Book Read Free

The Spinning Magnet

Page 30

by Alanna Mitchell


  Magnetic Union of Göttingen, 78, 99, 197

  magnetism and magnetic fields

  and atomic structure, 23–25

  and coronal mass ejections, 234

  Earth’s magnetic field described, 3–5, 158

  and electrical current, 130–31

  and electrical fields, 102–3

  and electrical motors, 137–38

  and Halley’s observations, 74

  and hypothetical monopoles, 102

  and influence of solar radiation, 233

  magic associated with, 38

  magnetic coordinate systems, 47–48, 72

  magnetic epochs, 12

  magnetic flux, 199

  and magnetic memory, 50, 177–78

  and magnetoreception, 263–67

  “magnet” term, 35

  observatories of, 78, 81, 83

  and scholarly trends in magnetism research, 47–49

  source of planetary magnetic fields, 160–61

  of the sun, 234, 277

  surveys of, 80

  See also magnetite (lodestone); magnetosphere; polarity reversals; poles of Earth (magnetic)

  magnetite (lodestone)

  and advances in magnetic theory, 53–54, 73

  atomic structure of, 24

  and biological magnetoreception, 265

  and clay hut magnetic evidence, 217

  and ferrimagnetism, 180

  and Gilbert’s magnetic research, 57, 157

  history of, 35–39

  and maintenance of compasses, 178

  and Peregrinus, 42–43

  and Torridonian sandstones, 186

  magnetometers, 77–78, 218

  magnetosphere

  and the Carrington event (1859), 244–45

  and description of the Earth’s magnetic field, 158

  and ionizing radiation, 235

  and polarity reversals, 226, 236

  and protection from radiation, 234–35

  and solar wind, 161, 234

  and the Van Allen belts, 232, 235

  MAGSAT system, 196–97

  mantle

  and continental drift, 192

  core–mantle boundary, 174, 198–99, 201, 206–7, 209, 217–19

  described, 27–28

  and Earth’s dynamo, 160, 196, 244

  and evidence of polarity reversals, 87

  and seismological research, 169, 173–74

  and volcanology, 66–67

  Marcet, Jane, 134

  marine geology, 188–93

  Mars (planet), 3, 158, 160–61, 235, 241, 254, 275–76

  Mars Odyssey spacecraft, 241

  mass extinctions, 214–15, 250–51

  Matthews, Drummond, 191

  Matuyama, Motonori, 176–77, 183

  MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EolutioN), 235

  Maxwell, James Clerk, 147–50, 170, 199

  Melloni, Macedonio, 49–50, 86, 177

  Mendel, Gregor, 114

  Meng Chhi Pi Than (Shen), 48

  Mercury (planet), 158, 161

  Mercury (Roman god), 64–65, 67

  Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 189

  migration, 66, 264, 266

  Milton, John, 67

  Miocene period, 177

  Mitchell, Nick Michel, 6

  moon landings, 269

  Morley, Lawrence, 190–91

  Mount Fuji, 67

  Mount Haruna, 181

  Mount Vesuvius, 49

  Nagasaki, Japan, 271–72

  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 196, 200–201, 235–36, 267, 269, 275–76

