Published in "Fundamentals of Cosmic Physics", Vol. 19, pp. 319-422, 1998.

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OBSERVATIONS OF THE MAGNETIC FIELDS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE SOLAR SYSTEM: FROM METEORITES (~ 10 ATTOPARSECS), ASTEROIDS, PLANETS, STARS, PULSARS, MASERS, TO PROTOSTELLAR CLOUDLETS (< 1 PARSEC)

Jacques P. Vallée

Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada,
5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8X 4M6


Abstract. Moving outward from the Earth, one first observes magnetism in older well-formed stars and planets, then one observes magnetism in advanced protostellar disk systems, and one ends inside very young starforming cloudlets (it is akin to moving from old to young star systems). This review covers a range in magnetic field strength from 10-6 Gauss up to 1015 Gauss. I review here our observational knowledge of magnetic fields in interplanetary, stellar and starforming spaces, surveying meteorites (~ 0.3m or 10 attoparsecsin size; 1 parsec = 3.1 × 1016 m = 3.2 light-years), asteroids (~ 30 km or 1 picoparsec), planetary realms (~ 1 nanoparsec), interplanetary space (~ 1 microparsec), circumstellar space (~ 1 milliparsec), protostellar systems (~ 1 centiparsec), out to interstellar starforming cloudlets (up to ~ 1 parsec in size). Spacecrafts from Earth have measured in situ the magnetic field shapes and strengths just outside several planets, moons, and asteroids, as well as the general ubiquitous interplanetary magnetic field. Telescopes on Earth have performed measurements of the magnetic field strengths and shapes in circumstellar environments, protostellar disks, and interstellar cloudlets. Magnetic processes are essential to a detailed understanding of their internal physics and evolution. On small scales, active dipolar dynamo-type magnetic fields can play a dominant role in the dynamics of gas and dust around compact objects. Published theories in protostellar disks and starforming cloudlets are classified along physical parameters. There is little here on the magnetism of objects with sizes > 1 parsec (magnetism on scales > 1 parsec was reviewed in Vallée, 1997).


Key-Words: Magnetic fields; solar system magnetism; stellar system magnetism; magnetized stars; remanent magnetism; masers; protostellar magnetism; magnetic field and star formation; dynamo magnetism; quantum magnetism; magnetized protostellar cloudlets.


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