Sims, David

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices9-24-2012Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s ExplosiveEventsDavid SimsInstitute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and SpaceFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationSims, David, "Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s Explosive Events" (2012). UNH Today. 4020.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/4020A computer visualization of the sun (red sphere) and its magnetic field lines (orange and aquamarine). The close­up shows the final stage of the emergence of magnetic fields from under the solar surface and the associated X­ray emissions. This sophisticated computer model is used to investigate the drivers of harmful space weather phenomena, including coronal mass ejections. Image courtesy of Cooper Downs, Predictive Science, Inc. Sept. 24, 2012 Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s Explosive EventsDURHAM, N.H. – Four decades of active research and debate by the solar physics community have failed to bring consensus on what drives the sun’s powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that can have profound “space weather” effects on Earth­based power grids and satellites in near­Earth geospace.In a paper just published in Nature Physics, an international team of space scientists, including a researcher from the University of New Hampshire’s Space Science Center (SSC), explains the mysterious physical mechanisms underlying the origin of CMEs. Their findings, based on state­of­the­art computer simulations, show the intricate connection between motions in the sun’s interior and these eruptions and could lead to better forecasting of hazardous space weather conditions.CMEs are clouds of magnetic fields and plasma – a hot gas composed ofcharged particles.The fastest and most powerful of these events can explode from the sun at speeds of more than a million miles per hour and release more energy than the current worldwide stockpile of nuclear weapons. “By studying CMEs we learn not only about the drivers of space weather but also about the structure of the atmosphere of the sun and other sun­like stars,” says lead author Ilia Roussev of the Yunnan Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Geomagnetic storms caused by CMEs can disrupt power grids, satellites that operate global positioning systems and telecommunication networks, pose a threat to astronauts in outer space, lead to rerouting of flights over the polar regions, and cause spectacular auroras. The storms occur when a solar eruption hits Earth’s protective magnetic bubble, or magnetosphere.The Nature Physics paper, titled “Explaining fast ejections of plasma and exotic X­ray emission from the solar corona,” provides an explanation of the origin of fast ejections of magnetized plasma from Media RelationsPage 1 of 3UNH News: Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s Explosive Events2/1/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2012/sep/ds24sun.cfm.htmlthe sun’s atmosphere and associated X­ray emissions. It thus demonstrates a fundamental connection between the magnetic processes inside the sun’s interior and the formation of CMEs. “Through this type of computer modeling we are able to understand how invisible bundles of magnetic field rise from under the surface of the sun into interplanetary space and propagate towards Earth with potentially damaging results”, says SSC researcher Noé Lugaz of the UNH Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space. He adds, “These fundamental phenomena cannot be observed even with the most advanced instruments on board NASA satellites but they can be revealed by numerical simulations.”A long­standing goal of the solar physics community has been the forecasting of solar eruptions and predictions of their impact on the Earth. In the paper, the authors note, “the model described here enables us not only to capture the magnetic evolution of the CME, but also to calculate the increased X­ray flux directly, which is a significant advantage over the existing models.”The work was supported by a CAS grant and two National Science Foundation grants in the U.S. – one at the University of Hawaii and another at UNH. In addition to Roussev and Lugaz, the international team includes Klaus Galsgaard from the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark, Cooper Downs from Predictive Science, Inc. in California, Igor Sokolov from the University of Michigan, Jun Lin from the Yunnan Astronomical Observatory, and Elena Moise from the Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy of Science.The Nature Physics paper can be viewed athttp://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/nphys2427.pdfThe University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world­class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space­grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.Photograph to download: http://www.eos.unh.edu/newsimage/SunModel_lg.jpgCaption: A computer visualization of the sun (red sphere) and its magnetic field lines (orange and aquamarine). The close­up shows the final stage of the emergence of magnetic fields from under the solar surface and the associated X­ray emissions. This sophisticated computer model is used to investigate the drivers of harmful space weather phenomena, including coronal mass ejections. Image courtesy of Cooper Downs, Predictive Science, Inc.­30­Editors and reporters: Ilia Roussev can be reached at iroussev@ifa.hawaii.edu or 808­388­6462, Noé Lugaz at nlugaz@guero.sr.unh.edu or 603­862­5045, and Klaus Galsgaard at kg@nbi.ku.dk or +45 2293 7912. Media Contact: David Sims | 603­862­5369 | Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space Page 2 of 3UNH News: Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s Explosive Events2/1/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2012/sep/ds24sun.cfm.htmlCopyright © 2018, The University of New Hampshire  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  UNH main directory: (603) 862­1234. Media Relations is a unit of Communications & Public Affairs which is a division of University Advancement. ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the Webmaster | UNH Today | UNH Social Media IndexPage 3 of 3UNH News: Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s Explosive Events2/1/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2012/sep/ds24sun.cfm.html

Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s Explosive Events

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Scientists Shed Light on Riddle of Sun’s Explosive Events

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