  National Center for Scientific Research, 68–69

  National Library of France, 271

  National Maritime Museum, 3

  National Space Institute, 203

  Naturalis Historia (Pliny the Elder), 36

  natural selection, 82

  Nature, 190–91, 213–14

  navigation

  and advances in magnetic theory, 54, 73–74

  and disruption of biological navigation, 251

  and Gilbert’s magnetic research, 157

  and magnetic compasses, 38–39

  and modeling the magnetic field, 197–98

  modern systems, 212, 241

  in the natural world, 263–67

  and naval power, 2, 80–81

  and shifting declination, 72–81

  and vulnerability to geomagnetic storms, 260–61

  Neanderthals, 63, 193, 252

  Néel, Louis, 178, 181

  Neolithic settlements, 42

  Neptune (planet), 158, 161

  Neptunists, 66, 166

  neutron release, 272

  Newe Attractive, The (pamphlet), 48–49

  Newnham College, 170

  Newton, Isaac, 17–18, 82, 108, 109

  Nicholas I of Russia, 78

  nickel, 24, 160

  Niels Bohr Institute, 95, 104, 144, 148

  Niels Bohr International Academy, 118

  Nobel, Matthew, 139

  Nobel Prize, 90, 95–96, 178, 252, 270, 271

  Nollet, Jean, 116

  nonlinearity, 210–11, 222–23, 226

  Nørlund, Niels Erik, 171, 173

  Norman, Robert, 48–49

  northern lights, 1–4. See also auroras

  North Pole, South Pole (Turner), 38–39

  North Star, 48

  Northwest Passage, 2, 81

  nuclear fusion, 21

  nuclear weapons, 261–62, 271–72

  Obama, Barack, 246

  ocean gyres, 159

  Odyssey, The (Homer), 35

  Oldham, Richard Dixon, 165–66, 168, 205

  Old Testament, 65–66, 167

  Oligocene epoch, 87

  Olsen, Nils, 204

  Olson, Peter, 213–14

  On the Origin of Species (Darwin), 66, 242

  Oort cloud, 159

  orbitals

  and behavior of electrons, 21–24

  and Earth’s dynamo, 160, 224–25

  and electrical current, 104, 108

  and ionizing radiation, 233

  and magnetism, 179

  and quantum physics, 7

  and sun’s dynamo, 161

  Orphic Lithica, 38

  Ørsted, Anders Sandøe, 99–100, 120–21

  Ørsted, Hans Christian

  and Earth’s dynamo, 160

  and electromagnetic theory, 103, 119, 121–31

  and evolution of geophysics, 170

  and Faraday’s magnetic laboratory, 145

  impact on electromagnetic theory, 96–100

  influence on Faraday, 133–34, 136–37, 141–42

  Kant’s influence on, 117–19, 121, 124, 131

  satellite named for, 200, 207

  on unification of physics, 93

  university founded by, 203

  Ørsted, Mathilde, 97–98

  Ørsted Medal, 97

  outer core, 3, 27–28, 159–60, 162, 199–200, 205–6, 216–19, 222, 224–25

  ozone, 252, 254

  Pacific Ring of Fire, 176

  Pais, Abraham, 97

  paleomagnetism, 32, 187, 226–27

  paleontology, 66

  Pangaea, 185, 192

  Paradise Lost (Milton), 67

  Paris Observatory, 80

  particle physics, 6, 19

  Pascal, Blaise, 14

  Pèlerin de Maricourt. See Peregrinus, Petrus

  Peregrinus, Petrus

  and advances in magnetic theory, 53–54

  and Gilbert�
��s research, 56, 58

  and origin of modern magnetism, 39–44, 69, 73, 102

  Permian period, 250

  Phillips, Richard, 136–37

  photons, 104

  Planet Nine, 159

  plasma, 4, 233–34, 240, 242, 245, 255

  plastic polymers, 253

  plate tectonics, 5, 28, 176, 192–93. See also continents and continental drift

  Pliny the Elder, 36

  Plutonists, 66

  plutonium-239, 273

  POGO satellites, 196

  polarity reversals

  and Brunhes legacy, 12, 14

  and continental drift, 190–93

  and early magnetic crusades, 83

  impact on extinctions and evolution, 214–15, 250–51

  lack of consensus on, 213–19

  plausible scenarios, 237–38

  rate of, 5

  and reversed-flux patches, 213–14

  and risk calculations, 257–59

  seismographic evidence, 174

  and the South Atlantic Anomaly, 208–9

  theory ridiculed, 47

  variety of disrupting events, 262

  and volcanic rocks, 181–83

  poles of Earth (geographic)

  and “apparent polar wander,” 187–88

  and changing magnetic field, 212

  and declination, 48, 62, 197

  and longitude problem, 55–56, 62

  and Peregrinus’ travels, 42

  and Ross expedition, 2

  poles of Earth (magnetic)

