NASA satellites catch the earth’s magnetic field that make music

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The magnetic field of the earth occasionally breaks into a song – but these compositions are written with electromagnetic radiation, not with sound waves.

However, when these strange burdens are converted to audio signals, they sound like an increasing choir of chirping, similar to Morning Birdong, which is why physicists call these short, intensive radiation storms “choir waves”. Every radiation outbreak only takes a few tenths of a second, but the signals can repeat themselves for hours. And as pretty they sound, chorus waves can be extremely dangerous Satellite in orbit.

A team of researchers under the direction of the physicist CM Liu from the University of Behang in China recently a choir wave that emerged from an unexpected place, and confirmed a key piece of a theory about how these strange waves form.

Listen to the music of the magnetosphere

The four satellites of NASA’s magnetospheric multi -pattern mission recently have an outbreak of chorsal waves from one point of about 102,526 miles (165,000 kilometers), far away in the long “tail” of the earth’s magnet field. (The magnetic field of our planet should look very similar to the field around a stick magnet, but electrically charged particles in the Sunwind Press the magnetic field so that the page of shows the sun is stretched into a long cock).

Any other choir waves have heard astronomers Earth. This is higher than the orbit in which you can find geostationary satellites, but it is still close enough to the planet that the magnetic field is neat and tidy, more like a staff magnet. Further outside in the tail the lines of Earth magnetic field were stretched and confused in something much more measurement. Physicists did not believe that choral waves in the middle of the broadcast of magnetic field lines could form in the tail-but it is clearly possible.

“The discovery does not exclude the existing theory, since the expected magnetic field gradients could continue to exist, but it means that scientists have to take a closer look Paper it comments.

Protection of the satellites from “killer electrons”

In fact, the discovery actually supports an important part of the theory about how choir waves work. Liu and colleagues using data from the magnetospheric multiscalar satellites have measured the distribution of Electrons In the choir wave and they saw something that physicists have predicted for decades: a hole.

Astronomers have been confused about the exact mechanics behind choral waves for around 70 years. Occasionally, a group of electrons turns wildly through the magnetic field of the earth, and when the electrons rotate, they fill up energy in the form of radiation. This radiation interacts with other electrons (what thanks Quantum physicsAlso behave a bit like waves) and is reinforced in larger waves. Because these radiation waves form along a magnetic field SpaceThe waves end up in short burdens, each with a higher frequency than the last: like an increasing choir.

While the choir wave forms, electrons electrons at certain areas along the shape of the wave. But if there are lumps in some places, there should also be gaps in other places, and Liu and colleagues have just measured such a gap in their choir wave. This could indicate that the entire model, such as choir waves, is mostly correct – with the exception of the part where they can form.

If Liu and colleagues are correct, choral waves can form almost anywhere in space, and not just in places where the magnetic field is neat and uneducated by sun wind. This means that we should look for choir waves from the path in the tail of the earth’s magnetic field, not just near home. And theoretically there should be choir waves in the magnetic field that has one that has one Jupiter And Saturn).

And to understand these waves a little better, scientists could better predict when and where they will happen and how strong they will be. This could be of crucial importance for the safety of satellites that circle our planet, which are susceptible to solar storms and other sudden radiation storms from the profound space.

“These energetic electrons are called” killer electrons “because they have damaged several satellites and cost hundreds of million dollars,” wrote Horne. “Chorus waves are now contained in forecast models that are supposed to protect these satellites.”