Long-Suspected Electric Field In The Atmosphere Found

The hypothesis was that the sun could push electrons out of atoms in the upper atmosphere and are light enough to float around. Positive neutrons want to sink down to earth, but the atmosphere doesn’t like being charged one way or the other. So the electric field formed to keep electrons tied to ions.

The electric field isn’t all that impressive for the average person. After all, though there is electricity, it’s rather minor, only about the strength of a watch battery, or 0.55 volts.

However, though this electric field isn’t strong enough for humans to detect easily, it does influence the atmosphere. This electric field could play a big role in shaping the planet for life, as well as controlling parts of the upper atmosphere.

Additionally, it boosts certain ions like hydrogen, allowing them to move independently of gravity. It also has the potential to bring heavier ions up higher in the atmosphere than they’d otherwise be able to go on their own.

Not only does it help move around certain ions, but it also traps some. Scientists believe the electric field may be the reason that Earth can hold life, as it slows down the rate of the atmosphere dissipating into space. In fact, a lack of an electric field may be why Mars is so barren now, despite once having water and an atmosphere.

However, it likely takes more than an electric field to keep the atmosphere in check, and that is its global magnetic field. The electric field starts the process of moving around the particles, but it’s the magnetic one that helps guide the particles and prevents them from escaping anywhere in the atmosphere besides the poles.

Glyn Collinson, a member of NASA, said that scientists believed they were a long way out from measuring the electric field if it was possible at all. With how weak the charge was in the area, there wasn’t an easy way to measure it.

However, Glyn and his team weren’t going to let it go that easily once they realized it had never been measured. While they were investigating and attempting to measure a similar electric field on Venus, they tried to look up the strength of Earth’s electric field to see how it was done and what it measured, only to realize no one had ever done it before.

So Glyn and his team got to work, creating a special instrument, the photoelectron spectrometer, made specifically for reading and detecting the electric field. Once it was built, they made their way to Norway to launch the tool.

Unfortunately, this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of the team members caught the illness. It also happened to be right at the start of the Russia and Ukraine war, and blizzards swept through the area. Trying to launch the tool led to some nervousness, even if they were eager to see if it could really detect the electric field.

However, once the air cleared enough, they could progress, and they launched. On May 11, 2022, the tool entered the atmosphere and started collecting data. It took a total of 19 minutes, but it was enough to detect the electric field.

Though this was just the first test, and more research needs to be done, scientists are excited to confirm the existence of a long-theorized electric field. It has the potential to shape future arguments surrounding Earth’s hospitality, and maybe even more of the planet’s processes than scientists realize yet.

Source: Nature