Scientists at New York University Abu Dhabi have discovered more kinds of magnetic waves within the Sun.
The findings may allow them to use these waves to study the powerful forces beneath the Sun's surface.
Magnetic fields drive activity such as sunspots and can influence space weather through eruptions threaten Earth satellites and communication networks.
“They can knock out power grids and they can affect aviation,” Shravan Hanasoge, co-principal investigator at NYUAD's Centre for Astrophysics and Space Science and lead author of the study, told The National on Tuesday.
“It is important to try to understand what's going on with solar magnetism. Space weather is the impact of solar magnetism on Earth.”
How will the study help?
The study, published in the Nature Astronomy journal, analysed more than 10 years of data from Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory to uncover these waves and explore this behaviour.
The Sun is mainly a source of hot, electrically charged gas shaped by rotation and magnetic forces.
The NYUAD work seeks to examine the Sun’s magnetic field, how it evolves and how it influences solar activity. Mr Hanasoge said solar flares are huge ejections of gas that are essentially violent magnetic events.
“Magnetic fields are like rubber bands that are twisted and twisted in the Sun,” said Mr Hanasoge. “And then they snap when you twist them too much, and when they snap they release very large amounts of energy. This energy comes to Earth.”
It is hoped that further understanding of these magnetic fields through these waves could help Earth-bound industries prepare for disruption.
How big is the impact of solar interference?
While noting the resilience of many systems on Earth, Mr Hanasoge said solar interference has the power to disrupt communications, shipping, electronics and grids. It can also force airliners to adjust course, particularly over the poles, where solar interference is most potent.
This is a new class of waves that seem to be magnetically influenced, he said, adding that this type of wave has never been conclusively detected although many scientists have speculated on their existence.
Mr Hanasoge suggested they could be loosely compared to a magnetic version of Rossby waves that occur on Earth. Rossby waves move around the planet, helping to determine the movement of cold and warm air. However, much more research is needed.
Supported by the NYUAD Research Institute, the work aims to allow scientists to predict space weather in much the same way that clouds help forecast rain. This would help airlines, satellite operators and power companies with emergency planning.
By studying how these waves travel, researchers can also examine regions of the Sun’s interior that cannot be observed directly, revealing the structure and strength of its magnetic fields.
There are also implications for understanding magnetic activity in other stars throughout the universe.
Mr Hanasoge said more work lies ahead as one of the most profound unanswered questions about the Sun is how its magnetic fields are generated.
“The reason why these waves are potentially extremely exciting is that they provide a direct way to estimate where the magnetic fields are inside the Sun and how strong they are.
“These waves are, for the first time, providing us some hope that we may be able to directly image these magnetic fields.”
