Dr Alexander Mackinnon

alec_mackinnon
  • Senior Lecturer (Interdisciplinary Science Education Technologies and Learning)
  • Honorary Research Fellow (Physics and Astronomy)

telephone: 01413301857
email: Alexander.MacKinnon@glasgow.ac.uk


I am an astrophysicist who works in University Continuing Education. My teaching and course development roles are outward-looking: on our Access programme; courses for the public; various science outreach activities. In research I am a member of the Astronomy and Astrophysics group.

Research interests

Physics of solar flares; solar radio, X- and gamma-ray production; astrophysical particle acceleration and transport; neutron astronomy; self-organised criticality and complex systems.

Research collaborations

University of New Hampshire (USA), Bern (Switzerland), Berkeley (USA), Meudon (France), Mackenzie University (Brazil)

Jump to: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
Number of items: 22.

2012

Galloway, R.K., Helander, P., MacKinnon, A.L. , and Brown , J.C. (2012) Thermalisation of self-interacting solar flare fast electrons. Astronomy and Astrophysics . ISSN 0004-6361 (In Press)

2011

Bian, N.H., Kontar, E.P., and MacKinnon, A.L. (2011) Turbulent cross-field transport of non-thermal electrons in coronal loops: theory and observations. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 535 (A18). ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117574)

Magill, J., and MacKinnon, A.L. (2011) The Cosmic Way. Project Report. Scottish Government. (Unpublished)

Petkaki, P., and MacKinnon, A.L. (2011) Acceleration of charged particles by fluctuating and steady electric fields in a X-type magnetic field. Advances in Space Research, 48 (5). pp. 884-898. ISSN 0273-1177 (doi:10.1016/j.asr.2011.04.019)

Vilmer, N., MacKinnon, A. , and Hurford, G.J. (2011) Properties of energetic ions in the solar atmosphere from γ-ray and neutron observations. Space Science Reviews, 159 (1-4). pp. 167-224. ISSN 0038-6308 (doi:10.1007/s11214-010-9728-x)

Yu, S., Hallinan, G., Doyle, J. G., MacKinnon, A.L. , Antonova, A., Kuznetsov, A., Golden, A., and Zhang, Z.H. (2011) Modelling the radio pulses of an ultracool dwarf. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 (A39). ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201015580)

2010

MacKinnon, A.L., and Mallik, P.C.V. (2010) Inverse Compton X-rays from relativistic flare electrons and positrons. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 510 (A29). ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200913190)

2009

Brown, J.C., Turkmani, R., Kontar, E.O. , MacKinnon, A.L. , and Vlahos, L. (2009) Local re-acceleration and a modified thick target model of solar flare electrons. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 508 (2). pp. 993-1000. ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200913145)

Hudson, HS, MacKinnon, AL , de,Rosa,, ML, and Frewen, SFN (2009) Coronal Radiation Belts. Astrophysical Journal, 698 (2). L86-L89. ISSN 1538-4357 (doi:10.1088/0004-637X/698/2/L86)

Pirard, B et al. (2009) Test and Simulation of a Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A, 603 . pp. 406-414. ISSN 0168-9002 (doi:10.1016/j.nima.2009.02.012)

2008

Kontar, E.P., Hannah, I.G. , and MacKinnon, A.L. (2008) Chromospheric magnetic field and density structure measurements using hard X-rays in a flaring coronal loop. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 489 (3). L57-L60. ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361:200810719)

Krucker, S. et al. (2008) Hard X-ray emission from the solar corona. Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, 16 (3-4). pp. 155-208. (doi:10.1007/s00159-008-0014-9)

Krucker, S., Hurford, G.J., MacKinnon, A.L. , Shih, A.Y., and Lin, R.P. (2008) Coronal Gamma-Ray Bremsstrahlung from Solar Flare-Accelerated Electrons. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 678 . L63-L66. ISSN 0004-637X

2007

Petkaki, P., and MacKinnon, A.L. (2007) Particle acceleration by fluctuating electric fields at a magnetic field null point. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 472 (2). pp. 623-632. ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066961)

MacKinnon, A.L. (2007) Solar hard X-ray halo from decaying neutrons. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 462 (2). pp. 763-767. ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066328)

2006

Galloway, R., Helander, P., and MacKinnon, A. (2006) Cross-field diffusion of electrons in tangled magnetic fields and implications for coronal fine structure. Astrophysical Journal, 646 (1). pp. 615-624. ISSN 0004-637X (doi:10.1086/504699)

2005

Kontar, E.P., and MacKinnon, A.L. (2005) Regularized energy-dependent solar flare hard x-Ray spectral index. Solar Physics, 227 (2). pp. 299-310. ISSN 0038-0938 (doi:10.1007/s11207-005-1101-y)

Galloway, R.K., MacKinnon, A.L. , Kontar, E.P. , and Helander, P. (2005) Fast electron slowing-down and diffusion in a high temperature coronal X-ray source. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 438 (3). pp. 1107-1114. ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20042137)

2004

Toner, MP, and MacKinnon, AL (2004) Do fast protons and a particles have the same energy distributions in solar flares? Solar Physics, 223 . pp. 155-168. (doi:10.1007/s11207-004-5168-7)

2003

Vilmer, N., MacKinnon, A.L. , Trottet, T., and Barat, C. (2003) High Energy Particles During the Large Solar Flare of 1990 May 24: X/gamma Ray Observations. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 412 (3). 865 - 874. ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20031488)

MacKinnon, A.L., and Toner, M. (2003) Warm thick target solar gamma-ray source revisited. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 409 (2). 745 -753. ISSN 0004-6361 (doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030943)

Vilmer, N, MacKinnon, AL , Trottet, G, and Barat, C (2003) High energy particles accelerated during the large solar flare of 1990 May 24: X/gamma-ray observations. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 412 . pp. 865-874. (doi:10.1051/0004-6361)

This list was generated on Sun Feb 12 00:25:07 2012 GMT.

STFC: Rolling Programme in Solar Physics, Stellar Physics and Cosmology; with J C Brown et al. (Physics and Astronomy); currently £1,317,847 (01/04/2008 - 31/03/2012)

PPARC (now STFC) Science and Society Scheme: Scottish School Science Curriculum Resources with the Bradford Robotic Telescope; with J C Brown (Physics and Astronomy); £7,800

I am happy to supervise research students in a variety of topics in plasma and high-energy astrophysics, primarily of the Sun and late-type stars. I am also interested to hear from people interested in complex systems (avalanche models, Self Organised Criticality, etc.).

Current supervision:


Alec MacKinnon coordinates and teaches courses for the public in Astronomy, Physics and Computing. He helps to coordinate the Access programme which enables adults to enter higher education, particularly the Science component on which he also teaches Mathematics. He is involved in several other sorts of science outreach, often drawing on biography or history (see e.g. CTR Wilson, the cloud chamber and the discovery of cosmic rays). 

Academic and professional body membership

Member of the Board of CESRA. Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.