Tag

Magnetic Field

All articles tagged with #magnetic field

science5 days ago•11 min saved

Ancient Jupiter was roughly twice as large with a 50× stronger magnetic field

A 2025 Nature Astronomy study using the orbits of Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe suggests Jupiter was about 2–2.5× its current size and had a magnetic field roughly 50× stronger shortly after the solar system formed (about 3.8 million years in). The stronger early convection would have produced a much larger magnetosphere; the authors infer these conditions from angular-momentum constraints rather than modeling formation directly. The article notes that a separate, older estimate of Jupiter’s current contraction rate (~2 cm/year) exists but is not measured by this study. This finding provides a benchmark for constraining the solar system’s early history.

via Space Daily|

#amalthea #early-solar-system #jupiter

earth-science6 days ago•10 min saved

Pacific Core-Flow Reversal Signals a More Dynamic Geodynamo

A broad region of liquid iron beneath the equatorial Pacific flipped from westward to eastward flow around 2010, revealing the outer core can change circulation more abruptly than previously thought. Using nearly 30 years of data from ground observatories plus ESA Swarm, CryoSat, CHAMP and Ørsted satellites, researchers traced how this flow reversal reshapes our view of the geodynamo and Earth's magnetic field. The finding raises questions about core–mantle–inner-core interactions and whether such reversals are temporary fluctuations or part of a longer cycle, underscoring the need for ongoing monitoring.

via SciTechDaily|

#earth-science #geodynamo #magnetic-field

science6 days ago•12 min saved

Mars's Lost Dynamo: From a Wetter World to a Frozen Desert

Mars once had a global magnetic field strong enough to shield its atmosphere from the solar wind, but when the dynamo faded around four billion years ago the atmosphere and surface water were gradually stripped away by solar wind over hundreds of millions to billions of years, turning Mars from a possibly habitable world into the current cold desert; the loss was slow and interlinked with interior cooling and crustal water sequestration, with MAVEN confirming ongoing atmospheric loss today.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere #dynamo #magnetic-field

science9 days ago•5 min saved

Graphene's layered superconductivity defies field norms, strengthens when pushed

MIT researchers report multiple superconducting states in rhombohedral graphene layers (4- and 5-layer stacks); notably, some states are enhanced by magnetic fields, raising the transition temperature from about 55 millikelvin to ~90 millikelvin and increasing the sustainable current by 50–60%, with the outcome depending on electron density and field orientation. This challenges the usual view that magnetic fields destroy superconductivity and may have implications for quantum computing, though experiments still require ultra-cold conditions and specialized setups.

via ScienceAlert|

#graphene #magnetic-field #quantum-computing

science12 days ago•11 min saved

Field-Driven Superconductivity Emerges Across Rhombohedral Graphene Stacks

Researchers report field-enhanced and field-induced superconductivity in rhombohedral tetralayer and pentalayer graphene, with three distinct superconducting states in the pentalayer that endure in-plane fields up to 8.5 tesla (well beyond the Pauli limit). Unlike Bernal bilayer graphene, the pentalayer also shows out-of-plane field effects, and the effects emerge at relatively low gate voltages due to flatter band dispersion. Proximitized spin–orbit coupling further yields new superconductors without adding disorder, establishing a new family of magnetic-field–boosted superconductors in high-quality rhombohedral graphene and opening paths toward realizing topological states and non-Abelian quasiparticles via interface engineering.

via Nature|

#graphene #magnetic-field #rhombohedral-graphene

science1 month ago•42 min saved

Exoplanet Magnetospheres Detected: A Magnetic Window Into Distant Worlds

Scientists using ESO's Very Large Telescope and Gemini North measured wind speeds on seven hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets and found patterns best explained by global magnetic fields, marking the first robust evidence of magnetospheres around worlds beyond our solar system. The inferred magnetic strengths are roughly four times Saturn’s and about half Jupiter’s. This breakthrough opens a new window for exoplanet research, suggesting magnetically driven aurorae and paving the way for future ELT observations to characterize smaller, potentially habitable worlds.

via Good News Network|

#eso #exoplanets #magnetic-field

space1 month ago•59 min saved

Seven Exoplanets Reveal Magnetic Fields, Extending the Hunt for Habitable Worlds

Astronomers directly measured magnetic fields on seven ultra-hot Jupiter exoplanets, finding fields of a few gauss that slow their winds—a first-of-its-kind result that informs exoplanet atmospheres, magnetic shielding, and the search for habitable worlds.

