Space Plasma Physics: From the Heliosphere to the Aurora treats the near-Earth space environment as what it is: a collisionless plasma whose behavior is set by kinetic physics, wave-particle interactions, and self-consistent fields.
The book begins with the solar wind as a kinetic system and the escape of ionospheric plasma in the polar wind, then develops self-consistent fields and trapped populations. It follows the plasmasphere through refilling, erosion, and drainage plumes, and builds whistler-mode wave theory from linear theory to triggered emissions. Later chapters cover ponderomotive forces and auroral ion acceleration, ducted plasmaspheric hiss and ring-current decay, comparative planetary magnetospheres, and active experiments, plasma clouds, and atmospheric electricity.
It closes with space weather viewed as a coupled system.
Volume IV of the Physics First Series plasma sequence builds on the kinetic foundations of Volumes I-III and draws on the author's research in magnetospheric and ionospheric physics. It is written for graduate students, researchers, and space-weather professionals.
