Unravelling the Aurora Borealis

Resonance

article

Nandini Nagarajan¹ 

[1] ,(Retd from) National Geophysical Research Institute

关键词: Aurora;    geomagnetism;    forbidden trajectories;    space science;    photographic methods;    magnetoshpere;    ring current.;   

DOI  :  10.1007/s12045-022-1367-5

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Carl Størmer was a pioneer in the study of the aurora borealis, a mathematician who derived the conditions for the formation of aurora and their trajectories in the atmosphere, making seminal contributions to auroral and space science. He was the first to develop precise photographic methods to calculate the heights and morphologies of diverse auroral forms from observations over four solar cycles (45 years). Størmer independently devised numerical techniques to determine the allowed and forbidden trajectories of high-energy charged particles in the Earth's magnetic field. His theoretical calculations also explained cosmic ray access to the upper atmosphere, 20 years before this was identified by other scientists. His interactions and contributions in the nascent stages of modern geomagnetism are outstanding. The breadth and scope of his theoretical and observational achievements are monumental even by modern standards. His major work, The Polar Aurora [1], published in two volumes when he was 81 years old, stands to this day as a valued resource in graduate-level courses on space physics.

【 授权许可】

Others