AuroraProfessional Skills, Tutorial Group J

Brian Yu, Daniel Russell, Si WuLiuba Dvinskikh, Mattia Gaggi

Imperial College London5th November, 2013

Timeline

The Aurora (1991)

Earth’s Magnetic

Field (1716)

11-Year Sunspot

Cycle (1844)

Solar Activity-Aurora Relation

(1896)

Height of the Aurora

Measurement (1911)

Nuclear FusionCoulomb

Repulsion

Strong Nuclear

Force

• E = mc²• Yield of KE

Stellar Magnetic Field

Formation of plasma Convection Differential

rotation Solar activity

CME and Solar Wind

Solar Flares Coronal Mass Ejection Geomagnetic Storm

Electromagnetic Interaction

Atomic Excitation

Plasma collides with air particles

Air particles absorb potential

energy

Air particle re-radiates

energyAurora

Colour of Aurora

• Collisions mainly caused by electrons• Proton (rare!) larger mass more energetic

Altitude of Aurora

• Lower bound at 100km• Upper bound at ~1000km• Red emission from the

oxygen is always above the green emission from the oxygen

Conclusion!