MN-GM-GEOSOSYS
| Study course: | M.Sc. Physics of Earth and Atmosphere | |||
| Module: | MN-GM-SOSYS | |||
| Title | Geophysics of the solar system (Geophysik des Sonnensystems) | |||
| Module Number | Workload | CP | Duration | Semester |
| MN-GM-SOSYS | 180 h | 6 | 1 Semester | WT |
| Person in Charge | J. Saur |
| Offering Department | Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne |
| Applicability | Course of Study | Category | Semester | ||
| M.Sc. Physics of Earth and Atmosphere | Compulsory for main focus geophysics | 1 | |||
| Aims | Students will get an overview of the planetary bodies in our solar system, their geophysical properties and interactions. | |||
| Skills | Mathematical/geophysical tools to describe: global properties of planetary bodies, dynamical evolution of planetary bodies | |||
| Content | • Structure/Overview of the solar system • Formation of the solar system • Dynamics of the solar system: • Point masses and Kepler's laws • Internal structure of the planets • n-body problem • Dynamics on finite rigid bodies (e. g. precession and nutation) • Dynamics of non-rigid bodies (tidal interactions) • Planetary atmospheres • Planetary magnetic fields, their space plasma environments including aurorae • The sun • Minor bodies: Comets, asteroids, ... • Extra-solar solar planets | |||
| Prerequisites | Basic knowledges in: Classical mechanics, ordinary differential equations, Laplace equation in spherical coordinates. | |||
| Lectures | Form, Theme | Max. of Participants | h/week | workload | CP |
Lecture Exercise | 30 | 2 2 | 60 120 | 2 4 |
| Examinations | Form of testing and examination | Graded or not |
| Written examination | Graded | |
| Requirements | Successful participation in the exercises | Not graded |
| Miscellaneous | Recommended Literature: Beatty et al., The New Solar System, Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press. Advanced Literature: Baumjohann und Treumann, Basic Space Plasma Physics, Imperial College Press. |