MSci/MSc Examination

Main Examination Period 2021

SPA7004U/P Astrophysical Plasmas

Estimated exam duration: 2 hours 30 minutes.

Maximum available time to reply and upload: 24 hours from release of script.

Instructions:
This constitutes an open-book exam and you have 24 hours to answer and return your
worked script to the dedicated submission boxes in the SPA Assessments QMplus page.

Answer ALL questions.

If you answer more questions than specified, only the first answers (up to the specified
number) will be marked. Cross out any answer that you do not wish to be marked.

The specified answer lengths indicate the approximate level of detail required for each question.
Please do not significantly exceed these indications.

You are not required to typeset the answers. Neither typeset nor handwritten answers have any
advantage over the other, and you should present your answers in whatever way is easiest for
you and do not attempt to use software packages you are not already very familiar with.

You must submit your own work, without any help from others. It is deemed that you confirm,
understand and abide by the University’s rules on plagiarism and collusion. The University will
make extensive use of plagiarism checkers and reserves the right to conduct follow-up viva voce
exams to gauge students’ understanding of the examined material. The school regards integrity
and honesty as central to the ethos of the University, and among the most valuable qualities of
our students. You are expected to apply integrity and honesty to open-book exams.

You must indicate that you have read and agree with the Declaration of Academic
Honesty prior to submission of your work.

Examiners:
Dr C. Chen
Prof. D. Burgess

c Queen Mary University of London, 2021
Page 2 SPA7004U/P (2021)

Expect to use about one to two pages for each question.

Question 1

a) Calculate the value of the electron plasma frequency for a part of the interstellar medium
that has electron number density ne = 3 cm−3 . Comparing this to a process that happens
on a time scale of ∼1 second, is the relevant condition for quasi-neutrality satisfied?

[5 marks]

b) A region of solar wind has an ion thermal speed vth,i = 50 km s−1 and ion gyrofrequency
Ωi = 0.5 rad s−1 . What is the value of the ion gyroradius? How much smaller is the electron
gyroradius, assuming that the ion and electron temperatures are equal?

[5 marks]

c) The Alfvén speed in an accretion flow is 2 × 104 km s−1 and the ion number density is
ni = 2 × 1012 m−3 . What is the magnetic field strength? If the density and magnetic field
strength both increase by a factor of 2, how does the Alfvén speed change?

[5 marks]

[Total 15 marks]

Question 2

a) Consider a plasma containing fully ionised Hydrogen (H+ ) and Helium (He++ ) ions. Is
the E × B drift for the Helium ions faster, slower, or the same compared to the Hydrogen
ions? The plasma also contains electrons. Is a current produced by this drift? Explain your
answer.

[4 marks]

b) There is a magnetic field configuration with a gradient that results in a grad B drift. If the
field strength everywhere is increased by a factor of two, how does this affect the magnitude
and direction of the grad B drift velocity? Explain your answer.

[4 marks]

c) A magnetic field points in the x-direction and has a radius of curvature that points in the
y-direction. In which direction does an electron drift in this field? Give your answer with
respect to a right-handed coordinate system (x, y, z).

[4 marks]
SPA7004U/P (2021) Page 3

d) For the field configuration specified in part c), will a fully ionised Hydrogen ion (H+ ) or
Helium (He++ ) ion have a faster drift speed? (Assume their parallel velocity is the same.)
How would the drift speed of a singly ionised Helium ion (He+ ) compare to these? Explain
your answer.

[4 marks]

e) A magnetic field of strength 10 nT has a radius of curvature of 100 m. Calculate the speed of
the curvature drift of an electron moving along the field with a parallel velocity of 100 km s−1 .

[4 marks]

[Total 20 marks]

Question 3

a) In Parker’s model, the equation governing an isothermal flow of plasma from the Sun is
 
1 du 2 2kB T 4kB T GM
u − = − , (1)
u dr m mr r2

which can be integrated to give the general solution

u2
 2  
u r rc
− ln = 4 ln + 4 + A, (2)
c2s c2s rc r

where cs is the sound speed, rc is the critical radius, and A is an integration constant.

