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jcmarchi · 21 days

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MIT Haystack scientists prepare a constellation of instruments to observe the solar eclipse’s effects

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/mit-haystack-scientists-prepare-a-constellation-of-instruments-to-observe-the-solar-eclipses-effects/

MIT Haystack scientists prepare a constellation of instruments to observe the solar eclipse’s effects

On April 8, the moon’s shadow will sweep through North America, trailing a diagonal ribbon of momentary, midday darkness across parts of the continent. Those who happen to be within the “path of totality” will experience a total solar eclipse — a few eerie minutes when the sun, moon, and Earth align, such that the moon perfectly blocks out the sun.

The last solar eclipse to pass over the continental United States occurred in August 2017, when the moon’s shadow swept from Oregon down to South Carolina. This time, the moon will be closer to the Earth and will track a wider ribbon, from Mexico through Texas and on up into Maine and eastern Canada. The shadow will move across more populated regions than in 2017, and will completely block the sun for more than 31 million people who live in its path. The eclipse will also partly shade many more regions, giving much of the country a partial eclipse, depending on the local weather.

While many of us ready our eclipse-grade eyewear, scientists at MIT’s Haystack Observatory are preparing a constellation of instruments to study the eclipse and how it will affect the topmost layers of the atmosphere. In particular, they will be focused on the ionosphere — the atmosphere’s outermost layer where many satellites orbit. The ionosphere stretches from 50 to 400 miles above the Earth’s surface and is continually blasted by the sun’s extreme ultraviolet and X-ray radiation. This daily solar exposure ionizes gas molecules in the atmosphere, creating a charged sea of electrons and ions that shifts with changes in the sun’s energy.

As they did in 2017, Haystack researchers will study how the ionosphere responds before, during, and after the eclipse, as the sun’s radiation suddenly dips. With this year’s event, the scientists will be adding two new technologies to the mix, giving them a first opportunity to observe the eclipse’s effects at local, regional, and national scales. What they observe will help scientists better understand how the atmosphere reacts to other sudden changes in solar radiation, such as solar storms and flares.

Two lead members of Haystack’s eclipse effort are research scientists Larisa Goncharenko, who studies the physics of the ionosphere using measurements from multiple observational sources, and John Swoboda, who develops instruments to observe near-Earth space phenomena. While preparing for eclipse day, Goncharenko and Swoboda took a break to chat with MIT News about the ways in which they will be watching the event and what they hope to learn from Monday’s rare planetary alignment.

Q: There’s a lot of excitement around this solar eclipse. Before we dive into how you’ll be observing it, let’s take a step back to talk about what we know so far: How does a total eclipse affect the atmosphere?

Goncharenko: We know quite a bit. One of the largest effects is, as the moon’s shadow moves over part of the continent, we have a significant decrease in electron, or plasma, density in the ionosphere. The sun is an ionization source, and as soon as that source is removed, we have a decrease in electron density. So, we sort of have a hole in the ionosphere that moves behind the moon’s shadow.

During an eclipse, solar heating shuts off and it’s like a rapid sunset and sunrise, and we have significant cooling in the atmosphere. So, we have this cold area of low ionization, moving in latitude and longitude. And because of this change in temperature, you also have disturbances in the wind system that affect how plasma, or electrons in the ionosphere, are distributed. And these are changes on large scales.

From this cold area that follows totality, we also have different kinds of waves emanating. Like a boat moving on the water, you have bow shock waves moving from the shadow. These are waves in electron density. They are small perturbations but can cover really large areas. We saw similar waves in the 2017 eclipse. But every eclipse is different. So, we will be using this eclipse as a unique lab experiment. And we will be able to see changes in electron density, temperature, and winds in the upper atmosphere as the eclipse moves over the continental United States.

Q: How will you be seeing all this? What experiments will you be running to catch the eclipse and its effects on the atmosphere?

