The Sun and the Heliosphere

Code:

AST4005

Acronym:

AST4005

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Astronomy

Instance: 2015/2016 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	https://moodle.up.pt/course/view.php?id=873
Responsible unit:	Department of Physics and Astronomy
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:AST	6	Plano de Estudos oficial desde_2013/14	1	-	6	42	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Learning outcomes and competences

1- To distinguish between the active and the quiet sun and to identify the main solar active phenomena associated with its magnetic field

2- To use magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) as a thoery to describe the behavious of plasmas in the prsesence of magnetic fields

3- To obtain MHD solutions for static fields, for waves in plasmas and for instabilities

4- To use MHD in order to model the equilibrium in arcades/prominences, the energy release in solar flares via magnetic reconnection, the heating of the solar corona and the solar wind

5- To describe the heliosphere and its main properties and planet magnetospheres

6- To model its structure and its stability using MHD

7- To recognize the importance of the heliosphere to the space weather

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. The Sun

- Observations of the Sun. Solar activity.

- Photosphere, transition region, chromosphere and corona.

- Structure and configuration of the solar magnetic field

 

2. The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) description

- Properties

- Equilibrium solutions

- Waves in MHD

- Instabilities in MHD

3. Applications of MHD to the Sun

- Equilibrium models for arcades and prominences

- Magnetic reconnection and solar flares.

- Models for heating the solar corona.

- The solar wind. models

 

4. The heliosphere.

- Origin and exploration

- The global magnetic field of the heliosphere

- Planetary magnetospheres

- Models

- Space weather

Mandatory literature

Markus J Aschwanden; Physics of the Solar Corona. An Introduction with Problems and Solutions, Springer, 2005. ISBN: 3-540-30765-6
E. R. Priest; Solar Magnetohydrodynamics, Reidel Publishing Company, 2000. ISBN: 9027721386
Eric Priest; Magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun, Cambridge University Press, 2014. ISBN: 0521854717

Complementary Bibliography

Andre´ Balogh, Louis J. Lanzerotti, Steven T. Suess; The Heliosphere through the Solar Activity Cycle, Springer, 2008. ISBN: 978-3-540-74301-9
F. Shu; The Physics of Astrophysics. Volume 2: Gas Dynamicss, University Science Book, 1992. ISBN: 0935702652
L. Golub, Jay M. Pasachoff; The solar corona, Cambridge University Press, 1997. ISBN: 0521485355
Mari Paz Miralles, Jorge Sánchez Almeida; The Sun, the Solar Wind, and the Heliosphere, Springer, 2011. ISBN: 978-90-481-9786-6
H. Zirin; Astrophysics of the Sun, Cambridge University Press, 1988. ISBN: 0521316073

Teaching methods and learning activities

Expository method intercalated by problem solving.  Some problems will be given to students in order to be solved in classes or at home.

Presentation of an article in a short talk and report, from a list provided at the beginning of the semester

keywords

Physical sciences > Astronomy > Astrophysics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Teste	75,00
Trabalho escrito	25,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	120,00
Frequência das aulas	42,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The student has frequency to the course if he/she misses no more than 1/3 of the planned theoretical-practical classes (TP's).

Calculation formula of final grade

Distributed evaluation without final exam:

Final Mark = 25% of Mark of the Mini Test + 25% of Mark of the Report/Talk presenting the paper + 50% of Mark of the Test, This will be the mark of the normal epoch (1st sit).

Minimum mark in Test: 7/20.

If the student has not passed, he can use the normal and 2nd season exams for this purpose. In this case, the exam will be used as an alternative to the mini test and test components, corresponding only to 75% of the final grade.

In any of the above 2 cases, the student can improve the mark of the mini test and test components in the resit exam (without consultation, marked up to 15/20).

Classification improvement