Magnetosphere "EMPOWER IAS"

In news:

• Indian Scientists have developed a theory that helps understand the complicated nature of Sun-Earth interaction’s happening in the magnetosphere

 

Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission

• The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission is a NASA robotic space mission to study the Earth’s magnetosphere, using four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation.
• The mission is designed to gather information about the microphysics of magnetic reconnection, energetic particle acceleration, and turbulence⁠—processes that occur in many astrophysical plasma.
• Indian researchers have developed a theory that solves every bit of uncertainty regarding the conflict between the observations from MMS Mission.

 

About Magnetosphere:

• It is the region around a planet dominated by the planet’s magnetic field.
• Other planets in our solar system have magnetospheres, but Earth has the strongest one of all the rocky planets.
• Significance: The magnetosphere shields our home planet from solar and cosmic particle radiation, as well as erosion of the atmosphere by the solar wind – the constant flow of charged particles streaming off the sun.

 

How it is generated?

• Earth’s magnetosphere is part of a dynamic, interconnected system that responds to solar, planetary, and interstellar conditions.
• It is generated by the convective motion of charged, molten iron, far below the surface in Earth’s outer core.

1. Constant bombardment by the solar wind compresses the sun-facing side of our magnetic field.
2. The sun-facing side, or dayside, extends a distance of about six to 10 times the radius of the Earth.
3. The side of the magnetosphere facing away from the sun – the nightside – stretches out into an immense magnetotail, which fluctuates in length and can measure hundreds of Earth radii, far past the moon’s orbit at 60 Earth radii.

 

Why study magnetosphere?

• To better understand its role in our space environment. It will unravel the fundamental physics of space, which is dominated by complex electromagnetic interactions unlike what we experience day-to-day on Earth. By studying this space environment close to home, we can better understand the nature of space throughout the universe.
• Additionally, space weather within the magnetosphere – where many of our spacecraft reside – can sometimes have adverse effects on space technology as well as communications systems. Better understanding of the science of the magnetosphere helps improve our space weather models.

 

Findings of the Indian Researchers

• The MMS spacecraft observed negative monopolar potential (electric field potentials which can be visualized in the form of single-humped pulse-type structures).
• The scientific community suddenly recognized its importance, and publications were presented.
• However, none of the available theories could explain the characteristics of these structures due to the exotic background conditions.
• Indian theory provides a better understanding of their characteristics and sheds light on the generation of these structures.
• This has lead to the unraveling of nature’s greatest mystery that causes phenomena -plasma transport and heating of plasma- the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid, and gas.