Swoboda: We’re going to measure local changes in the atmosphere and ionosphere using two new radar technologies. The first is Zephyr, which was developed by [Haystack research scientist] Ryan Volz. Zephyr looks at how meteors break up in our atmosphere. There are always little bits of sand that burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, and when they burn up, they leave a trail of plasma that follows the wind patterns in the upper atmosphere. Zephyr sends out a signal that bounces off these plasma trails, so we can see how they are carried by winds moving at very high altitude. We will use Zephyr to observe how these winds in the upper atmosphere change during the eclipse.

The other radar system is EMVSIS [Electro-Magnetic Vector Sensor Ionospheric Sounder], which will measure the electron or plasma density and the bulk velocity of the charged particles in the ionosphere. Both these systems comprise a distributed array of transmitters and receivers that send and receive radio waves at various frequencies to do their measurements. Traditional ionospheric sounders require high-power transmitters and large towers on the order of hundreds of feet, and can cover an area the size of a football field. But we’ve developed a lower-power and physically smaller system, about the size of a refrigerator, and we’re deploying multiple of these systems around New England to make local and regional measurements.

Goncharenko: We will also make regional observations with two antennas at the Millstone Hill Geospace Facility [in Westford, Massachusetts]. One antenna is a fixed vertical antenna, 220 feet in diameter, that we can use to observe parameters in the ionosphere over a huge range of altitudes, from 90 to 1,000 kilometers above the ground. The other is a steerable antenna that’s 150 feet in diameter, which we can move to look what happens as far away as Florida and all the way to the central United States. We are planning to use both antennas to see changes during the eclipse.

We’ll also be processing data from a national network of almost 3,000 GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] receivers across the United States, and we’re installing new receivers in undersampled regions along the area of totality. These receivers will measure how the ionosphere’s electron content changes before, during, and after the eclipse.

One of the most exciting things is, this is the first time we’ll have all four of these technologies working together. Each of these technologies provides a unique point of view. And for me as a scientist, I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve. You know great things are coming, and you know you’ll have new things to play with and new data to analyze.

Q: And speaking of what you’ll find, what do you expect to see from the measurements you collect?

Goncharenko: I expect to see the unexpected. It will be first time for us to look at the near-Earth space with a combination of four very different technologies at the same time and in the same geographic region. We expect higher sensitivity that translates into better resolution in time and space. Probing the upper atmosphere with a combination of these diagnostic tools will provide simultaneous observations we never had before — four-dimensional wind flow, electron density, ion temperature, plasma motion. We will observe how they change during the eclipse and study how and why changes in one area of the upper atmosphere are linked to perturbations in other areas in space and time.

Swoboda: We’re also sort of thinking longer term. What the eclipse is giving us is a chance to show what these technologies can do, and say, what if we could have these going all the time? We could run it as a sort of radar network for space weather, like how we monitor weather in the lower atmosphere. And we need to monitor space weather, because we have so much going on in the near-Earth space environment, with satellites launching all the time that are affected by space weather.

Goncharenko: We have a lot of space to study. The eclipse is just the highlight. But overall, these systems can produce more data to get a look at what happens in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere during other disturbances, such as storms and lightning periods, or coronal mass ejections and solar flares. And all of this is part of a large effort to build up our understanding of near-Earth space to meet demands of modern technological society.

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spacenutspod · 30 days

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The Space, Astronomy & Science Podcast. SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 38 *Witnessing the Final Stages of Planetary Formation For the first time, astronomers have captured the end of the planetary formation process, observing the dispersal of gas from a young star's circumstellar disk. The James Webb Space Telescope has provided unprecedented images of the Tchar star system, where a vast gap in its disk suggests we're witnessing the final act in its planetary evolution. The study sheds light on the fate of gas giants and terrestrial planets, revealing the delicate dance of creation that shapes nascent solar systems. *The Devil's Comet: A Green Spectacle in the Sky Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, with its distinctive green hue and horned appearance, is making its first visit to the inner solar system in over 70 years. This Mount Everest-sized icy wanderer could grace our skies with its naked-eye visibility as it reaches perihelion this April. Nicknamed the 'Devil's Comet', its cryovolcanic nature promises a celestial show that won't return until 2095. *The Dust that Doomed Dinosaurs A new study proposes that fine dust particles from the Chicxulub asteroid impact contributed significantly to the mass extinction event that ended the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs. By blocking photosynthesis and plunging the Earth into a cold, dark winter, this fine dust may have been the final nail in the coffin for many species, reshaping life on our planet forever. For more SpaceTime and to support the show, visit our website at https://spacetimewithstuartgary.com where you can access our universal listen link, find show notes, and learn how to become a patron. Listen to SpaceTime on your favorite podcast app with our universal listen link: https://spacetimewithstuartgary.com/listen and access show links via https://linktr.ee/biteszHQ Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-with-stuart-gary--2458531/support For more space and astronomy podcasts, visit our HQ at https://bitesz.com

