Twisted Solar Loop Reveals the Secret of Magnetic Explosions ⚡ экспресс
First direct observation of full twisted-loop reconnection in a solar flare: the loop was twisted up to 540°, far exceeding the 180° typically assumed in models. The extreme twist enables multiple X-line reconnection, similar to turbulence. Unlike simulations, the intertwined end ruptures unilaterally, creating open field lines and ejecting hot plasma — a potential mechanism for coronal heating. Hard X-ray emission from the current sheet was detected for the first time — direct evidence of particle acceleration. A power-law relation between quasi-periodic oscillation frequency and magnetic field was identified for objects ranging from solar flares to gamma-ray bursts, pointing to a universal flare mechanism and providing a "ruler" for cosmic magnetic fields. This is an observational foundation for future theories and a unified approach to magnetically driven flares.
A tightly twisted phone cord snaps and scatters sparks. Magnetic fields on the Sun behave the same way: they twist, break, and reconnect, powering flares. For the first time, astronomers have witnessed this process directly. One loop was twisted by 540 degrees — one full turn and then half again. That’s three times more than previously thought possible. The break happened at only one end, and hot gas burst out, explaining the heating of the solar corona.
At the break site, hard X-rays were detected — direct evidence that reconnection accelerates particles. Scientists uncovered a pattern: the frequency of plasma pulsations is directly tied to the magnetic field strength. This rule works everywhere — from black holes to neutron stars and magnetars. Now, simply by watching the tremors, we can measure an object’s magnetic field anywhere in the Universe.
🎯 The solar loop was so twisted that if it were a rubber band, you’d have to twist it one and a half times before it snapped.