A magnetosphere forms around any magnetized object, such as a planet, that is immersed within a stream of ionized gas, called plasma. Because Earth possesses an intrinsic magnetic field, the planet is surrounded by a large magnetosphere that extends out into space, blocks lethal cosmic rays and particles from the sun and stars, and allows life itself to exist.
, scientists from Princeton, UCLA, and the Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal, report a method to study smaller magnetospheres, sometimes just millimeters thick, in the laboratory.
"To overcome these limitations, we have developed a new experimental platform to study mini-magnetospheres on the Large Plasma Device at UCLA," said author Derek Schaeffer.of the LAPD with a fast laser-driven plasma and a current-driven dipole magnet.The LAPD magnetic field provides a model of the solar system's interplanetary magnetic field, while the laser-driven plasma models the solar wind and the dipole magnet provides a model for the Earth's inherent magnetic field.
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