Articles tagged with Solar Physics
A new 'Swiss cheese' design for thin film silicon solar cells offers improved stability and efficiency, potentially boosting industrial production. The nanostructured substrate enables strong absorption and tight spacing between electrodes.
Scientists have discovered that narrow jets of plasma, known as spicules, shoot up from the Sun's surface and insert heated plasma into its outer atmosphere. This finding addresses a fundamental question in astrophysics and provides an observational challenge to existing theories of coronal heating.
Researchers discover that jets of plasma shooting up from just above the Sun's surface are a major source of hot gas replenishing the corona. This finding addresses a fundamental question in astrophysics and provides new insight into the Sun's subtle influence on the Earth's upper atmosphere.
A $2.4 million NSF grant will enable NJIT physicist Philip R. Goode to develop a new adaptive optics system, allowing for better study of sunspots and space weather. The improved optics will increase the distortion-free field of view, enabling researchers to study larger areas of the sun.
NJIT researchers are awarded nearly $4.3 million in NSF funding to improve the Big Bear Solar Observatory and study various aspects of solar energy, including its impact on terrestrial telecommunications and power systems.
Physicists at Boston College have successfully transmitted visible light through a cable hundreds of times smaller than a human hair, defying a key principle in optics. This breakthrough could lead to the development of high-efficiency solar cells and microscopic light-based switching devices.
A study by Duke physicists suggests that climate models of global warming need to be corrected for the effects of changes in solar activity. The researchers found that the sun may have minimally contributed about 10 to 30 percent of the 1980-2002 global surface warming.
A NCAR researcher used white-light images of the Sun's corona to study magnetic flux ropes, which store massive amounts of energy. The study found that these structures can form prior to a coronal mass ejection (CME), suggesting a new approach for understanding and forecasting CMEs.
A University of Minnesota physicist reveals surprising accuracy in superhero comics regarding basic physical concepts. He uses Superman as an example to calculate the strength needed for superhuman feats.
Two researchers, Bahcall and Davis, will share an award for their groundbreaking work on neutrino physics, a field that revolutionized our understanding of the universe. Dr. Sack will receive an award for his crucial role in ensuring the reliability of nuclear weapons, thereby contributing to national security.
The KamLAND experiment has confirmed the existence of neutrino oscillation and mass, supporting a long-held case. By studying anti-neutrinos from nuclear reactors, researchers found evidence of the same neutrino deficit as solar neutrino experiments, suggesting that neutrino masses are nonzero.
A team of UW researchers has determined a more precise solar neutrino production figure, finding that the fusion rate is 17% greater than previously estimated. This new finding means the sun must be producing 17% more energetic neutrinos, with an accuracy of 3-4 percentage points.
Researchers at Texas A&M University have made a precise measurement of solar neutrinos, resolving a long-standing puzzle. By studying the proton transfer reaction, they found that the number of solar neutrinos is lower than expected by around 20 percent compared to previous calculations.
Dana Longcope, a Montana State University physicist, has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. He was recognized for his work on modeling the sun's magnetic fields, which helps explain solar flares and coronal mass ejections that affect Earth's technology.
Loren Acton, a former astronaut and solar physicist, has won the prestigious George Ellery Hale Prize for his outstanding contributions to solar astronomy. Acton's research focuses on understanding the Sun's behavior, shapes, colors, and motions.
Raymond Davis Jr.'s groundbreaking work on detecting solar neutrinos led to a significant discovery of the sun's energy production and sparked ongoing investigations into the cause of the solar neutrino deficit. Masatoshi Koshiba's contributions to neutrino astronomy with his Kamiokande detectors also earned him the Wolf Prize.
Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center have accurately predicted the current phase of Cycle 23 of the sunspot cycle. The team predicts that Cycle 23 will be above average but not a record setter, with the sun now on the upswing of its 23rd activity cycle.
The UNC-CH physics and astronomy department has launched a new program called SOLAR, which allows North Carolina public school teachers and students to use and remotely control the Morehead Observatory telescope. The program offers students access to real scientific data and the opportunity to capture their own images of the universe.
Researchers John H. Thomas and Benjamin Montesinos present a more realistic version of the siphon-flow model, predicting how gas flows from sunspots into the solar atmosphere. Their results match observations in considerable detail, shedding light on astrophysical processes involving strong magnetic fields and jets of gas.