Several techniques exist for retrieving and studying information about the properties of the Solar atmosphere from the polarization state of spectral lines. These are commonly called spectral diagnostics. Among the current problems to which these are applied, one is to understand the interconnection between the solar magnetic field and chromospheric heating. Non-LTE inversion has so far been the most reliable method for inferring chromospheric magnetic fields from high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations. However, if the magnetic field is sufficiently low that the line is in the weak field regime, the weak field approximation is often used as a complement. The latter allows for rapid analysis of large datasets and can be used to infer the vector components of the magnetic field. The reliability of the approximation in highly dynamic and stratified atmospheres has however not been well studied. The purpose of this project is to study and assess the reliability, the validity conditions, and the origin of possible breakdowns of the weak field approximation. This is done by computing the magnetic field of a model chromosphere, performed with realistic three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics, from synthetic Ca II 8542 polarization profiles. Real magnetic fields are further on inferred from sunspot and plage observations of the same line with the intention to test the method under observational constraints. Stokes I profiles with peculiar shapes are seen in both sunspots and plage, apart from the common quiet profiles. The effect of two such types on the inferred field is studied more closely in this project; raised core profiles, which exhibit a flat core and are common in plage and in the vicinity of bright points, and umbral flashes, which exhibit core emission and are seen in sunspots. The shape of the former is directly connected to presence of steep vertical temperature gradients arising from chromospheric heating, while that of the latter is due to oscillatory motions of the plasma. The weak field approximation works well for observations with high S/N ratio and where quiet profiles are abundant, such as in sunspots. It is vulnerable in plage regions where there is an abundance of raised core (RC) or umbral flash (UF) profiles which lead to failed estimations. Profiles with low S/N tend to yield failed estimations as well. This is common where there is plage, whereby clusters of failed inversions tend to arise in such regions. The vertical component and inclination are well determined, while the horizontal component and azimuth are less well determined. The approximation works well in general, and allows for a rapid and efficient inference of the magnetic field vector as long as the wavelength range is chosen wisely.

This thesis considers the magnetic topology of the global solar corona. To understand the magnetic topology we use the magnetic skeleton which provides us with a robust description of the magnetic field. To do this we use a Potential Field model extrapolated from observations of the photospheric magnetic field. Various measurements of the photospheric magnetic field are used from both ground-based observatories (Kitt-Peak and SOLIS) and space-based observatories (MDI and HMI). Using the magnetic skeleton we characterise particular topological structures and discuss their variations throughout the solar cycle. We find that, from the topology, there are two types of solar minimum magnetic field and one type of solar maximum. The global structure of the coronal magnetic field depends on the relative strengths of the polar fields and the low-latitude fields. During a strong solar dipole minimum the heliospheric current sheet sits near the equator and the heliospheric current sheet curtains enclose a large amount of mixed polarity field which is associated with many low-altitude null points. In a weak solar dipole minimum the heliospheric current sheet becomes warped and large scale topological features can form that are associated with weak magnetic field regions. At solar maximum the heliospheric current sheet is highly warped and there are more null points at high altitudes than at solar minimum. The number of null points in a magnetic field can be seen as a measure of the complexity of the field so this is investigated. We find that the number of nulls above 10Mm falls off with height as a power law whose slope depends on the phase of the solar cycle. We compare the magnetic topology we found at particular times with observations of the Doppler velocity and intensity around particular active regions to see if it is possible to determine whether plasma upflows at the edge of active regions are linked to open field regions.

