Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have discovered a new type of electromagnetic wave, called “whistlers,” that carries lightning energy to the Earth’s magnetosphere. The research, published in Science Advances, reveals that these waves are crucial for understanding and predicting space weather.
According to the study, lightning energy entering the ionosphere at low latitudes is reflected upward by the ionosphere’s lower boundary and reaches the magnetosphere. This phenomenon was previously thought to remain trapped in the ionosphere.
The discovery of specularly reflected whistlers has significant implications for human operations in space. As Sonwalkar explained, “Having a better understanding of radiation belts and the variety of electromagnetic waves that impact them is vital for human operations in space.”
The researchers used data from NASA’s Van Allen Probes to analyze plasma wave data and developed a wave propagation model to study the effects of specularly reflected whistlers. The results showed that these waves carry a substantial amount of lightning energy to the magnetosphere, doubling the amount previously thought.
This finding has important implications for space weather forecasting and could potentially improve communication and navigation systems used in space.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-08-scientists-phenomenon-impacting-earth-belts.html