Science

Supersonic plasma jets discovered in Earth's upper atmosphere

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In addition to forming the plasma jets, Birkeland currents also contribute to the aurora borealis or northern lights
A Swarm satellite, as seen from the front
ESA/ATG medialab
This diagram shows the different layers of the Earth that produce magnetic signals, which the Swarm satellites can sort out
ESA/DTU Space
Birkeland currents will move upwards and downwards, and where they meet, supersonic plasma jets are created
University of Calgary/ESA
This diagram shows the Birkeland currents moving in different directions, and how jets of plasma are created between them
University of Calgary/ESA
In addition to forming the plasma jets, Birkeland currents also contribute to the aurora borealis or northern lights
View gallery - 5 images

A few months after spotting a jet stream of molten iron in the Earth's outer core, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Swarm satellites have found a similar system at work in the upper atmosphere. There, the electrical fields created through solar winds interacting with the planet's magnetic field have been found to drive supersonic plasma jets, which can heat the ionosphere to temperatures as high as 10,000º C (18,032º F).

The Swarm mission, made up of a constellation of three satellites, was launched in 2013 to study the Earth's magnetic field. By sorting out signals from different parts of the planet between the core and the magnetosphere, the program has tracked how that field changed over a two-year period, and found the magnetic influence of the fast-moving iron in the core.

The new findings build on the previous understanding of Birkeland currents. First theorized in the early 20th century and eventually confirmed through satellite observations in the 1960s, these electric currents occur between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere, created by solar winds hitting the Earth's magnetic field and being funnelled along the geomagnetic lines. The most striking result is the auroras that light up the skies near the poles.

As they zip around the Earth – also between the magnetosphere and ionosphere – the Swarm satellites observed that huge electric fields would form in the areas where Birkeland currents heading upwards would connect through the ionosphere with those moving downwards. As they do, they force jets of plasma to squeeze between the layers at supersonic speeds.

This diagram shows the Birkeland currents moving in different directions, and how jets of plasma are created between them
University of Calgary/ESA

"The jets, which we call 'Birkeland current boundary flows,' mark distinctly the boundary between current sheets moving in opposite directions and lead to extreme conditions in the upper atmosphere," says Bill Archer, a University of Calgary researcher working on the project. "They can drive the ionosphere to temperatures approaching 10,000°C (18,032º F) and change its chemical composition. They also cause the ionosphere to flow upwards to higher altitudes where additional energization can lead to loss of atmospheric material to space."

Among the project's other recent discoveries are that the Birkeland currents tend to be at their strongest in winter and in the Northern Hemisphere.

"These recent findings from Swarm add knowledge of electric potential, and therefore voltage, to our understanding of the Birkeland current circuit, perhaps the most widely recognized organizing feature of the coupled magnetosphere–ionosphere system," says David Knudsen, another researcher on the project.

The Swarm mission is due to officially wrap up late this year.

Source: ESA

View gallery - 5 images
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2 comments
Eddy
Perhaps another non man made cause of climate change that has not been investigated.
Nik
Birkeland currents exist throughout space, produced by suns that ours look like a pimple on an elephant. Their full effects have yet to be investigated, but are likely to be phenomenal. It may be these that influence the periodic variability in output of our sun.