EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS
This is a collection of introductory educational videos explaining the phenomena and science of magnetic fields and the magnetosphere.
Patricia Reiff (Director - Rice Space Institute)
Patricia H. Reiff is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Rice Space Institute at Rice University. Her research focuses on space plasma physics, mostly in the area of magnetospheric physics.
- What is a magnetic dipole? [2:57] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
- How does magnetic field strength vary with distance? [1:39] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
- What is the structure of the Earth's magnetic field? [2:31] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
- What is the structure of the Earth's magnetosphere? [4:18] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
Paul Cassak (Assistant Professor - Theoretical and Computational Plasma Physics - West Virginia University)
Paul Cassak's research interests include magnetic reconnection, nonlinear dynamics, physics of the solar corona, magnetospheric physics, fusion physics, space physics, plasma theory, physics education and outreach.
- What is magnetic reconnection? [1:39] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
- How does magnetic reconnection occur at Earth? [1:56] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
- How do scientists model magnetic reconnection? [2:15] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
- How is energy released during magnetic reconnection? [1:19] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
- How do coronal mass ejections (CMEs) affect material in space? [0:58] Mar 2010 DOWNLOAD
SIMULATIONS
- Reconnection simulation of interplanetary magnetic fields (IMF) (coming in from the left) and the Earth's magnetic fields. At the beginning, the IMF is exactly northward, leading to reverse reconnection in the magnetosphere. Later on, the IMF develops a strong East-West (Y) component, leading to curling reconnecting fields and a strongly distorted convection pattern. Created by Paul Cassak running models on the CCMC at GSFC [0:59] DOWNLOAD