For the solution that describes the Parker solar wind, what is the value of u at the criti-
cal point? Use this to determine the value of A for the solar wind solution.

[5 marks]

b) Calculate the value of the critical radius for T = 107 K. Is an isothermal solar wind solution
physically possible for this value of T ? Explain your answer.

[5 marks]

c) For the solar breeze class of solutions, identify the two dominant terms in Equation (2) from
part a) at large distances (r → ∞) to show that u ∝ rx and determine the value of x. Given
that the density is proportional to n ∝ u−1 r−2 , what does this imply about the radial trend of
the pressure at large distances for the solar breeze? Can the interstellar medium balance
this pressure at large enough distances?

[5 marks]

Turn over
Page 4 SPA7004U/P (2021)

d) For the solar wind solution, the velocity at large distances is

s  
r
u = cs 4 ln . (3)
rc

Calculate the proportionality dependence of the density on r at large distances. What does
this imply about the pressure as r → ∞ and the ability of the ISM to balance this?

[5 marks]

[Total 20 marks]

Question 4

a) The dispersion relation for the linear MHD Alfvén wave is

ω 2 = kk2 vA2 .

i) What is the ratio of the phase speed to the group speed for an Alfvén wave propagat-
ing at 30◦ to the magnetic field? What is the angle between the group velocity and
magnetic field for this wave?
[4 marks]
ii) Name an astrophysical system that contains Alfvén waves and briefly describe the
role of the waves in this system.
[3 marks]

b) The dispersion relation for the linear MHD magnetosonic waves is

1  q 
ω 2 = k 2 c2s + vA2 ± (c2s + vA2 )2 − 4c2s vA2 kk2 /k 2 .
2
i) Show that in the incompressible limit, c2s  vA2 , this dispersion relation reduces to
" 2 2
!#
1 v k
A k
ω 2 = c2s k 2 1 ± 1 − 2 2 2 .
2 cs k

You may use the approximation (1 + x)n ≈ 1 + nx for x  1.

[5 marks]
ii) Write, therefore, the approximate dispersion relations for the fast and slow modes in
this limit.
[4 marks]
iii) What condition on the value of β does the incompressible limit correspond to? Name,
therefore, an astrophysical plasma to which the incompressible limit would apply.
[4 marks]

[Total 20 marks]
SPA7004U/P (2021) Page 5

Question 5

Answer EITHER part a) or part b)

a) i) The compression ratio, r, for a perpendicular MHD shock is

   
2 (2 − γ) γ 2
(r − 1) r +r + 2 + γ − 1 − (γ + 1) = 0, (4)
MA2 MA2 Ms

where γ is the adiabatic index, MA is the Alfvén Mach number, and Ms is the sonic
Mach number. Show that at high Mach number this becomes
γ+1
r= . (5)
γ−1
[4 marks]
ii) Using the answer to part i), determine, as a function of γ, the ratio of downstream
to upstream magnetic field strength, Bd /Bu and the ratio of downstream to upstream
flow speed, ud /uu for a high Mach number perpendicular MHD shock.
[4 marks]
iii) The ratio of upstream to downstream pressure for a high Mach number perpendicular
MHD shock is
pd 2γMs2
= . (6)
pu γ+1
For a plasma in which γ = 4/3, calculate the numerical value of the downstream
to upstream ratios for the density, flow speed, magnetic field strength, and pressure
for a high Mach number perpendicular MHD shock. What does this imply about the
downstream compared to upstream plasma β?
[5 marks]
iv) For a parallel MHD shock, the compression ratio is

(γ + 1)Ms2
r= ,
2 + (γ − 1)Ms2

and the ratio of upstream to downstream pressure is

pd 2γMs2 − (γ − 1)
= .
pu γ+1

These do not depend on MA ; what does this tell you about the comparison between
the parallel MHD shock and a shock in a gas such as air?
[2 marks]

