61, No.

Ioa.Al
oF(}EOlHSIC.,I,
RESmAaCH

Sm,'fMBa, 1956

ARC-LENGTHS
ALONG THE LINES OF FORCE OF A MAGNETIC
DIPOLE*

Br

SrrrEr

CaPas

Geophysical
Institute,
University
of Alaska,College,
Alaska,andHighAltitude
Observatory,
Universityof Colorado,Boulder,Colorado,
AND

MASAISA

SVGIVA

Geophysical
Institute, Universityof Alaska, College,Alaska

(ReceivedMay 8, 1956)
ABSTRACT

Formulae and tables for the arc-length along the lines of force
of a magneticdipole are given with referenceto the earth treated
as a sphere.These tables may prove useful in connectionwith the
study of radio whistlers and of the motion of chargedparticles
alongthe lines of geomagneticforce.

Auroral observationsand theory alike suggestthat protons travel for some

distance
alongthe lines of force of the earth's magneticfield to enter the auroral
zone.
The radio signalsknownas whistlersalsoappearto travel alongthe linesof
force,
sometimes
traversingtheir wholelengthfrom onehemisphere
to the other,
oneor more times. Hence it seemsuseful to give formulae and tables for the arclength
alongthe linesof force.Thisis donehere,for theidealizedcaseof a magnetic
dipole
field.
In Figure 1, 0 representsthe earth's center,and B the borealgeomagnetic

*Assisted
in part by the Air Force CambridgeResearchCenter,Air Researchand DevelopmentCommand,
throughContractNo. AF 19(604)1048,andby theN.'tionalBureauofStandards.
485

486 SYDNEY
CHAPMAN
ANDMASAHISA
SUGIURA

J.GrorsYs.
Is..61,19'

pole.
Theearth
isregarded
asasphere
ofradius
a.Consider
alineofforce
stag
from
thesurface
atPJinlatitude
-lo, crossing
thegeomagnetic
equator
atQ
andending
at Poin latitudelo.LetP beanypointontheline,at latitude
l andst
distance r from 0. Then it is known that

r -- b cos 1
where

b = OQ,
and

b = a sec2 lo
Hence an elementof arc along the line is given by

ds= b(1 3 sin2/)/2 cos1dl

It is convenient to make the transformation

sinhz =

sin l

A sirnpleintegrationthen gives

s = Q' = (,/V')(x + sinhx cosh

x)
= by(z)

For smallvaluesof l, in circularmeasure,s/b is givenapproximatelyby

/=f()=+

For smallvaluesof lo, in circularmeasure,the arc-lengthSofrom Q to Pois

given approximatelyby

so/a= Zo+ Z2+

z,

For eachdegreeof latitude, Table 1 givesthe value of b for the line of force'
endingin that latitude; in calculatingb, the earth's radius a has beentakenas
6371.229meters.iThe valuesof f(!) are alsogivenfor eachdegreeof latitude,with
their first differences
zXf;if f(1) is multipliedby b for any value of lo, it givesQP
for the corresponding
line of force;similarlybAf givesthe arc-lengthfor 1interval
of latitude alongthat !inc of force.
Table 2 givess/a for !atitude 1 at 5 intervals along the lines of forceending
in latitude lo at 5intervals.The valuesof b and of s/a are givento four significant
figuresonly.
It is of interestto note that for the outlying!inesof force (lo large) the ratio
so/b of the total arc-lengthSoto the equatorial radius b of the line approaches
a finite limiting value (for lo = 90)

+ (shh- x/) / (2
equlto 1.380;
Soandbthemselves
tendto infinityaslotendsto 90.
In connectionwith the lines of force of the geomagneticfield, N. Herlofs0n
$This value for the erth's mean rdius was tken from "Lndolt-B6rnstein, Zhlenwem

undFunktionen
us Physik,Chemic,Astronomie,
Geophysik
undTechnik,Bnd III, Astronomic
und Geophysik,"p. 259, Springer-erlg,Berlin (1952).

Tr 1--Values
ofb (inkm)andoff(l) foreach
degree
oflatitude.
Forb,thesymbol
x, smeans
x. 10'; for example,b for lo -- 85 is 838,700 km.

orl
o

0
1
2
3
4
5

6
7
8
9

f(l)

104f

km

6371,0
6373,0
6379,0
6389,0
6402,0
6420,0

0.0000
0.0175
0.0349
0.0524
0.0699
0.0875

- 6442,0 0.1051
6467,0
6497,0
6531,0

lo or 1

km

175
174
175
175
176

46
47
48
49
50

1320,1
1370,1
1423,1
1480,1
1542,1

f(l)

