Earth's 'Impenetrable' Space Radiation Barrier Breached by Solar Storm
Summary
A severe geomagnetic storm in May 2024 was followed by unusually energetic electrons inside a region near Earth once thought to block them. Researchers say the electrons were likely accelerated there by chorus waves after the storm disrupted the plasmasphere, pointing to a possible radiation risk for satellites.Key Facts
- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Arase spacecraft detected large numbers of high-energy electrons inside the boundary during and after the storm.
- The boundary lies about three Earth radii from Earth’s center, or just over 19,100 kilometers.
- Researchers found evidence that electrons already inside the region gained energy there, rather than simply moving inward from the outer radiation belt.
- The researchers think naturally occurring chorus waves accelerated the electrons.
- The storm pushed the outer edge of the plasmasphere closer to Earth and reduced the charged particles near the boundary.
- After the storm, plasmasphere particle levels took 4.3 to 4.7 days to recover to more than half their previous levels.
- Some of the detected electrons had enough energy to pass through some types of satellite shielding.
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