Scientists are trying to create a space shield for the Earth

 A new understanding of the dangerous environment around Earth could revolutionize space weather forecasting thanks to joint international research. A new study led by the University of Birmingham challenged space scientists to better understand our dangerous near-Earth space environment.

The research is the first step toward new theories and methods that will help scientists predict and analyze the behavior of particles in space. This has implications for theoretical research as well as practical applications such as space weather forecasting.

Research of radiation belts

The study focused on two bands of energetic particles in near-Earth space called the radiation belts or Van Allen belts. These particles enter the Earth's magnetosphere and can damage electronics on satellites and spacecraft passing through it, and pose a danger to astronauts.

Understanding how these particles behave has been a goal of physicists and engineers for decades. Since the 1960s, researchers have used the principles contained in "quasi-linear models" to explain how charged particles move through space.

Problems in theories of space physics

However, in a new study, researchers found evidence that the standard theory may not apply as often as previously thought. A team of 16 scientists from institutions in Great Britain, the United States and Finland explored the limits of standard theories. Applying quasi-linear theory may seem simple, but actually integrating it into models of space physics according to scientific measurements made in space is a delicate procedure. This paper examines the issues behind this process.

The findings are published in a special issue of Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences: "Editorial Challenges in Space Physics: Solved and Unsolved Problems in Space Physics."

Future directions and collaborative research

Lead author Dr Oliver Allanson, from the University of Birmingham's Space Environment and Radio Engineering (SERENE) group, said: "Getting a better understanding of the behavior of these particles is crucial to interpreting satellite data and understanding the underlying physics. space environment".

The researchers involved in the study are based in the UK at the Universities of Birmingham, Exeter, Northumbria, Warwick, St Andrews and the British Antarctic Survey; in the USA at the University of California in Los Angeles, the University of Iowa and the Research Laboratory of the US Air Force, New Mexico; and in Finland at the University of Helsinki.

The next steps of the research will include an extended theoretical description based on the results of this work, which can then be used in space weather models to predict the behavior of these dangerous particles in near-Earth space.