Space physics and solar-terrestrial coupling

Aerospace engineering concerns the development of technologies for atmosphere and space. The design of vehicles, launch systems and payloads cannot thus disregard a deep understanding of such operational environments. The main purpose of this class is to provide a detailed description of the physics of the interplanetary space and of the outermost layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, as well as to describe the coupling between solar activity and Earth’s dynamics. The interplanetary medium and the upper atmosphere are in the plasma state and they both develop a strong turbulent character. Theory and modeling of space plasmas and anisotropic turbulence will be proposed here, technologies and tools to investigate these environments will also be introduced.

• The Sun and the heliosphere: introductory space physics.
• First space explorations, mission design, in-situ and remote sensing observations.
• Space plasmas: main models for the description of plasmas, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence.
• Notions on statistical data analysis and numerical simulations.
• Solar wind: physical properties and turbulence.
• Plasma instruments, spacecraft measurements and orbital parameters, research articles on space physics.
• Solar-terrestrial coupling: Earth's environment, dynamics of stratosphere, mesosphere and ionosphere, interplay of waves and turbulence in geophysical flows.
• Basic notions on heliospheric and climate models, space weather and balloon observations.