A non-extensive statistical physics approach to the polarity reversals of the geomagnetic field

Filippos Vallianatos

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2011, vol. 390, issue 10, 1773-1778

Abstract: Using the CK95 database of Cande and Kent (1995) [7], we apply the concepts of non-extensive statistical physics (NESP) to the time intervals between two consecutive geomagnetic reversals, called inter-reversal times. The application of NESM is appropriate to systems such as the geomagnetic field where non-linearity, long-range interactions, memory effects and scaling are important. We calculate the probability density function for the inter-reversal times and using the CK95 geomagnetic reversals and we estimate a thermodynamic q parameter of q=1.5, which supports the conclusion that the geomagnetic system is a sub-extensive one with long-range memory effects. The results discussed using the complementary to the NESP approach of superstatistics which is based on a superposition of ordinary local equilibrium statistical mechanics, using a suitable intensive parameter β that fluctuates on a relatively large temporal scale, leading to the conclusion that two degrees of freedom describe the process which generates the geomagnetic reversals.

Keywords: Non-extensive statistical physics; Polarity reversals; Geomagnetic field (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:390:y:2011:i:10:p:1773-1778

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2010.12.040

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