Lawrence and Wishart, London, 139 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, W.: 1972, ‘Lecture Delivered at the Symposium of Infrared Astronomy’, Santa Cruz, June 1972.

  • Stenflo, J. O.: 1969,Solar Phys. 8, 115–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ter Haar, D.: 1948,Det kgl. Danske Videnskab. Selskab. Mat.-Fys. Meddelelser, København 25, No. 3.

  • Ter Haar, D.: 1949,Astrophys. J. 110, 321–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ter Haar, D.: 1967,Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 5, 267–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Torvén, S.: 1972, Personal communication.

  • Von Weizsäcker, C. F.: 1944,Z. Astrophys. 22, 319–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkening, L., Lal, D., and Reid, A. M.: 1971,Earth Planetary Sci. Letters 10, 334–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zmuda, A. J., Heuring, F. T., and Martin, J. H.: 1967,J. Geophys. Res. 72, 1115–1117.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif., USA

    Hannes Alfvén & Gustaf Arrhenius

Authors
  1. Hannes Alfvén
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gustaf Arrhenius
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alfvén, H., Arrhenius, G. Structure and evolutionary history of the solar system, III. Astrophys Space Sci 21, 117–176 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00642197

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00642197

Keywords

Search

Navigation