via Live Science|

#exoplanets #habitability #hot-jupiter

science1 month ago•40 min saved

Distant gas giants show signs of magnetic fields through extreme winds

Astronomers report that some hot Jupiter exoplanets exhibit atmospheric winds surpassing 15,000 mph, offering the first observational evidence that these distant gas giants host magnetic fields influencing their atmospheric dynamics.

via Yahoo|

#astronomy #atmospheric-winds #exoplanets

science1 month ago•33 min saved

Hot Jupiters Harbor Jovian-Strength Magnetic Fields, Study Finds

High-resolution transit spectroscopy of seven ultrahot Jupiters with MAROON-X and ESPRESSO measured planetary Fe I line Doppler shifts to infer wind speeds, revealing faster wind decay with higher equilibrium temperatures consistent with magnetic drag. From this trend, the study estimates magnetic field strengths for hot giant exoplanets of at most a few gauss, comparable to Jupiter’s field, supporting magnetic effects in atmospheric circulation and providing benchmarks for magnetic-field scaling laws across exoplanets.

via Nature|

#atmospheric-dynamics #exoplanets #magnetic-field

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Mars’ ancient warmth and the mystery of its missing air

Rocks show that early Mars hosted liquid water, but whether it was warm remains debated. The planetary dynamo likely died between about 4.2 and 3.7 billion years ago, removing the magnetic shield and enabling solar wind to strip gas—an escape process MAVEN measured, especially during solar storms. Some carbon dioxide may have been stored in minerals like siderite, so not all missing air left to space. The balance between atmospheric loss and crustal storage is still uncertain, and better palaeomagnetic dating and additional sampling are needed to pin down Mars’ climate history. The cold desert is settled, but the path to understanding how it happened is ongoing.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere-loss #carbon-cycle #magnetic-field

science1 month ago•20 min saved

A Patch of Earth's Outer Core Reversed Its Flow in 2010

A section of Earth's molten outer core reversed its eastward flow in 2010, according to satellite measurements of the magnetic field reported by ScienceAlert; the finding suggests the planet's interior is more dynamic than previously thought and that bulk-flow changes can occur, though scientists are still investigating the cause and implications for the geodynamo.

via Slashdot|

#2010 #earth-core #geophysics

space-and-spaceflight1 month ago•17 min saved

Ganymede’s Forming Core Sparks a New Dynamo Theory

A Science Advances study suggests Ganymede’s metallic core is still forming today, and that ongoing convection in this migrating, hot iron core powers its long-unique magnetic field via a ‘cold-start’ dynamo; the results don’t fully overturn older theories, but they offer a new mechanism to explain why Ganymede’s dynamo persists while Callisto shows no obvious one, with implications for Europa and future data from Europa Clipper and Juice.

via Gizmodo|

#core #dynamo #ganymede

space1 month ago•58 min saved

Ganymede’s hidden heat may power a late-forming magnetic dynamo

New Science Advances study suggests Jupiter’s moon Ganymede could have formed a metal core later than previously thought and still sustain a magnetic field via a warming-driven dynamo powered by protracted core formation, radioactive heating, and tidal forces. This challenges the idea that dynamos always originate early and cool over time, and implies Ganymede’s magnetism—potentially active today—arises from a “warm start” process that could influence how we think about magnetic fields on other worlds, including exoplanets.

via Live Science|

#dynamo #ganymede #jupiter

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Pacific Core Flow Reverses, Revealing a Dynamic Geodynamo

ESA satellites detected a sudden reversal of flow in Earth's liquid outer core beneath the Pacific in 2010, showing the core is more variable than once believed and offering new insights into the geodynamo that sustains Earth’s magnetic field; scientists will monitor whether this is a temporary fluctuation, part of a cycle, or a new stable state with potential impacts on navigation and space weather models.

via Indian Defence Review|

#earths-core #esa-swarm #geodynamo

space2 months ago•14 min saved

Ganymede’s secret core may still be forming after billions of years

A new study suggests Jupiter’s moon Ganymede could still be differentiating its metallic core billions of years after formation, with iron–sulfur melt slowly feeding a protocore that powers a long‑lived magnetic dynamo and likely an ocean beneath its ice. If correct, this ongoing core growth could explain why Ganymede remains magnetically active while other moons fade, and future missions like JUICE may test the idea.

via Interesting Engineering|

#core-formation #ganymede #icy-moons