Università Roma Tre

1. Introduction: purpose of the course and presentation of topics.

2. Fundamentals of Plasma magneto-ionospheric Physics and and magnetoionic theory
Cold plasma, frequency dispersion, plasma frequency, Debye distance, mean free path, plasma gyrofrequncy, plasma condition, betatron acceleration, Fermi acceleration. Frozen in magnetic field. Phase refractive index for radio waves in a plasma without collisions and with collisions in the absence of magnetic field, the interpretation of the imaginary part of the refractive index. Telegraph equation. Group velocity. Group refractive index without collision and without magnetic field.
Reference: lecture notes, files 1. The constitutive relations. Reference: lecture notes, files 2. Group refractive indices with magnetic field with collisions and without collisions: the Appleton-Hartree equation. Reference: lecture notes, files 3. The zeros of the phase refractive index with and without collisions. Rule of Booker. Reference:lecture notes, files 4.

3. Foundumental circum-terrestrial environment.
Structure of the neutral atmosphere and the ionosphere, fundamentals of region D, the Earth's magnetic field and magnetosphere.
Reference: M. Kelley, "The Earth's Ionosphere", chapter 1.

4. Waves and instabilities in the magneto-ionospheric plasma
Electro-acoustic and ion acoustic waves.Reference: J.K. Hargreaves "The solar terrestrial environment"§2.7.3, p 39-40 in particular, for the ion acoustic waves: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_acoustic_wave, Farley-Beunmann instability Reference: M. Kelley, "The Earth's Ionosphere", §4.7 pp. 187-191, Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Reference: J.K. Hargreaves "The Solar Terrestrial Environment" §2.8.3 p . 41-42, cyclotron waves, Alfven waves, whistlers, pure and modified Alfven waves Reference: JK Hargreaves "the solar terrestrial environment" §2.7.1 p. 35-38, Lagmuir waves as example https://cds.cern.ch/record/2203630/files/1418884_51-65.pdf, §2.1 Longitudinal (Langmuir) waves, pag 58)
More simply, for this unit the student Teaching can take as reference his own lecture notes.

5. Elements of ionospheric radio propagation
Partial reflection from a layer, diffraction by a screen with small irregularities, oblique propagation.
Reference: J. K. Hargreaves "The solar terrestrial environment" §2.5.2, §2.5.3, §2.5.4, §2.6.1, §2.6.2, §2.6.3 

6. Ionosphere
Absorption processes, attenuation of radiation in gases, deposition of energy in the upper atmosphere: Chapman function. Earth's ionosphere: historical notes, vertical profile of electron density, ionospheric temperature, production and loss of ionization, ionospheric regions, electronic equilibrium, vertical profile of electron density in the E region and the F2 region. Reference: G.W. Prölss "Physics of the Earth's Space Environment, § 3.2., Introduction of chapter 4, § 4.1, § 4.2, § 4.3. F1 Layer. Reference: lecture notes, files 1. E layer. Reference: lecture notes, file 2. Further notes on the F1 layer. Reference: lecture notes, file 3. Atmospheric gravity waves (GWS) Reference: lecture notes, file 4. Observation of the effect of GWS in the ionosphere: the Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs). Reference: lecture notes, file 5. Petersen, Hall and parallel conductivities Reference: lecture notes, file 6. Ionograms and ionospheric models. Reference: lecture notes, files 7. Additional notes on ionograms and their inversion: Reference: lecture notes, file 8. Z ray: Reference: lecture notes, file 9.

7. Magnetosphere
Foundamentals. The geomagnetic field near the Earth. Charged particles motions in the geomagnetic field. of gyration motion, oscillatory motion ( "Bounce"), drift motions, gradient drift, neutral sheet drift, drift due to external forces, ambipolar drift (drift or ExB), drift due to the curvature of the field lines, Coulomb collisions. Particles populations in the inner magnetosphere, radiation belts, ring current, plasmasphere. The distant geomagnetic field, configuration and classification, the currents on the dayside of the magnetosphere, particle reflection and the current formation, current system of the geomagnetic tail. Particle population in the outer magnetosphere, magnetotail plasma sheet, magnetotail lobe plasma, magnetospheric boundary layer. Magnetoplasma waves in the magnetosphere. References: G.W. Prölss "Physics of the Earth's Space Environment § 5. Diffuse and discreet aurora. Reference: G.W. Prölss" Physics of the Earth's Space Environment §7.4.3, p. 372.

Textbooks:

1) G.W. Prölss "Physics of the Earth's Space Environment"
2) J. K. Hargreaves "The solar terrestrial environment"
3) M. Kelley, "The Earth's Ionosphere"
4) Appunti di lezione.

For Academic Year 2016-2017:
1) G.W. Prölss "Physics of the Earth's Space Environment"
2) J. K. Hargreaves "The solar terrestrial environment"
3) M. Kelley, "The Earth's Ionosphere"
4) Appunti di lezione.

For Academic Year 2016-2017 we will be using:
1) G.W. Prölss "Physics of the Earth's Space Environment"
2) Appunti di lezione.