Parker Solar Probe detects magnetic reversal
Traveling 93 million miles from the Sun, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected a hidden magnetic pattern in space plasma that reverses direction at very small scales.
Researchers from ten countries identified the phenomenon using magnetic field measurements, Science Daily reported. The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, reveal how energy distributes among fluctuations in the solar wind.
Space plasma consists of electrically charged particles that interact with magnetic fields without colliding frequently. This rare environment creates turbulence that differs fundamentally from fluid dynamics observed on Earth.
The magnetic reversal shifts toward longer wavelengths as the solar wind travels farther from the Sun. This change happens at a critical boundary where plasma behavior transitions from collective fluid flow to individual particle dynamics.
Finding Order in Plasma Chaos
At larger scales, plasma moves like a fluid with swirling structures called vortices. Magnetic fields at these larger scales tend to rotate counterclockwise when viewed along a direction pointing outward from the Sun.
At much smaller scales, the preferred rotation switches to clockwise. This unexpected switch occurs precisely where plasma stops behaving primarily like a fluid and begins exhibiting behavior governed by individual particles.
“We see a clear structure in the spectrum, even though the turbulence represents unstructured motions,” said Dr. Masatomi Iizawa, first author of the study from the Technische Universität Braunschweig, Science Daily reported.
“The results are of great significance for both plasma physics and astrophysics,” Dr. Yokoi of the University of Tokyo told Science Daily.
Plasma turbulence influences solar disturbances and space weather models
Plasma turbulence influences shock waves and clouds of magnetic material that travel through interplanetary space following eruptions on the Sun. These solar disturbances play an important role in geomagnetic storms on Earth.
Understanding how an organized magnetic pattern emerges during the transition from fluid to particle behavior provides an important piece of a longstanding physics puzzle. Researchers expect the data to improve physical models used to forecast space weather.
The discovery applies to numerous environments across the universe, including Earth’s magnetosphere and accretion disks surrounding astronomical objects.
Which institutions collaborated and what instrument was used?
Which institutions collaborated on the plasma turbulence research?
Researchers from the Technische Universität Braunschweig and the University of Tokyo worked alongside teams from Tohoku University, Kyushu University, Osaka University, and other international institutions across ten countries.
What instrument collected the data used in the study?
Scientists utilized highly precise measurements of magnetic fields and particles gathered by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe.
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