If you enjoyed this summer\u2019s display of aurora borealis, thank the Sun\u2019s corona. The corona is the Sun\u2019s outer layer and is the source of most space weather, including aurorae. The aurora borealis are benign light shows, but not all space weather produces such harmless displays; some of it is dangerous and destructive.<\/p>\n
In an effort to understand space weather and the solar corona, the National Science Foundation aimed the world\u2019s most powerful solar telescope, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, at the corona to map its magnetic fields. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Space weather affects Earth\u2019s magnetosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. It includes solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CME), and the solar wind. <\/p>\n Solar flares are powerful bursts of electromagnetic energy that can damage satellites and disrupt radio communications and are frequently associated with sunspots. CMEs are ejections of plasma from the corona that collide with the magnetosphere, causing geomagnetic storms and aurorae and, when powerful enough, disrupting power grids. The solar wind is a constant stream of charged particles that streams from the solar corona and causes aurorae. Since the solar wind never stops, it can also change the orbit of satellites. <\/p>\n The solar corona is made of plasma, and though it\u2019s quite dim, it\u2019s very hot. <\/p>\n Scientists know the large role the solar corona plays in space weather, but they don\u2019t understand how the Sun\u2019s magnetic fields drive it. However, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) has successfully mapped the corona\u2019s magnetic field for the first time. Understanding the magnetic field is critical for understanding and predicting space weather.<\/p>\n The results are in a new paper titled \u201cMapping the Sun\u2019s coronal magnetic field using the Zeeman effect.\u201d It\u2019s published in the journal Science Advances, and the lead author is Thomas Schad, an associate astronomer at the National Solar Observatory, the organization that operates the DKIST. <\/p>\n \u201cThis breakthrough promises to significantly enhance our understanding of the solar atmosphere and its influence on our solar system.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas Schad, NSO<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Thomas Schad is the lead author of the new paper but has been working with the DKIST for several years. In a 2023 paper, Schad and his co-authors explained that \u201cThe possibility of measuring coronal magnetic fields from the Zeeman-effect-induced circular polarization has been a generational goal for understanding the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere.\u201d <\/p>\n To do this, DKIST relies on one of its primary instruments, the Cryogenic Near-Infrared Spectropolarimeter (cryo-NIRSP). The Cryo-NIRSP is uniquely suited for polarimetric observations of the solar corona. In 2023, Schad and his co-authors explained that \u201cOne of the main Cryo-NIRSP goals is to routinely and sensitively measure coronal intensities, velocities, densities, and magnetic fields with unprecedented temporal, spatial, and polarimetric resolution.\u201d <\/p>\n The Zeeman effect allows the DKIST to measure the fields by observing spectral line splitting. Spectral lines are like \u2018fingerprints,\u2019 and they result from either the absorption or emission of light by specific atoms or molecules. In the presence of a static magnetic field, spectral lines are split. The splitting gives researchers insight into the Sun\u2019s magnetic properties. <\/p>\n \n\n
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