Alfven´s programme in solar system physics

Author

Brush, Stephen G.

Author_Institution

Sch. of Social Sci., Inst. of Adv. Study, Princeton, NJ, USA

Volume

20

Issue

6

fYear

1992

fDate

12/1/1992 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

577

Lastpage

589

Abstract

Hannes Alfven´s research program in solar system physics provides a valuable case study for the historians and philosophers of science. The response of the scientific community to his remarkable contributions is a severe test of widely held views about how science is or should be done. Seven of those contributions are examined, in the light of two doctrines of scientific methodology, those of Karl Popper (1959) and Imre Lakatos (1978). The seven are: application of the magnetic braking concept to the origin of the solar system; magnetohydrodynamic waves; field-aligned (`Birkeland´) currents; critical ionization velocity and the existence of planetary rings; jet streams; electrostatic double layers; and partial corotation

Keywords

astrophysical plasma; history; philosophical aspects; Birkeland currents; Hannes Alfven; Imre Lakatos; Karl Popper; critical ionization velocity; electrostatic double layers; field aligned currents; historians; jet streams; magnetic braking; magnetohydrodynamic waves; origin; partial corotation; philosophers of science; planetary rings; scientific methodology; solar system physics; Brushes; Electrostatics; History; Ionization; Magnetohydrodynamics; Magnetosphere; Permission; Physics; Solar system; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-3813

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/27.199495

Filename

199495