  and auroras, 242–43

  and Chinese culture, 38–39

  and the core–mantle boundary, 197–99, 201

  and declination change, 71, 75, 212

  and dipole decay, 151, 162–63, 201, 203, 206, 209, 215–19, 227

  and the Earth’s rotation, 162

  and geomagnetism, 3, 53–55

  and inclination change, 81

  and longitude problem, 62

  and Peregrinus’ compass, 42–43

  and radiation exposure, 241, 246–47, 277

  and Ross expedition, 1–2, 99

  and source of magnetic fields, 24

  and strength of magnetic fields, 206–7

  wandering location of, 187–88, 216

  See also polarity reversals

  polonium, 271, 272

  Pont Farin (Pontfarein), France, 85–88, 149, 156–57, 179, 183, 216

  Priestley, Joseph, 114

  Probsthein, Sophie, 98, 124

  Proceedings of the Imperial Academy, 176

  Prometheus myth, 122

  Protestantism, 61, 140

  protons, 20–21, 101, 233–35

  Puy de Dôme volcano, 29–30, 63–69, 231

  P waves, 166, 169, 172, 173

  quantum physics, 7, 18, 178

  quarks, 19

  Quaternary period, 177

  Quebec, Canada, 240, 245

  radar, 148

  radiation

  and description of the Earth’s magnetic field, 158

  detectors, 275–76

  exposure to, 251–52, 270, 274

  and gyres in the magnetic field, 162–63

  hot spots, 254

  ionizing, 233, 235, 270, 273

  solar, 233, 254, 267, 270

  ultraviolet, 252, 254

  radioactivity

  isotopes, 216

  particle emissions, 273

  radioactive beryllium, 252

  radioactive decay, 18, 21, 51, 271, 272–73

  radio waves, 148–49, 262

  radium, 271, 272

  Réaumur, René Antoine Ferchault de, 111–12

  relativity, 90, 102–3

  remanent magnetism, 179, 190

  Rerum Novarum (papal encyclical), 30

  “Reversals of the Earth’s Magnetic Field” (Cox, Doell, and Dalrymple), 182

  reverse-flux patches, 206–7, 214, 217

  Reynolds number, 222–23, 226

  Ritter, Johann Wilhelm, 118

  Roberts, Paul, 224

  Roman Catholic Church, 60–61

  Roman culture, 41, 42, 64–65

  Romanticism, 117

  Röntgen, Wilhelm, 270

  Ross, James Clark, 1–2, 3, 99

  Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 128

  Royal Institution of Great Britain, 133–36, 139–40, 146, 149, 223, 242

  Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, 108–9

  Russia, 78, 81

  Sabine, Edward, 79–83, 197

  SAC-C, 200–201

  Sagnotti, Leonardo, 209

  SAMPEX (Solar Anomalous and Magnetosphere Particle EXplorer), 237

  San Andreas fault zone, 192

  Sandemanians, 140

  satellites and satellite imagery

  and core–mantle boundary, 174

  and core modeling, 162

  and cost of magnetic disturbances, 260

  data and imagery, 91, 162–63, 174, 196

  and evolution of magnetic theory, 150–51

  and global navigation satellite system (GNSS), 260–61

  and global positioning system (GPS), 212, 241

  and Halloween magnetic storm of 2003, 241

  and magnetic vectors, 196

  and military dangers of magnetic disturbances, 262

  and Morley, 191

  and Ørsted, 100, 200, 207

  POGO satellites, 196

  Swarm satellites, 162, 201, 204, 207, 211, 237

  vulnerability of, 255

  Saturn (planet), 158, 161, 241

  Science, 182

  Scientific American, 197

  Scoresbysund seismological station, 171

  Scott, Walter, 98, 128

  Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 215

  Scripps Research Institute, 199

  seafloor spreading, 188–91, 193

  “Second Coming, The” (Yeats), 153

  sedimentary rocks, 216, 218

  seismographs, 165–66, 171–72, 188, 192, 205

  seismology, 31, 165–74

