“Alien Auroras” on Jupiter reveal a new type of plasma wave, say scientists

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The shimmering northern lights that roam Alaska’s sky have wilder cousins ​​in Jupiter – they are larger, more strange and now tied to a discovery that helps scientists to better understand space weather.

According to a study, these “extraterrestrial Auroras” on the largest planet in our solar system, which is directed by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, have a previously unknown way of plasma plasmewelle. The finding could help scientists to better understand Auroras in other worlds and how to protect magnetic fields, including EarthFrom harmful radiation that stream from their stars.

Auroras occur when streams of invited particles, which are led by the magnetic field of a planet, crash into the atmosphere of a planet. The result on earth is the colorful North and southern lightsVisible in the green and blue ribbons over the night sky. However, Jupiter‘S Auroras are far more powerful; They are also invisible to us, without instruments that recognize ultraviolet or infrared light.

The latest findings on Jupiter Auroras are thanks to Nasas Juno Spacecraftwhich has been circling Jupiter since 2016. Juno follows a long, looping path over the poles of the planet, an orbit with which the exposure of the probe is minimized to Jupiter intensive radiation belts and at the same time its instruments can capture detailed measurements. This includes the Wave instrumentWhat can “listen” to electromagnetic signals, which are generated by charged particles in the plasma when interact with Jupiter magnetic field.

“The James Webb Space Telescope gave us some Infrared images From the Aurora, but Juno is the first spaceship in a polar orbit around Jupiter, ” Ali SulaimanAn assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Minnesota, who headed the study together, said in A opinion.

Plasma, often referred to as the fourth state of matter, forms when atoms are so energetic that they break apart into a soup of electrons and ions. This electrically charged material flows like a liquid, but also reacts strongly to magnetic fields. To Jupiter, the most magnetized planet in the solar system, plasma behaves in a way that cannot be found on Earth.

By examining the measurements of Juno, Sulaiman and his team found that the plasma density in the polar environment is so low, while the magnetic field is so strong, which means that the waves vibrate at unusually low frequencies. This creates a completely new wave type -one that begins like a familiar Alfvén wave, but merges into a so -called “Langmuir mode” under the extreme conditions of the Jupiter, reports the new study.

“While plasma can behave like a liquid, it is also influenced by its own magnetic fields and external areas,” said co-lead author Robert Lysak, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Minnesota.

The team also found that Jupiter’s magnetic field directs charged particles differently than the earth. Auroras typically form ring -shaped ligaments around the poles on earth. But particles are inserted directly into the polar cap in Jupiter, creating Auroras that are more concentrated and chaotic.

Although such conditions do not exist on Earth, scientists believe that they may be common on the external planets of our solar system or even on massive exoplanets that circle other stars. Similar plasma waves could also exist in strongly magnetized stars themselves, according to the study.

The team plans to further analyze the data from Juno because the spaceship produces additional orbits near Jupiter. Each pass could reveal more information on how plasma behaves under extreme conditions and in turn shows how planets – including our own – remain protected from their stars from the constant storm.

This research is described in A Paper Published on July 16 in the journal Physical Review Letters.