Breakthrough Unveiled: Technique to Investigate Extreme Solar Storms Found

Scientists have made a new breakthrough by discovering a method to comprehend the velocity of solar particles that trigger solar storms. It is noteworthy that solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the most powerful phenomena observed in the solar system, leading to massive solar storms that can have a significant impact on our daily lives, despite Earth’s protective electromagnetic field. This has prompted scientists to investigate solar energetic particle (SEP) events.

According to Space.com, researchers have discovered that high-speed particles with no electrical charge, commonly known as energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), can be probed during major solar events such as CMEs and solar flares. This has opened up many opportunities to look at these massive events in detail.

Research led by Professor Gang Li of the University of Alabama in Huntsville found that ENA particles can also be used to study the particle acceleration of the sun at two different locations. Dr. Li also added that “the ultimate goal of using ENAs is to obtain different physics parameters at the acceleration sites.” To study ENA particles, they can be accelerated at two different points, either by solar flares or CME-induced shocks.

Observing the Sun to understand particle acceleration is challenging due to the difficulty of direct measurements. However, remote sensing using Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENAs), which are not affected by magnetic fields, offers a great solution for studying particle acceleration in this challenging environment.

“The MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) turbulence of the solar wind does not affect these neutral particles as they propagate from the Sun to observers,” Space.com quoted Dr. Li as saying.

Therefore, scientists need energy neutral atoms (ENA) to study the ENA detector around the Earth to help them study it.

NASA is currently designing an instrument capable of measuring ENAs from the Sun as part of the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission.