In the novel "The Three-Body Problem", the protagonist accidentally mastered a special electromagnetic signal transmission method, so she used the sun as a signal amplifier to make the first "greeting" of human civilization to the universe with the transmission power of "stellar star". Is this kind of operation really feasible? Recently, Yuan Ding, a professor at the Institute of Space Science and Applied Technology of Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), has given a preliminary answer. Yuan Ding and his co-researchers observed the dynamic propagation of electromagnetic waves (light waves) for the first time, confirming that the special structure of the solar corona and large celestial bodies such as planets can be used as electromagnetic signal amplifiers, or can realize interstellar communication or energy transmission. The research results were published in Nature Communications.
Wavefront diffusion and focusing processes of flare eruptions (wave sources), coronal holes (convex lenses), and magnetohydrodynamic waves. Courtesy of the research team
Yuan Ding's team found that the eruption of a solar flare triggered a large-scale magnetohydrodynamic wave, and the wavefront spread and propagated around with the solar flare as the center, and the magnetohydrodynamic wave passed through a huge coronal hole.
It is understood that the area with low temperature, low plasma density and low magnetic field strength in the corona is weak in the extreme ultraviolet band of the space solar telescope, so it is called a coronal hole. "The coronal hole acts as a 'convex lens', and the magnetohydrodynamic waves change from spreading from the surroundings to gradually focusing towards the focal point. According to Yuan Ding, according to measurements, after the magnetohydrodynamic wave is focused, the fluctuation amplitude increases by 3 times, and the energy flow carried by it increases by 7 times, which indicates that this phenomenon has an energy focusing effect.
It is also reported that this research will provide a theoretical basis and numerical model basis for the "Space Environment Ground Simulation Device", a major national scientific and technological infrastructure.
Article source: Reprinted by People's Daily Online, Science and Technology Daily
Image source: Reprinted from People's Daily Online, Science and Technology Daily
Editor: Wang Haoyi
Review: Huai Nan
Producer: Zhao Min, Zhong Xiao
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