All articles tagged with #plasma
Originally Published 15 days ago — by Phoronix
KDE Plasma's transition to a Wayland-only desktop environment is nearing completion, with significant progress made in 2025 on features like HDR support, color management, and protocol implementations, aiming for a full switch by early 2027, while also introducing various UI enhancements.
Originally Published 2 months ago — by Space
Astrophotographer Mark Johnston captured detailed footage of a solar prominence, a large plasma structure extending from the sun's surface, showcasing the dynamic magnetic environment of the sun with high-resolution imaging.
Originally Published 2 months ago — by ScienceAlert
Researchers at the University of Hawai'i have discovered that the mysterious rain on the Sun, composed of superheated plasma, is influenced by shifting flows of elements like iron, silicon, and magnesium in the Sun's corona. This finding helps explain the rapid formation of coronal rain and suggests new insights into solar atmospheric dynamics and coronal heating. The study challenges previous models assuming constant elemental distribution and opens avenues for further research into solar phenomena.
Originally Published 3 months ago — by Earth.com
Scientists have long struggled to explain the rapid formation of 'solar rain'—cool, dense plasma blobs that fall during solar flares. Recent research shows that allowing elemental abundances, especially low FIP elements like iron, to vary in models explains the quick cooling and condensation observed. This new understanding improves the accuracy of solar models, helping to better interpret solar activity and predict space weather effects.
Originally Published 3 months ago — by Cowboy State Daily
A rare and spectacular atmospheric phenomenon called STEVE, a ribbon of super-hot plasma, was observed during a strong aurora in Wyoming, visible for over 30 minutes and captured by local enthusiasts, highlighting its infrequent and mysterious nature linked to intense solar activity.
Originally Published 6 months ago — by Bored Panda
An entitled woman at a plasma donation center refused to accept her ineligibility for donation, highlighting issues of entitlement and ethical concerns around paid donations, with discussions on the health and social implications of plasma donation practices.
Originally Published 6 months ago — by Phys.org
Researchers at UCLA and other institutions observed image rotation in plasma using Alfvén waves, demonstrating a form of light dragging in a natural medium, which could have implications for astrophysics and plasma technology.
Originally Published 7 months ago — by Space
Scientists have achieved the sharpest-ever images of the sun's corona using advanced adaptive optics, revealing new features like delicate coronal rain, a rapidly forming plasma 'plasmoid', and dynamic solar prominences, which could help solve longstanding mysteries about solar heating and space weather phenomena.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Interesting Engineering
Researchers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have made a significant breakthrough in stellarator fusion technology by developing a computational method to optimize plasma confinement. This method uses a proxy function to predict particle loss rates, allowing for the exploration of various magnetic configurations that improve particle retention. This advancement could enhance the efficiency and stability of stellarators, bringing fusion energy closer to practical use.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Phys.org
A theoretical astrophysicist from the University of Kansas, Mikhail Medvedev, has proposed a solution to the mysterious 'zebra' pattern observed in the Crab Nebula's radio emissions. By modeling wave diffraction and using wave optics, Medvedev suggests that the pattern is caused by the diffraction of electromagnetic pulses through the pulsar's plasma, which varies in density. This new understanding could enhance the study of pulsars and their magnetospheres, offering insights into their plasma density and distribution.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Livescience.com
Scientists have discovered that the sun's magnetic field likely originates from instabilities in the plasma across the outermost layers of the solar surface, rather than deep within the star. This finding, based on complex computer simulations and helioseismology data, could improve predictions of solar flares and storms, which can impact Earth's technology and infrastructure. The study, published in Nature, challenges the prevailing focus on deep solar dynamo action and suggests that surface perturbations play a crucial role in magnetic field formation.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Space.com
New research suggests that the sun's magnetic field, responsible for sunspots and solar flares, originates from a shallow region near its surface rather than deeper within. This discovery, made using NASA supercomputer simulations, could improve predictions of solar activity and geomagnetic storms. Interestingly, the study also found similarities between the sun's magnetic field generation and the plasma behavior around feeding black holes, challenging previous theories about the solar dynamo's deeper origins.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Daily Mail
NASA photographer captures stunning images of pink solar prominences, massive loops of anchored plasma on the sun's surface, during the total solar eclipse in Dallas, Texas. These planet-sized pink flames, visible due to the eclipse, are ten times the diameter of Earth and emit a pinkish-reddish hue due to the transformation of hydrogen gas into plasma. The prominences are formed by magnetic fields trapping electrically charged hydrogen plasma, and their release into space can lead to powerful eruptions. The 2024 eclipse showed heightened solar activity compared to the 2017 eclipse, with more intense solar energy and prominences visible.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Space.com
South Korea's KSTAR nuclear fusion reactor has set a new record by sustaining a plasma loop at 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds, surpassing its previous record of 31 seconds. This achievement marks a significant step in the quest for clean, near-unlimited energy through nuclear fusion. The breakthrough was made possible by tweaking the reactor's design, including using tungsten to improve efficiency. Scientists aim to sustain temperatures of 180 million degrees for 300 seconds by 2026, as they continue to work towards harnessing the power of nuclear fusion.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Livescience.com
During the recent total solar eclipse, observers saw large plasma plumes around the sun, which were initially mistaken for explosive solar flares. However, experts clarified that these were actually prominences, long-lived plasma structures, and not solar flares. Solar activity data confirmed that there was only one minor solar flare that did not produce a coronal mass ejection during the eclipse. The sun's unexpected inactivity with almost no sunspots reduced the chances of solar flares occurring during the eclipse, despite the sun being near the peak of its solar cycle.