The Earth's Potential Fields
Syllabus, Master's level, 1GE035
- Code
- 1GE035
- Education cycle
- Second cycle
- Main field(s) of study and in-depth level
- Earth Science A1N, Physics A1N
- Grading system
- Fail (U), Pass (3), Pass with credit (4), Pass with distinction (5)
- Finalised by
- The Faculty Board of Science and Technology, 30 August 2018
- Responsible department
- Department of Earth Sciences
Entry requirements
120 credits including 75 credits in physics and mathematics. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:
- Compare the gravitational and magnetic fields in terms of Gauss's theorem and the Helmholtz decomposition.
- Develop the potential fields in terms of harmonic functions (Fourier components and spherical harmonics) and use the result for upward and downward continuation.
- Give a detailed description of how the Earth's gravity and magnetic fields can be measured and analysed.
- Derive methods for mapping structures and processes in the Earth's interior related to the gravitational and the magnetic fields.
- Describe the fundamentals of forward and inverse modelling applied to the Earth's potential fields.
Content
Greens identities, Helmholtz theorem, Green's functions and Gauss's law for the gravitational and magnetic fields. Vector and scalar potentials. Magnetisation, magnetic permeability and susceptibility. Poisson's relation between the magnetic potential and the gravitational field. Spherical harmonic analysis and Fourier methods. The Earth's gravity field, the geoid and the shape of the Earth. The gravity field and the density distribution in the Earth's interior. Methods for measuring gravity. Calculation and interpretation of gravity anomalies. Origin of the geomagnetic field and its variation in time and space. Geomagnetic measuring techniques. Magnetometric interpretation. Forward methods: gravity and magnetic models. Inverse methods.
Instruction
Lectures, homework, problem solving.
Assessment
Written examination (4 credits) and homework assignments (1 credit).
If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.