The Birkeland Terrella Experiments and their Importance for the Modern Synergy of Laboratory and Space Plasma Physics

Rypdal, Kristoffer; Brundtland, Terje

doi:10.1051/jp4:1997408

Cited by 17 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Injection of charged particles into a magnetic dipole field has been studied in a number of experiments in a geophysical context, the earliest of them dating back to the turn of the last century [10]. Most often, a spherical magnetic dipole, sometimes called 'terrella' (little Earth), was used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficient injection of an intense positron beam into a dipole magnetic field

et al. 2015

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We have demonstrated efficient injection and trapping of a cold positron beam in a dipole magnetic field configuration. The intense 5 eV positron beam was provided by the NEutron induced POsitron source MUniCh facility at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum, and transported into the confinement region of the dipole field trap generated by a supported, permanent magnet with 0.6 T strength at the pole faces. We achieved transport into the region of field lines that do not intersect the outer wall using the E B drift of the positron beam between a pair of tailored plates that created the electric field. We present evidence that up to 38% of the beam particles are able to reach the intended confinement region and make at least a 180°rotation around the magnet where they annihilate on an insertable target. When the target is removed and the E B plate voltages are switched off, confinement of a small population persists for on the order of 1 ms. These results lend optimism to our larger aims to apply a magnetic dipole field configuration for trapping of both positrons and electrons in order to test predictions of the unique properties of a pair plasma.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficient injection of an intense positron beam into a dipole magnetic field

et al. 2015

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“…(Egeland & Burke, 2010, p. 20). Faithful to Lord Kelvin's belief, the British geophysicist Sydney Chapman (1888–1970), when developing his own theory in the 1930s about auroras and magnetic storms, was apparently convinced that it was impossible for electrical currents to cross space, and that such currents, where they existed, could come only from the Earth (Chapman & Bartels, 1962; see also Rypdal & Brundtland, 1997). Birkeland's ideas about auroras and field-aligned currents in the Earth's atmosphere, coupled to current systems in interplanetary space, were not fully recognised until satellites confirmed their existence in 1973 (McPherron, Russell & Aubry, 1973).…”

Section: Aftermathmentioning

confidence: 99%

Of men and instruments: The Norwegian Aurora Expedition to the Arctic, 1902–1903

Brundtland¹

2018

Polar Record

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In 1902, the Norwegian Professor Kristian Birkeland organised an expedition to the Arctic for studies of the aurora borealis, terrestrial magnetism and cirrus clouds. He established four stations at different locations—northern Norway, Iceland, Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya—all equipped with a similar set of scientific instruments. Using an extended concept of a scientific instrument, it is shown here that not only the instruments themselves, but also the external equipment, buildings and camp-facilities, as well as the manual work performed by the expedition members all played a role in obtaining the final results. Further, it is shown that Birkeland's efforts in organising and funding the expedition can be seen as an instrument-making operation.

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“…Birkeland did not pursue working out the mathematics of the phenomena he observed in nature and in his laboratory because the framework of plasma physics was undeveloped until the 1960s [ Alfvén , 1975]. As revolutionary as his ideas were at the time, the good agreement between space, theory, and experiment convinced him he was on the correct track [ Rypdal and Brundtland , 1997] in spite of the lack of an understanding of the basic phenomena in the magnetosphere. As we know now, his important conclusions, drawn from very limited evidence compared to today's standards, that the electric currents that flow in the ionosphere are fed by magnetic‐field‐aligned electric currents from and to outer space, i.e., the magnetosphere, are essentially correct [ Cummings and Dessler , 1967].…”

Section: Advances and Interpretation Guidancementioning

confidence: 99%

Interrelated laboratory and space plasma experiments

Koepke

2008

Reviews of Geophysics

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[1] Many advances in understanding space plasma phenomena have been linked to insight derived from theoretical modeling and/or laboratory experiments. Advances for which laboratory experiments played an important role are reviewed here. How the interpretation of the space plasma data was influenced by one or more laboratory experiments is described. The space physics motivation of laboratory investigations and the scaling of laboratory plasma parameters to space plasma conditions are discussed. Examples demonstrating how laboratory experiments develop physical insight, validate or invalidate theoretical models, discover unexpected behavior, establish observational signatures, and pioneer diagnostic methods for the space community are presented. The various device configurations found in space-related laboratory investigations are outlined. A primary objective of this review is to articulate the overlapping scientific issues that are addressable in space and laboratory experiments. A secondary objective is to convey the wide range of laboratory and space plasma experiments involved in this interdisciplinary alliance. Over time the degree to which the interrelated experiments can be compared has increased, thanks to improved diagnostic techniques in space and closer attention to matching dimensionless space parameters in the laboratory.

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The Birkeland Terrella Experiments and their Importance for the Modern Synergy of Laboratory and Space Plasma Physics

Cited by 17 publications

References 5 publications

Efficient injection of an intense positron beam into a dipole magnetic field

Efficient injection of an intense positron beam into a dipole magnetic field

Of men and instruments: The Norwegian Aurora Expedition to the Arctic, 1902–1903

Interrelated laboratory and space plasma experiments

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