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Magnetohydrodynamic waves in the magnetosphere and the photon rest mass
Author(s) -
Lanzerotti L. J.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl001i006p00229
Subject(s) - magnetosphere , physics , magnetohydrodynamic drive , solar wind , rest (music) , limit (mathematics) , photon , ultra low frequency , computational physics , magnetohydrodynamics , plasma , nuclear physics , astronomy , quantum mechanics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , acoustics
Detailed measurements of the parameters of a shear Alfvén wave in the earth's magnetosphere have allowed a limit of ≲ 2.4 × 10 −48 gm to be placed on the rest mass of the photon (M ph ). This limit is comparable to that determined recently by Hollweg from statistical properties of Alfvén waves in the solar wind (≲1.3 × 10 −48 gm) and, together, the two limits represent the best present upper limits to M ph as derived from measurements of magnetohydrodynamic waves.