A photo from open sources
Using the ESA “Cluster” quartet of satellites in as a “microscope” in the study of cosmic plasma, scientists, with the smallest, even earlier, revealed an increase in the solar wind unknown, details. Tiny turbulents were discovered. curls that could play a big role in heating the plasma, reports the European Space Agency.
A photo from open sources
Turbulence is a very complex and complex phenomenon, and its can be found everywhere around us. Obviously in the water flowing from crane, around the wing of an airplane, in experimental thermonuclear reactors on Earth, also in space. In a stream of charged particles, emitted by the sun – solar wind – turbulence as believed to play a key role in maintaining their heat and fluxes it is rushing from a star throughout the solar system. In move the solar wind expands, cools, but to a much lesser extent degrees than would be expected if the flow were uniform. Turbulence occurs as a result of disturbances in the flow of particles and magnetic field lines. But understanding how this energy is transmitted from large scales, where it occurs, to smaller the scale where it disperses is like trying to trace the movement of energy in the stream of the river, from a smooth and smooth flow down to small turbulent whirlpools formed in the lower parts of the waterfall. In a new study, two out of four satellites Cluster made extremely detailed plasma observations turbulence in the solar wind. They analyzed stream sections plasma in “burst mode”, making 450 measurements per second. Comparing the results with computer simulation, scientists have confirmed the existence of electric current fields in all 20 km across, on the border of turbulent turbulences. “It shows for the first time that solar wind plasma is extremely structured at this high resolution, ”says Sylvia Perry from the University of della Calabria, Italy and lead author of the article, reporting results. Cluster previously detected electrical fields on a much larger scale – 100 km, in the magnetosheath, region, sandwiched between the Earth’s magnetic bubble – the magnetosphere – and the head shock wave that occurs during a meeting with the solar by the wind. A process was discovered within the boundaries of these turbulent vortices. “magnetic reconnection” in which oppositely directed lines of force are spontaneously broken and restore communication with other nearby field lines, thus freeing their energy. “Although we still have not found a repetition of processes in these new, smaller scales, but it’s clear that we see cascades energies that can contribute to the overall heating of the solar wind, “said Dr. Perry. Future missions such as Solar Orbiter ESA and NASA Solar Probe Plus will be able to determine whether there are whether such processes are also closer to the sun, and the magnetospheric NASA’s multi-level mission (NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission) will specifically explore small regions where “reconnection” may occur. “Results of the Cluster mission demonstrates unique opportunities for exploring universal physical phenomena, “comments Matt Taylor, a scientist from the project. ESA “Cluster”. “Future missions using multiple satellites will do very detailed studies of these small-scale plasma phenomena and will provide further measurements in the context of activities of the Cluster satellite complex “.
NASA Sun
