Researchers have long sought to better understand solar flares, especially in case a particularly large plasma chunk gets launched toward Earth.
heat and ionize the surrounding air and form a cloud of charged particles called plasma, which absorbs radio waves and makes it hard for operators on the ground to communicate with the missiles—a problem Putterman was trying to solve. Then it occurred to him: The same plasma physics apply to our sun.
The UCLA scientist and his colleagues have now created what Putterman calls “our sun in a jar,” a 1.2-inch glass ball filled with plasma, which they have used to model processes like those that. These are explosive bursts of energy sometimes accompanied by the release of a high-speed blob of plasma that could wreak havoc with satellites in orbit and electricity grids on the ground.
The team’s experiments started by putting some partially ionized sulfur gas inside a glass bulb, then bombarding it with low-frequency microwaves—similar to the kind used in a microwave oven—to excite the gas, heating it up to about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. They found that a 30-kHz pulsing of the microwaves sets up a sound wave that exerts a pressure that causes the hot gas to contract.
Others in the field also praise Putterman and his colleagues’ research, but note it has limitations. “It’s an exciting and innovative development. It’s cleverly done. It has always been a challenge to simulate the internal dynamics of a star in a laboratory,” says Mark Miesch, a researcher at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and the University of Colorado.
Indonesia Berita Terbaru, Indonesia Berita utama
Similar News:Anda juga dapat membaca berita serupa dengan ini yang kami kumpulkan dari sumber berita lain.
Tiny College Hijacked by Woke-Obsessed DeSantis Saddles Up to Fight BackNew College has become a pawn in DeSantis’ war on education in the Sunshine State. But alumni tell The Daily Beast: “The political pawns are going to fight back.”
Baca lebih lajut »
29 Details From Popular 2010s Movies That Are Sooooooo Tiny Yet So Freaking BrilliantIn Bad Teacher, the students watch a movie on the first day of school that foreshadows the events that will happen to them.
Baca lebih lajut »
Should the sun set on solar and wind tax credits?Bill to overhaul some tax breaks, including those for renewable energy projects, drew opposition in a legislative hearing from Utahns who say it will chill progress.
Baca lebih lajut »
How Many Ways Can the Sun Kill Us?While today, we know our parent star as the source of light and warmth throughout the solar system, enabling life to arise and thrive on our planet. But things aren’t guaranteed to always be so peachy.
Baca lebih lajut »
Hidden lights on the sun could help crack solar atmosphere mysteryNew X-ray observations of the sun could explain why its upper atmosphere is so hot.
Baca lebih lajut »