An overview of current knowledge and future research directions in magnetospheric physics In the six decades since the term 'magnetosphere' was first introduced, much has been theorized and discovered about the magnetized space surrounding each of the bodies in our solar system. Each magnetosphere is unique yet behaves according to universal physical processes. Magnetospheres in the Solar System brings together contributions from experimentalists, theoreticians, and numerical modelers to present an overview of diverse magnetospheres, from the mini-magnetospheres of Mercury to the giant planetary magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. Volume highlights include: Concise history of magnetospheres, basic principles, and equations Overview of the fundamental processes that govern magnetospheric physics Tools and techniques used to investigate magnetospheric processes Special focus on Earth’s magnetosphere and its dynamics Coverage of planetary magnetic fields and magnetospheres throughout the solar system Identification of future research directions in magnetospheric physics The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about the Space Physics and Aeronomy collection in this Q&A with the Editors in Chief

Papers and discussions presented at the Chapman Conference on Ion Acceleration in the Magnetosphere, Wellesley, Mass., 6/3-7/1985. Sponsored by the AGU and others.

Cold-ion populations and cold-electron populations are extremely difficult to measure in the Earth’s magnetosphere, and their properties, evolutions, and controlling factors are poorly understood. They are sometimes referred to as the “hidden populations”. But they are known to have multiple impacts on the behavior of the global magnetospheric system. These impacts include (a) the reduction of the dayside reconnection rate and consequently the reduction of solar-wind/magnetosphere coupling, (b) alteration of the growth rate and saturation amplitudes of plasma waves resulting in alterations of the energization rates of the radiation belts, (c) changes in plasma-wave properties resulting in changes in the loss rates of the ring current and radiation belts, (d) changes in the mass density of the magnetosphere resulting in changes in the radial diffusion of the radiation belts, (e) spatial and temporal structuring of the aurora, (f) altering magnetotail reconnection, (g) changing spacecraft charging, and (h) acting as sources for warm and hot magnetospheric populations. A recent workshop on the cold-particle populations of the magnetosphere inspired new work on the outstanding problems caused by a lack of understanding of those cold populations. This Research Topic will collect reports of that new work and will stimulate the formation of author teams to write review articles on what is known and what needs to be known. Commentaries assessing the present situation and guiding the research field into the future will be solicited from the community. Methods articles describing new measurement techniques and new spaceflight mission concepts will be welcomed.

Cross-Scale Coupling and Energy Transfer in the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System provides a systematic understanding of Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere dynamics. Cross-scale coupling has become increasingly important in the Space Physics community. Although large-scale processes can specify the averaged state of the system reasonably well, they cannot accurately describe localized and rapidly varying structures in space in actual events. Such localized and variable structures can be as intense as the large-scale features. This book covers observations on quantifying coupling and energetics and simulation on evaluating impacts of cross-scale processes. It includes an in-depth review and summary of the current status of multi-scale coupling processes, fundamental physics, and concise illustrations and plots that are usable in tutorial presentations and classrooms. Organized by physical quantities in the system, Cross-Scale Coupling and Energy Transfer in the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System reviews recent advances in cross-scale coupling and energy transfer processes, making it an important resource for space physicists and researchers working on the magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere. - Describes frontier science and major science around M-I-T coupling, allowing for foundational understanding of this emerging field in space physics - Reviews recent and key findings in the cutting-edge of the science - Discusses open questions and pathways for understanding how the field is evolving

The ten invited papers presented at the Symposium on The Role of Ion Composition in Understanding Magnetospheric Processes, which was held on 11 August 1981 in Edinburgh, Scotland, have formed the principal basis for this book. The symposium was a part of the Fourth Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy and was convened by the Division III Working Group on Composition of Hot Magnetospheric Plasma under the co chairmanship of Dr. Gerhard Haerendel and myself. The symposium papers have been expanded and are supplemented in this book by several additional papers to provide a more comprehensive topical review and a current status report on experimental and theoretical research that relate to our present understanding of the energetic ion composition in Earth's magnetosphere. Thus, the papers include new results as well as a review of published results, with rather extensive reference lists, in the hope that this collection will be useful both for information on current research activities as well as a somewhat lasting topical resource for the space science community.

On the nightside of the Earth, a long magnetic tail is formed by the tangential stress that is exerted by the solar wind as it flows by the planet. The magnetotail is the nightside extension of the Earth's magnetosphere in which the geomagnetic field is confined by the solar wind, and its framework is formed by the field lines e.