2023-06-02 00:00:00
Written by Samah Labib
Friday, 02 June 2023 03:00 AM
Scientists may have found a way to investigate the strange processes that accelerate solar particles to gigantic speeds solar flares Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), massive eruptions of superheated plasma, are some of the most active processes in the solar system, according to theverge report.
Earth’s magnetic field protects us from the most severe consequences of these solar storms, but powerful flares and large amounts of coronal mass ejections can still disrupt our lives, for example CMEs directed from Earth can generate geomagnetic storms that disrupt power grids and communications networks. (However, it’s not all bad as these explosions also intensify the northern lights.)
As a result, scientists are keen to better understand the so-called events solar particles (SEP) But investigating the fundamental particle acceleration process involved in SEP events is challenging.
And new research shows for the first time that energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) – particles without an electrical charge that move at incredible speeds – can be used to probe the acceleration process in large SEP events such as CMEs and solar flares.
The new findings are highly relevant, as they were released during a period of high solar activity. Earth has been hit hard recently by powerful solar flares and violent coronal ejection eruptions. For example, a rare retarded sunspot called AR3296 erupted on May 7, sending out a solar flare and a CME. towards our planet.
The solar flare, made up of electromagnetic radiation, struck first, ionizing the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere and producing a radio darkening over the western United States and the Pacific Ocean. May 7th happened a few days later.
ENA particles can also be used to tell the difference between two different locations to accelerate solar particles, according to the new study, which was led by Gang Li, professor of astronomy at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Those locations are the massive rings of plasma that emerge from sunspots and give rise to solar flares and downstream regions. Trauma-driven CME.
“The ultimate goal of using ENAs is to obtain different physical parameters at the acceleration sites,” Lee said in a statement. “Scientists know that particles can be accelerated in two possible locations: either solar flares or CME-driven shocks. Particle acceleration? What site can accelerate particles to higher energies? These are questions that are often discussed, and we don’t know the answer.”
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