Louis Richard har publicerat en ny artikel i Physical Review Letters
Louis Richard of The Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) has just released a new article in Physical Review Letters, unveiling a remarkable discovery in near-Earth space. The study focuses on the rapid development of turbulence with the largest-ever energy conversion rate, observed through in-situ monitoring of plasma jets generated by magnetic reconnection.
Magnetic reconnection is a widespread process known for efficiently transforming magnetic energy into heating and particle acceleration. This occurs through the topological reconfiguration of the magnetic field, resulting in the creation of swift plasma jets. These jets play a critical role in heating the surrounding plasma, but the exact channels through which they deposit their energy remain poorly understood.
Louis Richard’s findings shed new light on how the same process may contribute to heating plasma and accelerating particles in various celestial phenomena, including solar and stellar flares, planetary magnetospheres, active galactic nuclei jets, and other astrophysical jets.
This discovery marks a leap forward in our understanding of processes in near-Earth space and holds broader implications for our understanding of astrophysical phenomena throughout the universe.