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For the first time, scientists have spotted how a solar storm twists the stream of ultra-high-energy particles, turning them into a remote probe for magnetic fields.
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The solar storm on November 4, 2021, warped the stream of heavyweight particles flying in from the depths of the Universe for a few hours. Their energy is thousands of times greater than light, and the magnetic cloud from the Sun bent their paths like a hurricane wind bends sheets of rain. Now, such ‘bendings’ will help probe invisible fields in space, much like a sonar.
🎯 Cosmic rays may travel for millions of years before hitting our atmosphere, but a solar storm can deflect them in just a few hours.
🎬 In his novel 'Solar Storm', Arthur C. Clarke depicted a catastrophic flare; real storms are less menacing, but they still spring surprises like this discovery.
E^\gamma
E — the particle's energy, γ — the exponent, in this case about −0.5