Science on Saturday: Solar FLARE, Coronal Mass Ejection and Magnetic Reconnection

Date
Jan 18, 2025, 9:30 am11:00 am
Location
100 Stellarator Road, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Audience
General Public

Details

Event Description

Solar flares are sudden bursts of photons across a broad spectrum, including visible light, X-rays and gamma rays, originating from the sun’s surface. In contrast, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) involve the ejection of plasma from the sun’s corona into the heliosphere. These two events represent the most explosive phenomena in the solar system. The origin of the vast amounts of energy involved with these two events remained a mystery until the concept of magnetic reconnection was understood. Magnetic reconnection is a process in which energy stored in magnetic fields is efficiently converted into plasma particles. Through this efficient energy conversion, we have learned that magnetic reconnection powers solar flares, CMEs and solar substorms in the magnetotail, which, in turn, initiate auroras. 

In this talk, we aim to understand reconnection processes across the solar system. To achieve a detailed, quantitative understanding of magnetic reconnection, laboratory experiments have been dedicated to simulating and studying this process. In particular, we introduce two key reconnection experiments — the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) and the Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments (FLARE) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. A brief overview of how scientists create and study magnetic reconnection in these laboratory facilities will be provided.

Sponsor
Science Education
Contact
Deedee Ortiz

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