• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Chemistry

Race at the edge of the Sun: Ions are faster than atoms

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
March 25, 2019
in Chemistry
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
IMAGE
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Astrophysicists observe physics phenomena in gas streams

IMAGE

Credit: Hinode JAXA/NASA

Ions move faster than atoms in the gas streams of a solar prominence. Scientists at the University of Göttingen, the Institut d’Astrophysique in Paris and the Istituto Ricerche Solari Locarno have observed this. The results of the study were published in The Astrophysical Journal.

In astrophysics, the “fourth state” of matter plays a crucial role. Apart from solid, liquid and gaseous states, there is also “plasma”, which means an accumulation of atoms that have lost shell electrons through collisions or high-energy radiation and thus become ions. These ions are subject to magnetic forces that do not affect electrically neutral atoms. If there are not too many collisions in the plasma, both particle types can flow independently of each other. The researchers have now succeeded in observing the physics phenomena in just such a “partially ionised plasma without impact equilibrium” in gas streams of the Sun. The result: in clouds above the edge of the Sun, also known as prominences, ions of the element strontium move 22 per cent faster than sodium atoms.

16 hours later, the ions were only eleven percent faster. “Evidently, the neutral sodium atoms were more strongly carried along by the strontium ions,” says Dr Eberhard Wiehr of the University of Göttingen, first author of the study. This could be caused by an increased particle density, which increases the probability of impact. “In addition, the flow behaviour of the prominence could have changed in the 16 hours,” says Wiehr.

The faster ions move in sync with the oscillation of the magnetic fields. This keeps the prominence in suspension despite the attraction of the Sun. Movements in deeper layers of the sun cause the magnetic lines of force to fluctuate. The ions immediately follow the reversal of the direction of oscillation, while the neutral atoms have to repeatedly reorient themselves with the ions.

The researchers are now planning a systematic search for prominences with suitable oscillations that can be measured over a longer period of time.

###

Original publication: Wiehr et al. Evidence for the two fluid scenario in solar prominences. Astrophysical Journal (2019). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab04a4

Contact:

Dr Eberhard Wiehr

University of Göttingen

Institute for Astrophysics

Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen

Email: [email protected]

Media Contact
Melissa Sollich
[email protected]

Original Source

https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/3240.html?id=5380

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab04a4

Tags: AstrophysicsAtomic/Molecular/Particle PhysicsMolecular PhysicsParticle PhysicsSpace/Planetary ScienceStars/The SunTemperature-Dependent Phenomena
Share13Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Ultrafast Polaron Formation in NaTaO3 Reveals Instant Stabilization of Positive Charges in Key Solar Fuel Catalyst

September 30, 2025
blank

New Supramolecular Elastomer with Boron-Based Dynamic Bonds Delivers Superior Mechanical Strength and Chemical Recovery

September 30, 2025

New Study Uncovers Why Modern Proteins Were Selected by Nature

September 29, 2025

Global Call to Advance Robust and Reproducible Polyphenol Research to Launch Next October in Malta at Polyphenols Applications World Congress and Iprona

September 29, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    87 shares
    Share 35 Tweet 22
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    73 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • How Donor Human Milk Storage Impacts Gut Health in Preemies

    59 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Scientists Discover and Synthesize Active Compound in Magic Mushrooms Again

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

WGCNA and ceRNA Illuminate Bovine Fat Deposition

Revolutionizing Drug Repositioning with Multi-Hop Graphs

User-Centric Companion Robot Design for Seniors

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 60 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.