Abstract
In this work we perform a pedagogic approach to aspects related to geomagnetism and how they can be influenced by the action of the solar wind. The lack of didactic textbooks that promote explanations in terms of basic physics concepts is the main motivation for this work. We begin with a historical discussion about the study of the magnetism that culminated in the well-known dynamo theory which explains the origin of the Earth's magnetic field, where we show the possibility to treat this subject in classes of electricity and magnetism. We also present two scenarios for the Earth's magnetosphere, in order to model the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere, where we represent such action by superposing the fields of two magnetic dipoles. After we show the possibility of discussing the movement of charges coming from the solar wind around the Earth, in the region of the magnetosphere, using Newton's second law and the Lorentz force, where we discuss the formation of moving charged rings and the well known Van Allen belts. Finally, we present a simple argument based on the presented model, for the deformation of the magnetosphere, to explain the limitation in the amount of rings and belts that surround our planet.
Keywords:
Geomagnetism; Van Allen belts; Solar wind
