Qualification objectives: The students have basic knowledge about the formation of magnetospheres by the interaction of the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field with the magnetic fields of the planets. They can name and explain the physical basis of the structure and dynamics of magnetospheres and describe the differences of magnetospheres in the solar system. Students will be able to independently apply basic methods to describe plasmas in space.

Contents: Students will study the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field and the resulting formation of different magnetospheres in the solar system. The formation of magnetospheres and their structure, the formation of tail and cusp, plasma and currents in the magnetosphere are addressed. Furthermore, students deal with reconnection, the coupling of the terrestrial magnetosphere with the ionosphere and its dynamics, and the physics of induced magnetospheres. They learn methods for the description of plasmas and apply them