Naval radio signals may cause the formation of a barrier observed during geomagnetic storms that is seemingly impenetrable by relativistic electrons.
Radiation belts
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Energetic Electrons Can Penetrate the Stratosphere
Precipitations of electrons with energies greater than 30 kiloelectron volts from the slot region penetrate at low altitude and can contribute to destroy ozone.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Earth’s Radiation Belts: Celebrating Six Decades of Discovery
A recent celebration of the 60th anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1 reflected on the incredible progress and scientific insights from this and subsequent space missions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How “Whistling” Plasma Waves Shape Earth’s Radiation Belts
The Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth shrink and swell due to plasma waves moving through them, an analysis of satellite data suggests.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Lightning Creates "Killer Electrons" in Earth's Radiation Belts
New calculations show that lightning-triggered plasma waves in Earth's magnetosphere absorb energy from slow particles and energize electrons to levels that can damage satellites severely.
Posted inNews
Human Radio Transmissions Create Barrier to "Killer Electrons"
An interaction between radio waves and the Van Allen radiation belts creates a bubble around the Earth that high-energy electrons can't penetrate.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Curious Case of the Halloween Ghost Electrons
When solar storms pounded Earth during Halloween in 2003, scientists were eager to measure their effects. But new research shows one satellite was seeing "ghost" particles that probably weren't real.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Spacecraft Records Rising-Tone Magnetosonic Waves
A rising tone in wave frequencies suggests a complicated, nonlinear series of interactions between electromagnetic sound waves and protons near the magnetic equator.