The Sun has an electric field which arises from the interaction of Protons and Electrons generated. This happens when the Hydrogen atoms are stripped apart in the intense heat generated by fusion, deep within the Sun.
Electrons having Negative Charge and mass 1800 times less than that of Protons get blown outward in this environment. But Protons having Positive Charge do exert come force by attracting some Electrons due to the attraction forces of oppositely charged particles. When Electrons try to escape and they are pulled back by the Protons, an Electric field is created.
Research
Physicists at the University of Iowa have gained new insights about the Sun’s Electric Field. They measured the Electrons streaming from the Sun aboard the Parker Solar Probe, a NASA-led mission that launched in August 2018. Jasper Halekas, a co-investigator for the Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas and Protons say as follows. “Electrons are trying to escape, but Protons are trying to pull them back and that is the Electric Field. If there were no Electric Field, all the Electrons would rush away and be gone. But the Electric Field keeps it all together as one Homogenous Flow”.
He says “We are measuring the ones that come bac and not the ones that don’t come back”. Details about the studies are published in the paper “The sunward electron deficit: A telltale sign of the Sun’s Electrical Potential”. The paper was published online in the Astrophysical Journal on July 14th.
Read more about the Sun’s Electric Field here.
Disclaimer – Source of Information: IOWA Now.