  seismometers, 31, 168

  Sellegri, Karine, 68–69

  Shelley, Mary, 121–22

  Shen Kuo, 48

  Shillong Plateau, 165

  Siberian Traps, 193

  skin cancers, 252

  sodium dynamo simulation, 224–27

  solar energetic particles

  and Carrington-class superstorm (2012), 247

  and cost of magnetic disturbances, 257–58, 260

  described, 233–35

  and impact of weakening magnetic field, 236, 253–54, 255

  and space travel, 269, 274

  solar flares, 234, 236, 240, 257, 262

  solar poles, 162

  solar storms, 236, 238, 239–43, 243–47, 255. See also superstorms, electromagnetic

  solar wind, 4–5, 158, 234, 236, 249, 251–52, 254

  solid core of the Earth, 167–68, 172–73, 200, 205, 235

  solidists, 167

  Soul in Nature, The (Ørsted), 131

  South Atlantic Anomaly, 207–8, 214–17, 237, 260, 277

  southern hemisphere, 206. See also South Atlantic Anomaly

  spacecraft and space travel, 260–61, 271–72. See also satellites and satellite imagery

  SpaceX, 261

  special theory of relativity, 149

  standard model of physics, 148

  static electricity

  and electromagnetic fields, 145

  and electromagnetic theory, 103–4

  and exper
iments to isolate electricity, 107–11

  and Galvani’s experiments, 122–25

  and Gilbert’s magnetic research, 59

  and lightning, 115

  and Shelley’s Frankenstein, 122

  and Van Allen belts, 260

  STEREO-A (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory), 245

  strong nuclear force, 17–18

  sunspots, 162

  sun worship, 276

  superchrons, 250–51

  supernovas, 235

  superstorms, electromagnetic, 241–47. See also Carrington event (1859); Halloween magnetic storm (2003)

  Swarm satellites, 162, 201, 204, 207, 211, 237

  S waves, 166, 169

  Tarduno, John, 217

  Tasmania, 2

  Technical University of Denmark, 203

  technology and technological vulnerabilities, 227, 239–40, 255, 257–62

  Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre, 13–14

  telegraph system, 242

  telephone system, 260–61

  telescopes, 142

  telluric currents, 244, 255, 258, 260

  Temple of Mercury, 67

  terracottas

  and advances in magnetic theory, 50–52

  and Brunhes’s Pont Farin excavations, 13, 85–86, 88–90, 149, 157

  and evolution of geophysics, 166, 176

  and retention of magnetic polarity, 24

  and strength of Earth’s magnetic field, 198

  and volcanic rocks, 181, 183

  terrellae, 57, 157

  Thales of Miletus, 36–39, 107

  Tharp, Marie, 189

  Thatcher, Margaret, 139

  theology, 7, 60, 64–69, 167

  theoretical physics, 6, 118

  theoretical systemics, 217

  Theory of Force (Ørsted), 128

  thermal electricity, 145

  Thompson, J. J., 90, 168

  thorium-234, 272–73

  Thorne, Kip, 118

  three-body problem, 211

  Time, 187, 232

  tipping points, 254–55

  tissue-equivalent plastic, 275–76

  Torridonian sandstones, 186–87

  transformers, electrical, 143–44, 240, 255

  turbulence, 222

  Turner, Gillian, 38–39

  Turok, Neil, 148

  Uffen, Robert, 249–50

  UK Space Agency, 260

  ultra-low-frequency waves, 148

  Université Blaise Pascal, 31

  University of Cambridge, 170

  University of Colorado, Boulder, 231–32, 237

  University of Copenhagen, 124, 171

  University of Maryland, 221

  University of Paris (the Sorbonne), 41, 47

  University of Rochester, 217

  Uranus (planet), 158, 161

  Ursa Major constellation, 39

  Ursa Minor constellation, 36

  US Air Force Strategic Air Command, 261–62

  US Congress, 253

 

‹ Prev