Model Experiments on Aurorae and Magnetic Storms

Abstract

Model experiments on Alfvén’s electric field theory of aurorae and magnetic storms have been performed. The transformation laws from nature to model are considered. It is concluded, that a proper scaling down of every detail in nature is not possible. Only the most significant features are scaled down properly. It is shown, that a mechanism like Alfvén’s proposed auroral mechanism is very likely to be present in the model. In particular the conception seems to be experimentally confirmed, that space charge accumulated in the discharge region rather than destroy the whole pattern of motion, discharges along the magnetic field lines.