NASA CURIE – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA CURIE – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

News: NASA launched the CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment (CURIE) to study the origins of radio waves emanating from the Sun.

 

What’s in the News?

This mission, utilizing low frequency radio interferometry, aims to address the mysterious origins of solar radio emissions, particularly those linked to solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

 

Mission Goals

  • Investigate Solar Radio Waves: CURIE aims to pinpoint the exact origin of radio waves within CMEs, a phenomenon observed decades ago but not fully understood.
  • Study Solar Flares and CMEs: By measuring radio waves linked to solar flares and CMEs, CURIE will enhance our understanding of these solar events and their impact on space weather.
  • Advance Radio Astronomy: CURIE's use of low frequency radio interferometry in space is a pioneering technique that could set the stage for future missions in radio astronomy.

 Scientific and Technological Significance

  • Space Weather: Improved knowledge of solar radio waves can help predict and mitigate the effects of space weather on satellite communications and Earth-based technologies.
  • Pathfinder Mission: CURIE is considered a pathfinder for space-based radio astronomy, demonstrating innovative techniques that could be used in future scientific missions.
  • Enhanced Observations: Operating above Earth's atmosphere allows CURIE to measure radio frequencies that are otherwise blocked, providing clearer and more detailed data about solar emissions.

 Sun's Radio Waves

  • The Sun is a prolific source of radio waves, emitting a wide range of frequencies that reveal much about its structure and activity.

 Types of Solar Radio Emissions

  • Thermal Bremsstrahlung Emission:

·         Produced when free electrons in the solar corona are deflected by ions, causing them to emit radiation.

·         Main source of the Sun's quiescent radio emission, especially below 300 MHz due to typical coronal densities.

·         Emission frequency relates to the electron density in the plasma.

  • Gyromagnetic Emission:

·         Occurs when electrons spiral around magnetic field lines, resulting in emissions known as gyroresonance and gyrosynchrotron.

·         Gyroresonance is prominent in the chromosphere, producing microwave radiation in the GHz range.

·         Gyrosynchrotron is associated with microwave radio bursts from the chromosphere and coronal radio bursts.

  • Plasma Emission:

·         Responsible for most solar radio bursts, originating from electron density oscillations (Langmuir waves).

Accelerated by magnetic reconnection or shock waves, these bursts can exceed background radiation significantly.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/nasas-curie-to-investigate-the-origin-of-suns-radio-waves-2564210-2024-07-09