A mystery that has puzzled astronomers and physicists for decades is one step closer to being solved, thanks to a collaboration between Northumbria University and Lockheed Martin, a major US aerospace technology organization.
The solar corona, the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere, reaches temperatures millions of degrees higher than the surface of the sun. It is formed and powered by the Sun’s magnetic field, but the exact process by which the magnetic field transfers its energy to the coronal gas remains elusive over the past 80 years.
One theory, known as the Parker nanoflare theory, proposed in 1988, states that the heat generated when magnetic field lines in the corona break and reconnect cause sudden bursts of energy, or “nanoflares.” suggesting.
In 2021, a research team led by Dr. Patrick Antolin of Northumbria will provide direct evidence that this reconnection causes a very rapid lateral separation of the reconnecting magnetic field lines along with the nanoflare, creating a ‘nanojet’. discovered. This phenomenon now constitutes a telltale sign of the nanoflare theory, which, if prevalent within the corona, could explain the high temperature of the solar corona.
However, nanojets are difficult to detect and predict. Images and videos of actual processes are purely accidental, and little is known about how often nanojets occur and how they affect coronal heating. The small size and short timescale of nanojets also make it difficult for instruments to detect them at the currently available resolutions.
To gather more evidence, Dr. Northumbria said student Ramada Skarmaji was assigned to Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics, part of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center, under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Antolin. We are working with scientists at the Institute (LMSAL) to develop machine learning algorithms that automatically detect and record nanojets. when they occur.
Ramada is a member of the world’s leading solar and astrophysics research group at Northumbria University and works extensively with over 40 industry partners including UK Research Innovation, the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the UK Met Office and Lockheed. doing. Martin.
Dr. Patrick Antolin is the leading authority on magnetic reconnection and nanojets. His paper “Reconnection of nanojets in the solar corona” natural astronomy In 2020, they reported for the first time that they found working nanojets that cause coronal heating.
A team from Northumbria University and Lockheed Martin used NASA’s Interfacial Area Imaging Spectrometer (IRIS) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (both from the Lockheed Martin Institute for Solar and Astrophysics (LMSAL)). We plan to analyze existing images of the nanojet captured by the (designed and built). works with The IRIS team has spent weeks observing to detect the nanojet. Using this data, the team identifies the spectral and intensity profiles that are unique to nanojets as they occur, and uses machine learning to create algorithms for further analysis.
Commenting on the research project, Professor Ramada said, “Thanks to the work of my supervisor Dr. Antolin and others, nanojets exist and reconnection-based heating is important in explaining why the solar corona reaches such high temperatures. However, at the moment we can only observe the generation of nanojets by eye, especially considering the large amount of data obtained in our project, we need them is a method of automatically detecting
“They are very small, and the limited evidence we have suggests that there are probably more than we think, but to understand them further, we need to know that they are I need to be able to detect when it happens.
“By analyzing data on nanojets that have occurred so far, we can essentially ‘teach’ a computer to identify nanojets through machine learning. This will allow us to capture future events and improve our understanding of this phenomenon and how it contributes to the heating of the corona. . ”
Commenting on Ramada’s research, Dr. Antolin said, “Working with Ramada on the nanojet has been a pure pleasure. Her willingness to learn, incredible skill set and excellent eloquence make her an excellent researcher. “She’s done a great job over the years and it’s not just helped.” Nanojets have been established as an important cornerstone of solar physics, but even more influential discoveries have increased their importance. ”
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