New materials help solve the mystery of the Earth's magnetic field

Researchers have developed a new material from liquid metal and magnetic molecules. They can help scientists learn about the mysteries surrounding Earth's magnetic force.

This material is expected to establish the same environmental conditions in the core of stars and planets. Thus science can study the phenomena of planetary cores in the laboratory without having to creep into the heart of the Earth.

By adding magnetic molecules to the liquid metal , the new material is capable of generating five times more magnetic fields than normal liquid metal - Yale University researchers say.

This new invention is extremely important. Because, although the Earth's magnetic field protects people from the harsh conditions of space, we still don't really understand how they work. For example, science still does not know why every few hundred thousand years the Earth's magnetic field turned once.

To simulate what's going on, scientists mix alloys of indium and gallium (called eGaln) with a variety of magnetic and non-magnetic molecules (iron and zinc). Liquid metal is coated with an acid layer to prevent oxidation. This also helps the added molecules to completely cover the metal surface.

"We managed to hang up anything we wanted - steel, zinc, nickel, iron. All of these materials have higher electrical conductivity than eGaln," Florian Carle - one of the houses. study said.

New materials have higher electrical conductivity and ability to produce stronger magnetic materials than conventional materials. This allows scientists to get closer to studying the effects of magnetohydrodynamics. These are magnetic molecules of fluid, often used to cut the surface of planets or stars, for research.

New materials are made of liquid metal and magnetic molecules.(Photo: Yale University).

That means we can now reproduce in the laboratory the liquid metals, whose magnetic conditions resemble those of the planets. In the words of Claire researcher, it helps us "create a smaller earth" in the laboratory.

Scientists have tried to simulate Earth's core before, first by using explosive liquid sodium. But after experimenting, the team found that the material was easy to control magnetic force, but it only operated on a small scale - only a few centimeters instead of a few meters as usual.

The group also investigated the cause of Earth's magnetic poles being reversed. After several hundred thousand years, the north and south pole of the magnetic field change once.

Scientists think that something is happening with the flow of liquid metal in the Earth's crust. Before that, they relied on computer simulations to try to find out what's going on.

New metal materials help them test this hypothesis better. It also provides a clearer view of the reversal of magnetic poles that occur in the future, as well as its effects on people.

Researchers also have more evidence about how Earth's magnetic field protects us from space radiation. Besides, they are also easier to answer the question: how strong is the magnetic field really?

The research paper was published in Physical Review Fluids.

According to Mystown, the phenomenon of reversing magnetic fields on Earth is making scientists worry. Reversing magnetic fields greatly affect the climate and living organisms.

This harmful phenomenon is happening more and more serious. The Earth's magnetic field changes over time, and the southern and northern positions gradually change . The change may last several hundred years.

According to the European Space Agency, the weakest magnetic fields are in the western hemisphere . Experts don't know why the magnetic field here is weak. But the most obvious thing is that the magnetic poles are moving.

The researchers concluded that the magnetic field has decreased by about 5% every century. However, recent studies show that magnetic fields weaken at a rate of 5% every decade, meaning that they are damaged 10 times faster than we thought.

If magnetic poles shift, then the planet will be exposed to solar storms, causing large holes in the ozone layer, adversely affecting humans.