#12p/pons-brooks #circumstellar #comet #disk #formation #gas #gases #giants #ionization #james #noble #perihelion #planetary #protoplanetary #solar #space #system #telescope #visibility #webb

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renovatio06 · 2 months

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We Finally Know What Turned The Lights on at The Dawn of Time | ScienceAlert

The field of view for Abell 2744. (NASA, ESA, CSA, I. Labbe/Swinburne University of Technology, R. Bezanson/University of Pittsburgh, A. Pagan/STScI) Source: We Finally Know What Turned The Lights on at The Dawn of Time I’d say JWST has already justified its cost and build-time, no? Looks as if preexisting theories about ionization are at least in part corroborated by these findings.

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#BigBang #earlyuniverse #EN #Ionization #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWST #space #SpacePlasma #Universe

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whats-in-a-sentence · 2 months

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Another way to compare relative acid strengths of ethanol and phenol is to look at the hydronium ion concentration and pH of a 0.1M aqueous solution of each (table 19.3).

"Chemistry" 2e - Blackman, A., Bottle, S., Schmid, S., Mocerino, M., Wille, U.

#book quotes #chemistry #nonfiction #textbook #ph #acid #ethanol #phenol #hydronium ion #aqueous solution #ionization #comparison

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tenth-sentence · 8 months

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This large increase occurs because the third ionisation removes a core electron (2p) rather than a valence electron (3s).

"Chemistry" 2e - Blackman, A., Bottle, S., Schmid, S., Mocerino, M., Wille, U.

#book quote #chemistry #nonfiction #textbook #energy levels #ionization #electrons #magnesium

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wingwisher · 10 months

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Transition goals: collect enough of them to make a bus that electrocutes you when you try to board

#Garden path sentence #Trans #Transit #Ionization

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clean-air-covid-safe · 2 years

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youtube

Scientists Sued for Criticizing Covid-19 Air Purifiers

Please watch entire video, lots of great information covered and provided!

A company that sells ionizing purifiers sues scientists. Ionizers do remove particles from the air. They do this by causing particles to attach to nearby surfaces or to each other and settle out of the air — but they may generate unwanted ozone (Mayo Clinic).

The consensus on air ionizers/ionization is still up for debate scientifically. Which this video delves into.

Also:

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That said air filtering with HEPA/Corsi Rosenthal boxes is effective and real world results have been documented.

It's best to get purifiers that do not produce ozone.

#Clean air covid conscious #Clean air #Covid conscious #Air purifiers #Ionization #Ozone #Youtube

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sciencetopics · 2 years

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Electromagnetic Spectrum and its types!

An electromagnetic field is a combination of both electric and magnetic fields. Every particle has a charge which makes it to have an electric field around it. This electric field is produced from charged particles like protons and electrons. This electric field surrounds the charged particle as long as the particle possesses the charge. The magnetic field is produced when the charged particles are in motion, such that all the charged particle points in the same direction and constitute the magnetic field. A moving charged particle also creates an electric field in combination with the magnetic field, thus producing together as an electromagnetic field.

#electromagnetic #atom #ionization #electricity #radio #microwave #Infrared #Visible #Ultraviolet #Xray #gamma #frequency #technology #education #science #edtech #electrical

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eduletegamifiedtest · 2 years

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what is the first ionization potential of argon

First Ionization Energy of Argon is 15.7596 eV.

