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NASA to Investigate Magnetic Explosions

posted by LaminatorX on Friday March 13 2015, @04:45PM   
from the cross-the-streams dept.

AnonTechie writes:

Magnetic reconnection could be the Universe's favorite way to make things explode. It operates anywhere magnetic fields pervade space—which is to say almost everywhere. In the cores of galaxies, magnetic reconnection sparks explosions visible billions of light-years away. On the sun, it causes solar flares as powerful as a million atomic bombs. At Earth, it powers magnetic storms and auroras. It's ubiquitous. The problem is, researchers can't explain it.

The basics are clear enough. Magnetic lines of force cross, cancel, reconnect and—Bang! Magnetic energy is unleashed, with charged-particles flying off near the speed of light. But how? How does the simple act of criss-crossing magnetic field lines trigger such a ferocious explosion?

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/10mar_mms/

[Also Covered By]: http://phys.org/news/2015-03-nasa-magnetic-explosions.html

• Re:handwaving: "forbidden crossings" (Score: 3, Interesting) by Alfred on Friday March 13 2015, @06:39PM

  by Alfred (4006) on Friday March 13 2015, @06:39PM (#157394) Journal

  I'd say you got a good start there. The word that kept coming to my mind was continuity, things have to be to be continuous without break or jump.
  
  I didn't like EM Theory but I remember that when you have something pointy that the field behavior is different. Of course every geometry is different but the field lines would concentrate at the pointy part or something.
  
  In a more universal approach, change is the only thing that remains the same but nothing likes to change too fast. Change to fast and things break, which can look really cool or be very painful.

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