Customer Reviews

Space Physics: An Introduction to Plasmas and Particles in the Heliosphere and Magnetospheres (Advanced Texts in Physics)

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May-Britt Kallenrode's book "Space Physics" is a unique overview of the field, which might more correctly be titled "Space Plasma Physics". Plasma physics is the study of how ionized gases can behave in a collective manner rather than simply as a collection of individual particles behaving in an unrelated manner. The field attempts to explain much of solar physics, the interplanetary medium, the interaction of the solar wind with the planets, the interstellar medium, and the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar plasma. It explains the appearance of a comet's tail in the night sky and the aurora at northern latitudes. It can also explain why solar eruptions can lead to the destruction of satelites, the endangerment of astronauts, and the loss of electricity in cities at moderate to high latitudes. Of course, this just scratches the surface of a broad and rich subject that stands on the borders with astronomy and astrophysics.

What is most unique in Kallenrode's book is her treatment of the solar wind, cosmic radiation, and related topics. Few other sources take up this subject where many others focus on the Earth's magnetosphere. For both student and professors working in the subject, I think the book is uniquely well-written, orderly, and instructive. I gave copies of the book to all my students upon graduation this year.

There is one word of caution: the second edition contained a great many typographical errors, although I found no outright mistakes. The third edition seems to have corrected these errors, although I would be careful when reading it. As I say to my students: don't believe anything until you have worked it out for yourself. This might be especially true of an excellent text in space physics containing some annoying typographical errors.