A qualitative discussion on the possibility of gravitational instabilities at the origin of explosions in magnetospheres

This paper discusses the possibility of using the chandrasekhar and Fermi (1953) model of gravitational instabilities in superconductive infinite cylinders subjected to magnetic fields, to explain explosions arising from plasma cumulations in neutral regions at certain magnetospheres, and solar explosions in particular. The cylinder (or sausage) might result from neutral sheet collapse when critical conditions are attained. The cylinder is unstable, from the virial theorem. A transverse perturbation of amplitude α and wavelength lambda (equivalent to the Alfven wavelength) might break the cylinder up into gravitationally unstable pieces for which a2lambda approxim constant. The overall 'event' might eventually be idealized as a string of explosive spots. (Auth.)