104f

0.8763
0.8956
0.9147
0.9337
0.9524

195
193
191
190
187

176

51

1609,1 0.9709

185

0.1228
0.1405
0.1583

177
177
178

52
53
54

1681,1
1759,1
1844,1

0.9892
1.0073
1.0251

183
181
178

55

1937,1

1.0426

175

10,

6569,0

.0.1762

179

11

6612,0

0.1942

180

56

2038,1

1.0598

172

12 '
13
14
15

6659,0
6711,0
6767,0
6829,0

0.2123
0.2305
0.2488
0.2673

181
!82
183
185

57
58
59
60

2148,1
2269,!
2402,1
2549,1

1.0767
1.0933
!.1096
1.1255

169
166
163
159

16
17
18
19
20

6895,0
6967,0
7044,0
7127,0
7215,0

0.2858
0.3044
0.3232
0.3421
0.3611

185
186
188
189
190

61
62
63
64
65

2711,!
2891,1
3091,1
3315,1
3567,1

1.!411
1.1563
1.1710
1.1854
1.1993

156
152
147
144
139

21
22
23
24
25

73!0,0
7411,0
7519,0
7634,0
7757,0

0.3802
0.3994
0.4188
0.4382
0.4578

191
192
194
194
196

66
67
68
69
70

3851,1
4173,1
4540,1
4961,1
5447,1

1.2128
1.2259
1.2385
1.2506
1.2623

135
131
126
121
117

26
27
28
29
30

7887,0
8025,0
8172,0
8329,0
8495,0

0.4774
0.4972
0.5!70
0.5369
0.5569

196
198
198
199
200

71
72
73
74
75

60!1,1
6672,1
7453,1
8386,1
951!,1

1.2734
1.2841
1.2942
1.3038
1.3129

111
107
101
96
91

31
32
33
34
35

8671,0
8859,0
9058,0
9270,0
9495,0

0.5769
0.5970
0.6171
0.6372
0.6573

200
201
201
201
201

76
77
78
79
80

1089,2
1259,2
474,2
1750,2
21!3,2

1.3214
1.3294
1.3368
1.3437
1.3500

85
80
74
69
63

36
37
38
39

9734,0
9989,0
1026,1
1055,1

0.6775
0.6977
0.7178
0.7379

202
202
20!
201

81
82
83
84

2604,2
3289,2
4290,2
5831,2

1.3557
1.3608
1.3653
1.3692

57
51
45
39

40

1086,1

0.7579

200

85

8387,2

1.3726

34

200
199
198
197
195

86
87
88
89
90

1309,3
2326,3
5231,3
2092,4
Infinite

1.3753
1.3774
1.3789
1.3799
1.3802

27
2!
15
10
3

41
42
43
44
45

1119,1
1154,1
1191,1
1231,1
1274,1

0.7779
0.7978
0.8176
0.8373
0.8568

488 SYDNEYCHAPMAN
ANDMASAHISASUGIURA'

Trn 2--Values
ofs/aforlatitudes
I at5intervals
along
thelines
offorce
ending
inlatitude
lo
at5intervals.
Thesymbol
x, s means
z. I0-;for example,
s/a at l = 40for thelineofforce
endingin latitudelo = 65 is .3.
o

15 o

10

20

25

30

35

40

45

10
15

2864

20

3027

4089

25

3254

4396

5573

30

3563

4814

6104

7425

35

3983
4554

5381

6822

1120

1292

7221

!114

1315

1516

50

5345
6468

7801
9156

8299
9489

9796

6153

6O

1069

1444

1831

2227

!591
!998
2629

1834

8124

1108
1392

1348

55

8739
1098

2304
3032

65

1496

2022

2563

4243

2285

3087

3913

3118
4760

3680

70

5619

75

3990
8863
3518

539(]

6834

8313

9813

6479
1131

1197

1518
6027

1847
7331

2!80

4O
45

8O
85

4753

1693

8654

2513
9977

1714,3
2074,3
2604,3
3427,3
4797,3
7325,3
1279,2
2842,2
1128,1

9O

50

60 o

55

65

70

67!5,3
1025,2
1790,2
3977,2
1579,1

1079,2
1884,2
4186,2
1662,1

75

80

85

1960 2
2
1728 1

4477,2
1777,1

1807,1

50

2305

55

60

2895
3810

31.69
4170

4502

65

5332

5838

6302

70

8142

9622

75

1422

8913
1556

80

3158

3458

!680
3733

85
90

1254

1373

1482

4354

Infir

and L. Block have calculatedthe positionsof the northernand southernendsof

123linesof force,taking into accountalsothe quadrupo!etermsin the magnetic
potential.According
to their results,the maximumdifference
betweenthe "dipole"

endPJ of a lineof forcebeginning

at a pointPo, andthe calculated(other)end
pointP' increases
from about0.4of arc on the globeat geomagnetic
latitude
90 to about6.7at 50, owingto the equatorialanomalies.
)Tellus,8, 210-214(1956).