This milestone promises to enhance our understanding of the Sun’s atmosphere and how its changing conditions lead to impacts on our technology-dependent society.
The Inouye Solar Telescope presents its first map of the solar coronal magnetic field signals as measured using the Zeeman Effect. Image credit: NSF / NSO / AURA / NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Earth’s magnetic field shields us from solar winds, protecting our atmosphere, and making life possible.
However, the electromagnetic fields and energetic particles from extreme solar eruptions can disrupt satellites, power grids, and other systems we need in our increasingly technological society.
Understanding these dynamic interactions, which change on timescales ranging from days to centuries, is crucial for safeguarding our infrastructure and current way of life.
Measuring the magnetic properties of the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, has long challenged astronomers and the limits of technology.
Today, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located near the summit of Maui’s Haleakalā in Hawai’i, is the most advanced facility designed to study the corona.
It made a crucial first step in resolving these mysteries by producing its first coronal magnetic field maps — the most detailed to date.
“The Inouye’s achievement in mapping the Sun’s coronal magnetic fields is a testament to the innovative design and capabilities of this trailblazing unique observatory,” said Dr. Tom Schad, a researcher at NSF’s National Solar Observatory.
“This breakthrough promises to significantly enhance our understanding of the solar atmosphere and its influence on our Solar System.”
The researchers created the detailed magnetic field maps of the solar corona using the Zeeman Effect, which measures magnetic properties by observing spectral line splitting.
“Spectral lines are distinct lines that appear at specific wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, representing the light absorbed or emitted by atoms or molecules,” they explained.
“These lines act like fingerprints, as they are unique to each atom or molecule, allowing scientists to identify the chemical composition and physical properties of celestial objects by looking at their spectra.”
“When exposed to a magnetic field, like in the Sun, these lines split, which gives us an insight into the object’s magnetic properties.”
Previous attempts at detecting these signals, last reported two decades ago, lacked the detail and regularity needed for extensive scientific investigation.
Today, the Inouye’s unmatched capabilities allow for detailed, regular studies of these crucial signals.
Typically, one can only view the solar corona during a total solar eclipse, when most of the Sun’s light is blocked and Earth’s sky goes dark.
The Inouye telescope, however, uses a technique called coronagraphy to create artificial eclipses, allowing it to detect extremely faint polarized signals, highlighting its unparalleled sensitivity and solidifying its status as a unique window to our home star.
The telescope accomplishes this with its Cryogenic Near-Infrared Spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP), one of the telescope’s primary instruments used to study the corona and map its magnetic fields.
“Just as detailed maps of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere have enabled more accurate weather prediction, this thrillingly complete map of the magnetic fields in the Sun’s corona will help us better predict solar storms and space weather,” said Dr. Carrie Black, NSF program director for the National Solar Observatory.
“The invisible yet phenomenally powerful forces captured in this map will propel solar physics through the next century and beyond.”
“Mapping the strength of the magnetic field in the corona is a fundamental scientific breakthrough, not just for solar research, but for astronomy in general,” said Dr. Christoph Keller, director of the National Solar Observatory.
“This is the beginning of a new era where we will understand how the magnetic fields of stars affect planets, here in our own Solar System and in the thousands of exoplanetary systems that we now know about.”
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This article was adapted from an original release by the National Solar Observatory.