Naval radio signals may cause the formation of a barrier observed during geomagnetic storms that is seemingly impenetrable by relativistic electrons.
Radiation belts
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Energetic Electrons Can Penetrate the Stratosphere
Precipitations of electrons with energies greater than 30 kiloelectron volts from the slot region penetrate at low altitude and can contribute to destroy ozone.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A New Angle on the Earth’s Radiation Belts
A new empirical model of energetic electrons from Van Allen Probes data includes pitch angle analysis, revealing insights about radiation belt energization and loss processes.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Earth’s Radiation Belts: Celebrating Six Decades of Discovery
A recent celebration of the 60th anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1 reflected on the incredible progress and scientific insights from this and subsequent space missions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Earth’s Outer Radiation Belts Lose Their Electrons
A new analysis of three space storms reveals the mechanisms of particle loss from the Van Allen belts.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How “Whistling” Plasma Waves Shape Earth’s Radiation Belts
The Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth shrink and swell due to plasma waves moving through them, an analysis of satellite data suggests.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Probe the Calm After Solar Storms
In forecasting the effects of solar storms, understanding how they subside—and not just how they arrive—will be crucial.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Lightning Creates "Killer Electrons" in Earth's Radiation Belts
New calculations show that lightning-triggered plasma waves in Earth's magnetosphere absorb energy from slow particles and energize electrons to levels that can damage satellites severely.
Posted inScience Updates
Radiation Belt Processes in a Declining Solar Cycle
The Van Allen Probes began an extended mission in November to advance understanding of Earth's radiation belts.
Posted inNews
Human Radio Transmissions Create Barrier to "Killer Electrons"
An interaction between radio waves and the Van Allen radiation belts creates a bubble around the Earth that high-energy electrons can't penetrate.