Ionization energy, additionally called ionization potential, is the energy important to eliminate an electron from the nonpartisan iota.

X + energy → X+ + e−

where X is any particle or atom equipped for being ionized, X+ is that iota or particle with an electron eliminated (positive particle), and e− is the taken out electron.

An Argon molecule, for instance, requires the accompanying ionization energy to eliminate the furthest electron.

Ar + IE → Ar+ + e− IE = 15.7596 eV

The ionization energy related with expulsion of the primary electron is generally usually utilized. The nth ionization energy alludes to how much energy expected to eliminate an electron from the species with a charge of (n-1).

#argon #edulete #mocktest #ionization

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divyasinha · 2 years

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First Ionization Energy of Cobalt is 7.881 eV. Ionization energy, additionally called ionization potential, is the energy important to eliminate an electron from the ..

#Electron #Affinity #Electronegativity #Ionization #Energy #Cobalt

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trivalentlinks · 3 months

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Edit: oh no, I forgot to say that if multiple apply, please put them in the tags if you're willing <3 (too late to change the options on the poll (>_<))

#tumblr polls #hyperspecific poll #physics #physicsblr #electrons #fermions #ionization energy #(saw people doing this with their blorbos so)

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jcmarchi · 1 month

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Plasma oscillations propel breakthroughs in fusion energy - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/plasma-oscillations-propel-breakthroughs-in-fusion-energy-technology-org/

Plasma oscillations propel breakthroughs in fusion energy - Technology Org

New insights into plasma oscillations pave the way for improved particle accelerators and commercial fusion energy.

A NASA image of plasma bursting from the sun. Plasma—a hot soup of atoms with free moving electrons and ions—is the most abundant form of matter in the universe, found throughout our solar system in the sun and other planetary bodies. Image credit: NASA

Most people know that solids, liquids, and gases are the three main states of matter, but a fourth state of matter also exists. Plasma—ionized gas—is the most abundant, observable form of matter in our universe, found in the sun and other celestial bodies.

Creating the hot mix of freely moving electrons and ions that compose a plasma often requires extreme pressures or temperatures. In these extreme conditions, researchers continue uncovering the unexpected ways plasma can move and evolve. By better understanding plasma motion, scientists gain valuable insights into solar physics, astrophysics, and fusion.

In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, researchers from the University of Rochester and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego discovered a new class of plasma oscillations—the back-and-forth, wave-like movement of electrons and ions. The findings have implications for improving the performance of miniature particle accelerators and the reactors used to create fusion energy.

“This new class of plasma oscillations can exhibit extraordinary features that open the door to innovative advancements in particle acceleration and fusion,” says John Palastro, a senior scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and an associate professor at the Institute of Optics.

Plasma waves with a mind of their own

One of the properties that characterizes a plasma is its ability to support collective motion, where electrons and ions oscillate—or wave—in unison. These oscillations are like a rhythmic dance. Just as dancers respond to each other’s movements, the charged particles in a plasma interact and oscillate together, creating a coordinated motion.

The properties of these oscillations have traditionally been linked to the properties—such as the temperature, density, or velocity—of the plasma as a whole. However, Palastro and his colleagues determined a theoretical framework for plasma oscillations where the properties of the oscillations are completely independent of the plasma in which they exist.

“Imagine a quick pluck of a guitar string where the impulse propagates along the string at a speed determined by the string’s tension and diameter,” Palastro says. “We’ve found a way to ‘pluck’ a plasma, so that the waves move independently of the analogous tension and diameter.”

Within their theoretical framework, the amplitude of the oscillations could be made to travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum or come to a complete stop, while the plasma itself travels in an entirely different direction.

The research has a variety of promising applications, most notably in helping to achieve clean-burning, commercial fusion energy.

Coauthor Alexey Arefiev, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California, San Diego, says, “This new type of oscillation may have implications for fusion reactors, where mitigating plasma oscillations can facilitate the confinement needed for high-efficiency power generation.”

Source: University of Rochester

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