Lab-created solar flares achieved by physicists.
Researchers from California Institute of Technology have created mini solar flares in a laboratory for the first time. The team created artificial corona loops in a magnetized, gas-filled chamber and discharged electricity from a pair of electrodes to ionize the gas, creating a string of plasma between the two electrodes. The loops were around 8 inches long and lasted for around 10 microseconds. The study confirmed that the artificial loops looked like ropes, just as other researchers had previously proposed. The rope-like structure may play a key role in the birth of solar flares.