Magnetic annihilators

Blakely A nonzero density distribution that produces no external field for a particular source geometry is called an annihilator (Parker [207] ! "he annihilator #uantitati$ely describes the nonuni#ueness of potential field data because any amount of the annihilator can be added to a possible solution %ithout affecting the field of the source! &ind a simple annihilator p for a spherical mass of radius a as $ie%ed from outside the sphere! ('int( )et p represent density contrast so that p can reach negati$e $alues! *!+ Annihilators A nonzero distribution of magnetization (or density that produces no external field for a particular source geometry is called an annihilator (Parker [207] ! "he annihilator can be added to its respecti$e source geometry %ithout affecting the magnetic (or gra$ity field! ,e see that the magnetic annihilator for infinite slabs is -ust . / constant! A horizontal layer %ith $ariable magnetization .(x0y0z 0 therefore0 is indistinguishable from a horizontal layer %ith the same magnetization plus any constant0 that is0 .!(x0y0z 1 .2! 'ence0 an infinite $ariety of magnetizations can be concei$ed for the infinite slab0 all producing precisely the same magnetic field! ,e %ill ha$e more to say about annihilators in later chapters! "he crust of Planet 3 is permanently magnetized proportional to the field of an ancient centered dipole! "he ancient field no longer exists! 4onsider the crust to be a shell %ith radii a5 and a2 and sho% that the field of the crust is zero at all external points! (6ote( "his problem is a demonstration of a more comprehensi$e theorem discussed in detail by 7uncorn [289]( A shell magnetized proportional to the field of any internal source produces no external field! "he magnetization is therefore an annihilator for the shell! ,hat can %e do faced %ith limitations of nonuni#ueness: "here are t%o approaches( ,e could make simplifying assumptions about the source! ,e might0 for example0 be %illing to assume that magnetization is uniform throughout the body or that the body is infinitely extended in one direction! ;uch assumptions may reduce the number of permissible solutions0 but the solution may still be nonuni#ue and certainly %ill be much simpler than reality! 6e$ertheless0 this is the tack generally taken in in$erse studies! A second approach %ould be to attempt to find aspects about the source that are common to the entire infinite set of solutions! &or example0 %e might be able to determine the maximum depth of burial of any realistic source! "his leads to the theory of ideal bodies to be discussed subse#uently! 7egardless of %hich method is fa$ored0 independent geologic and geophysical information should be employed %hene$er possible to narro% the range of realistic solutions! Paleomagnetism: Continents and Oceans 4hapter * <t should be noted that certain distributions of magnetization (e!g!0 that illustrated in &ig! *!50b %ill not produce an external field! ;uch distributions are kno%n as magnetic annihilators (Parker0 5=770 5==8 and clearly demonstrate the non>uni#ueness of magnetic in$ersion! ?f particular interest here is that an infinite slab %ith uniform magnetization is such an annihilator! "hus any anomaly obser$ed o$er a large slab %ith constant thickness must arise from changes or discontinuities in the magnetization! <n the ocean floor there are discontinuities at each change in polarity and it is these

discontinuities that gi$e rise to the anomalies as sho%n in &ig! *!50! ,hen the magnetized blocks are sufficiently narro%0 as is often the case in the ocean floor0 then these anomalies can become superimposed! The Magnetic Field of the Earth's Lithosphere: The Satellite Perspecti e *!5!* @ni#ueness 4onsideration "here are at least t%o fundamental sources of non>uni#ueness to be considered! "he first is the presence of the large field from the core effecti$ely masks all crustal anomalies belo% about spherical harmonic degree 58! "he second source of non>uni#ueness is inherent in the nature of the in$erse problem0 annihilators! A! checkBBB