Solar physicists have noticed for decades that some spectral lines, which are indicators of elements in solar flare light, appear wider or more ‘blurry’ than what is predicted by current theoretical models. The results only partially confirmed the conventional explanation that the distortions were caused by turbulence in the Sun’s plasma.
Solar flares are enormous energy bursts that send streams of high-energy particles and strong radiation into space from the Sun’s surface. According to conventional wisdom, these occurrences heated particles to roughly 18 million degrees Fahrenheit (10 million degrees Celsius).
The current study, headed by Alexander Russell of the University of St Andrews, suggests an alternative explanation: the ions inside the flares heat up significantly faster than electrons do and can be up to six times hotter than previously believed, which causes the ions to move very quickly and naturally broaden these spectral lines.
Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the study found that ions can reach temperatures of about 60 million degrees Celsius (108 million Fahrenheit), while electrons can only reach temperatures of about 10 to 15 million degrees Celsius (roughly 18 to 27 million Fahrenheit). This imbalance lasts long enough to impact measurements since the heat exchange between ions and electrons takes a few minutes.
“This seems to be a universal law,” Russell remarked, before adding that while the effect has already been seen in simulations, the solar wind, and near-Earth orbit, “nobody had previously connected work in those fields to solar flares.”
Furthermore, solar flares are strong phenomena that emit high-energy particles and radiation bursts. They can endanger astronauts and disrupt radio communications, GPS, and satellite systems. Current models may be misrepresenting the intensity and destructive potential of these eruptions due to an underestimate of flare temperatures, particularly for ions, according to the Space website.
The study also urges the development of new solar models that treat electrons and ions differently, rather than assuming a single, constant temperature. According to the study, this ‘multi-temperature’ strategy has hardly ever been used on the sun but is already prevalent in other plasma systems, such as the magnetic field of Earth.
The finding has significant implications for space weather forecasting, an area vital to contemporary technology and space travel. This change has the potential to greatly increase forecast accuracy, providing astronauts, airlines, and satellite operators with more accurate alerts about potentially hazardous solar storms.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)