The electric field of a star arises as a result of the interaction of protons and electrons produced by
Both kinds of particles create the solar wind: it flies away from the solar surface in the direction of the outer layer of the heliosphere.
Some of the electrons are in the flow usingpositively charged protons, and some, having a mass 1800 times less than that of protons, break away from them and return back to the surface of the Sun. This movement of electrons determines the electric field of the Sun.
During the new work, the authors estimated the ratio of outgoing and returning electrons and, with unprecedented accuracy, calculated the parameters of the solar electric field, its width and configuration.
The key point is that you can't take these measurements away fromIt's like trying to understand a waterfall by looking at the river a mile downstream.The measurements we made at a distance of 0.1 astronomical units are like inside a waterfall.
Jasper Halekas, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Halekas notes that there is an energy boundary between the electrons that leaveenergy field, and those that can't: it can be measured.
First of all, the authors measured those electrons that return, not those that escape, so that they can determine how much of this acceleration is provided by the electric field of the Sun.
The authors believe that their work will help scientists supplement their understanding of the features of the solar wind.
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