[나우뉴스] [핵잼 사이언스] The electrons pour like rain… First discovery of’space hurricane’ in Earth’s atmosphere

▲ Electrons pour like rain… The first discovery of a’space hurricane’ in the Earth’s atmosphere (photo=Jang Qinghe/Nature Communications)

Scientists have discovered for the first time the existence of a’space hurricane’, a phenomenon in which electrons pour like rain from the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

International researchers have analyzed and published a 1,000-kilometer-diameter plasma vortex found in an ionosphere several hundred kilometers above the North Pole, the Earth’s polar region.

As a result of observation, there is little flow of electrons at its center, but a hurricane shape with a strong helical flow around it with a shear force (a force that acts in parallel along the plane so that the sides of the object have the same size and opposite directions). It turns out that there is an aurora-like part of. These are all phenomena seen in general hurricanes occurring in the lower atmosphere, but electrons poured out instead of rain. Accordingly, the researchers named it’space hurricane’.

▲ An image showing the electron flow of a space hurricane. (Photo = Nature Communications)

Michael Lockwood, a professor at the University of Reading, UK, who participated in the study, said, “The existence of space hurricanes so far has been uncertain, and this finding is surprising. Just as tropical storms are related to tremendous energy, space hurricanes are also formed by rapidly transferring solar wind energy and charged particles to the upper atmosphere of the Earth. This suggests that hurricanes are a widespread phenomenon.”

Previous observations have found space hurricanes not only on the Sun, but also on Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter, but this is the first time such a hurricane has been observed in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

The space hurricane in the upper atmosphere of the Earth, which was confirmed to exist this time, occurred on August 20, 2014. At the time, scientists recorded the relatively stable north-facing interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions of the hurricane. The IMF is the solar magnetic field emanating from the sun’s corona by the solar wind.

This space hurricane, which occurred during periods of low geomagnetic activity, has been found to have many similarities to hurricanes in the lower Earth’s atmosphere, including a quiet center, multiple spiral arms, and extensive circulation. For reference, this cosmic hurricane disappeared after about eight hours when the IMF turned southward.

Regarding this, the researchers said, “A space hurricane opens a channel that rapidly transfers energy from space to the ionosphere, increases the drag of the satellite, and causes high-frequency radio communication failure.” It can be helpful in clarifying the problem.”

The detailed research results were published in the latest issue of the international journal’Nature Communications’.

Reporter Yoon Tae-hee [email protected]