Heliospheric magnetic fields and plasmas

Abstract

A survey of the existing literature on heliospheric physics, covering the period 1972-1982, is presented. Attention is given to observations and theories germane to the examination of the heliosphere as a large-scale astrophysical system that is part of the earth's environment. The literature includes data and models for magnetic sectors and the large-scale magnetic field, the large-scale plasma structure, and models and observed variations in the solar wind. Consideration is also devoted to the transient and corotating streams and shocks, the composition of the solar wind, and to MHD turbulence, waves, and discontinuities. More intensive investigations of the region near 1 AU are recommended, particularly to characterize the coronal source of the solar wind. The solar polar mission will be the first to provide radial measurements for comparisons with previous exclusively ecliptic measurements of solar activities.