Earth orbit is open natural particle accelerator

Earth orbit is open natural particle accelerator

      Scientists have known for a long time, the fact that the space inside the Van Allen radiation belts, something  accelerates particles to speeds in excess of 99 percent of the speed of light. But until recently, scientists have not known what exactly causes this effect. Satellites twin RBSP (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), not long ago sent into space to study the Van Allen belts, belts found in the area that acts as a natural particle accelerator origin. And the energy costs of accelerated particles is taken from the energy zones, which are thus relieve excess energy into the environment. "Prior to the 1990s, we thought that the changes in the" Van Allen Belt "were rather sluggish and proceeded slowly," - says Jeff Reeves, lead author and research scientist of the "radiation belt" at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico. - "However, getting the latest data, we realized how quickly and unpredictably, they can occur.

       They are never in equilibrium and come in a constant state of change." particles in the Van Allen belts are accelerated by the energy differences arising from the vibrations of the belt under the influence of external factors, in particular solar wind. To this particle accelerator natural origin joined required coincidence of several factors, the number of zones of the internal energy and the frequency of electromagnetic waves inside the belts coinciding with the natural frequency of the accelerator. Knowing the location of the accelerator in the Van Allen belts, and its working principles, researchers will be able to much more accurately predict "space weather" in the area adjacent to the Earth. Cataclysms of "space weather" pose a threat similar to the dangers posed by natural disasters in the world.

       Only affect these cosmic cataclysms on satellites and spacecraft in Earth orbit, they can be extremely dangerous for people who in the future will fly to the moon and to Mars. earth's radiation belts were discovered by the first American satellites Explorer I and III . With the help of their data, the researchers realized that the Van Allen belts are the most dangerous places in the near space, a visit which is fraught with troubles for spacecraft. Because of this, most of the orbits of satellites is designed so that the satellites are less dangerous areas of the radiation belts, but some satellites in high-Earth orbit, such as satellites, GPS, should be in the interval between the first and second belt Van Allen. Scientists believe that knowledge about the processes occurring in the radiation belts, will allow them to better calculate the chain of events that lead to the expansion of these zones, leading to increased levels of radiation, which can damage electronic equipment spacecraft.