Turn over
Page 6 SPA7004U/P (2021)

v) Use the fact that the upstream sonic Mach number, Ms , and the downstream sonic
Mach number, Mds , are related by
2
Mds 1 pu
=
Ms2 r pd
2
to write an equation for Mds as a function of Ms and γ for the parallel MHD shock.
[5 marks]
vi) If the upstream flow is supersonic, Ms > 1, what does the answer to part v) imply
about the downstream sonic Mach number?
[2 marks]
vii) The compression ratio in a shock always satisfies r > 1. What physical law would
have to be be violated for r < 1?
[3 marks]
[Total 25 marks]

b) Write short essays on BOTH of the following topics. Where appropriate, use sketches to
illustrate your answers. Expect to use about one to two pages for each topic.

i) Magnetic reconnection and the role it plays in space weather.

[12.5 marks]
ii) The Sun and solar atmosphere.
[12.5 marks]

[Total 25 marks]

End of Paper - An Appendix of 2 pages follows

SPA7004U/P (2021) Page 7

Appendix

Standard Results and Values of Constants

You may quote the following results unless the question specifically asks for a derivation. All
notation is standard.

(i) The Lorentz force

F = q(E + v × B)

(ii) Maxwell’s equations

ρq
∇·E =
ε0
∇·B = 0
∂B
∇×E = −
∂t
1 ∂E
∇ × B = µ0 j +
c2 ∂t

√
where c = 1/ µ0 ε0 .

(iii) The MHD equations for a plasma with electrical conductivity σ

∂ρ
+ ∇ · (ρu) = 0
 ∂t 
∂u 1
ρ + u · ∇u = (∇ × B) × B − ∇p
∂t µ0
 
∂ p
+u·∇ = 0
∂t ργ
∂B 1 2
= ∇ × (u × B) + ∇B
∂t µ0 σ

with the electric field given by E = −u × B + j/σ.

(iv) Divergence of a vector in spherical coordinates

1 ∂ 2 1 ∂ 1 ∂Aφ
∇·A= 2
(r Ar ) + (Aθ sin θ) +
r ∂r r sin θ ∂θ r sin θ ∂φ

(v) Divergence of a vector in cylindrical coordinates

1 ∂ 1 ∂Aφ ∂Az
∇·A= (rAr ) + +
r ∂r r ∂φ ∂z

Turn over
Page 8 SPA7004U/P (2021)

(vi) The following vector identities and relations

A · (B × C) = B · (C × A) = C · (A × B)
∇ · (A × B) = B · (∇ × A) − A · (∇ × B)
∇ × (A × B) = A (∇ · B) + (B · ∇) A − B (∇ · A) − (A · ∇) B
 2
A
(∇ × A) × A = (A · ∇) A − ∇
2
2
∇ × (∇ × A) = ∇ (∇ · A) − ∇ A
A × (B × C) = (A · C) B − (A · B) C
(A × B) × C = (A · C) B − (B · C) A

(vii) The following numerical values of physical constants and parameter values

Name Symbol Value

Electron charge e 1.60 × 10−19 C
Electron volt eV 1.60 × 10−19 J
Electron mass me 9.11 × 10−31 kg
Proton mass mp 1.67 × 10−27 kg
Permeability of free space µ0 1.26 × 10−6 H m−1
Permittivity of free space ε0 8.85 × 10−12 F m−1
Speed of light in a vacuum c 3.00 × 108 m s−1
Boltzmann constant kB 1.38 × 10−23 J K−1
Gravitational constant G 6.67 × 10−11 m3 kg−1 s−2
Solar radius R 6.96 × 108 m
Solar mass M 1.99 × 1030 kg
Earth radius RE 6.37 × 106 m
Earth mass ME 5.97 × 1024 kg
Astronomical unit au 1.50 × 1011 m