Researchers Discover Invisible Electric Field Surrounding Earth for the First Time

What previously was invisible and relatively feeble electromagnetic field around the Earth has been located and quantified. This field, called the ambipolar field, was predicted over 60 years ago and the discovery of this field holds potential to revolutionise knowledge regarding the processes happening in the Earth’s interior.

In particular, any planet with an atmosphere should have an ambipolar field, said Glyn Collinson, the astronomer of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. “Now that we have a measure of it at last we can go on to try and trace how it has affected our world and others. ”

The earth is not just a solid chunk of rock, it surrounded by different fields. Gravity acting on the Sterling engine is one of them, of which the other one is magnetic field that supports Earth’s atmosphere besides protecting it from solar wind and other radiation.

In 1968, astronomers found a phenomenon which could only be observed thanks to opportunities provided by the Space Age. Detecting aeronomy, supersonically blowing spacecraft above Earth’s poles clued in on a third energy field, still electric. This field was called the ambipolar field which was supposed to act against gravity and rip material right out of the particles In this case however there has never been any direct measurement of this field because the technology has never been available.

“But now we’ve discovered that we have not been able to measure it because we did not have the necessary technological tools,” said Collinson. ‘‘So we constructed the Endurance rocket ship to look for this elusive force. ’’

The ambipolar field was supposed to work by ionizing the particles of the thin atmosphere at altitude of about 250 km in ionosphere. Radiation with the wavelength shorter than UV and extreme UV radiation tear off negatively charged electrons, and, thus, possess positively charged ions. Since electrons are lighter in mass they are carried away into space while ions which are heavier in mass plough into the earth. This interlacing electric field that occurs between the two keeps charge density neutral and creates the ambipolar field that has an action of attraction both upwards for electrons and downwards for ions.

This field makes the atmosphere to expand with a possibility of some of the ions streaming away from the earth as is the case with the polar wind. In as much as Collinson and his team lacked strength, they made sensitive instruments that could pick it. The Endurance mission which was launched in May of the year 2022, for instance, was able to measure a variation of electric potential as meager as 0. It was just about 55 volts and this is roughly the same strength as the size of a watch battery yet powerful enough to explain the polar wind.

This small charge is enough to enhance hydrogen ions into space at velocities over supersonic with a force 10. Now force is 6’ times stronger than gravity. Heavier Oxygen ions are also raised up to higher altitudes and hence the ionosphere is denser at higher altitude by 271% as compared to its density in absence of ambipolar field.

It was found that the field is actually ambipolar and this itself is just the start. Some features of its presence remain unstudied, namely, its applicability to various branches of science, how long it will last, how it alters Earth’s evolution, and how it can affect life.

‘This field is a basic feature of how planet earth and its crust functions,’ according to Collinson. ‘Well now that we have a measurement we can now go out there and ask these larger, more intriguing questions’.

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