Observations of the surface of the Sun reveal multi-scaled, mixed magnetic features that carpet the entire solar surface. Not surprisingly, the global magnetic fields extrapolated from these observations are highly complex. This thesis explores the topology of the Sun's global coronal magnetic fields. The magnetic skeleton of a magnetic field provides us with a way of examining the magnetic field and quantifying its complexity. Using specialised codes to find the magnetic skeletons which were written during the course of this work, we first examine potential field extrapolations of the global solar coronal magnetic field determined from observed synoptic magnetograms from the Heliospheric Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The resolution of the PFSS models is found to be very important for discovering the true nature of the global magnetic skeleton. By increasing the maximum number of harmonics used in the potential field extrapolations and, therefore, the grid resolution, 60 times more null points may be found in the coronal magnetic field. These high resolution fields also have a large global separator network which connects the coronal magnetic field over large distances and involves between 40 % and 60 % of all the null points in the solar atmosphere. This global separator network exists at both solar minimum and solar maximum and has separators that reach high into the solar atmosphere (> 1R☉) even though they connect null points close to the solar surface. These potential field extrapolations are then compared with magnetohydrostatic (MHS) extrapolations of the coronal magnetic field which also provide us with information about the plasma in the corona. With a small component of electric current density in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction, these MHS fields are found to have a plasma beta and pressure typical of the corona. As this small component of electric current density grows, the heliospheric current sheet is warped significantly and the magnetic field, plasma beta and pressure become unphysical. Torsional spine reconnection is also studied local to a single null point. First using a dynamical relaxation of a spiral null point under non-resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) to a MHS equilibrium is form in which a current layer has built up around the spine lines. Then the reconnection under resistive MHD in this current sheet is studied. The current about the spine lines is dissipated and the magnetic energy is mainly converted into heat directly as the field lines untwist about the spine line.

Les propulseurs électriques sont de plus en plus utilisés pour des missions de correction de trajectoire des satellites et pourront dans un avenir proche être utilisés pour le transfert d’orbite. Ces propulseurs constituent une excellente alternative aux propulseurs chimiques grâce à leur rendement élevé et une substantielle économie de carburant réalisée par rapport aux propulseurs chimiques. Les propulseurs à effet Hall créent la poussée par l’accélération d’ions positifs de xénon ou de krypton dans un plasma confiné par un champ magnétique. L’objet de ce manuscrit concerne principalement les caractéristiques de l’accélération des ions et des atomes dans un propulseur à effet Hall. Les influences de la largeur du canal de décharge, de la topologie magnétique et de la cathode sur l’efficacité d’accélération des ions sont étudiées. Des pistes d’optimisation de l’architecture du propulseur sont alors proposées qui pourraient être particulièrement avantageuses sur les propulseurs de petite taille, comme l’élargissement du canal et l’augmentation du champ magnétique près des parois du canal. L’influence de la position et du potentiel de la cathode sur la déviation du faisceau ionique est révélée. L’évolution temporelle basse fréquence du champ électrique est mesurée par comptage synchrone de photons et suggère que la température atomique joue un rôle important dans les oscillations basse fréquence de la décharge. Par ailleurs, l’influence du champ magnétique sur les performances d’un propulseur proche des modèles de vol a été mesurée grâce à l’utilisation d’un moteur doté d’une topologie magnétique flexible. Ceci a montré la difficulté de définir un paramètre numérique capable de synthétiser l’information complexe de la répartition spatiale du champ magnétique dans le canal de décharge. Les très faibles modifications des performances par le champ magnétique soulignent l’importance de la précision dans la mesure. / Electric propulsion systems are more and more often used for trajectory correction of satellites and may soon be used for orbit transfer. These devices represent a great alternative to classic chemical propulsion devices thanks to their high efficiency and propellant mass savings. Hall effect thruster provide thrust by the acceleration of xenon or krypton ions in a magnetized confined plasma. The study presented in this manuscript mainly addresses characteristics of ion and atom acceleration in a Hall effect thruster. Influence of channel width, magnetic topology and cathode parameters on ion acceleration efficiency is investigated. Ways to optimize thruster architecture are suggested that may be particularly relevant for low power thrusters, such as widening thruster channel and increasing magnetic field amplitude near channel walls. Influence of cathode position with respect to the thruster channel exit plane and its potential with respect to ground on ion beam deviation has been revealed with two thrusters. Low frequency time evolution of the accelerating electric field was measured using lock-in photon counting system. Results strongly suggest that the atom temperature plays a crucial role in low frequency time evolution of the whole plasma discharge. Measurement of performances as a function of the magnetic field demonstrated that numeric parameters are compulsory to carry on a relevant parametric study. These parameters would summarize the 2D information of magnetic topology. Weak influence of magnetic topology revealed that thrust measurement precision needs to be increased by at least one order of magnitude if one wants to reach a better understanding of plasma confinement in a Hall effect thruster.