FYS9640 – Space Weather and Navigation Satellite Systems
Course description
Course content
The course provides an overview of space weather, i.e., physical phenomena in the magnetized part of the Earth´s environment that affect technological systems in space and on the ground. Various aspects of space weather are presented and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS and Galileo, are introduced. The course includes a description of how GNSS works and which parts of the system are particularly vulnerable to space weather through plasma instabilities and turbulence in the polar atmosphere and around the equator.
Learning outcome
After completing the course you will:
- have a deep understanding of physical processes in the near-Earth environment that cause space weather, and how they are connected to solar activity and the solar wind.
- be able to explain how satellite-based positioning and navigation systems work and identify those parts that are particularly vulnerable.
- have knowledge about several strategies for magnetospheric modeling and space weather forecasting
- be able to analyze data from ground-based instruments and satellites, put these measurements into the context of space weather, and write a scientific report about your findings.
- be at the forefront of our current understanding of space weather through reading, understanding, and presenting pivotal research articles of the field.
Admission to the course
PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb.
If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.
PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must apply for a position as a visiting student within a given deadline.
Recommended previous knowledge
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with FYS4640 – Space Weather and Navigation Satellite Systems.
- 5 credits overlap with FYS4610 – Magnetospheric processes (discontinued).
- 5 credits overlap with FYS9610 – Magnetospheric processes (discontinued).
Teaching
The course includes a project assignment, which corresponds to 1 week of full-time work.
You must present recent scientific literature, which is agreed with the course coordinator, for all the course participants. The presentation must be approved before you can take the final exam.
Examination
- Project assignment which counts 25 % towards the final grade.
- Final oral exam which counts 75 % towards the final grade.
The project assignment must be passed before you can sit the final oral exam. Both the project assignment and the final oral exam must be passed in order to get a final grade in the course.
This course has a mandatory presentation that must be approved before you can take the final oral exam.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: FYS4640 – Space Weather and Navigation Satellite Systems.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed during the final oral exam.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed exam at the beginning of the next semester.
New examinations are offered at the beginning of the next semester for students who do not successfully complete the exam during the previous semester.
We do not offer a re-scheduled exam for students who withdraw during the exam
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.