Dotini wrote:
What exactly are the forces that can accelerate a CME to 1/4 the speed of light?
I wasn't going to discuss this here as perhaps it is better suited for the NIAMI section however it does tie into the standard EU viewpoint put forward here at TB to some extent so if a moderator doesn't think it belongs here they can (re)move it. This is only my personal view, I doubt many TB EU theorists will support it.
Sol is connected to Earth by tiny 'flux tubes' or lines of (electric) force at a subatomic level which form a circuit between the sun and Earth's poles, and at the heart of these flux tubes is empty or vacuum space which offers no resistance to electrical energy.
In the plasma medium between Earth and the Sun the free floating ions and electrons are electrically 'stimulated' or polarized by these subatomic flux tube currents which leads to the formation of electromagnetic currents.
The magnetic forces produced cause the flux tubes to twist or wind around each other into tiny filaments, and due to the fractal nature of plasma those EM currents combine into larger and larger filaments.
Essentially a cosmic Birkeland Current could consist of millions, billions or even trillions(or more) of these tiny flux tube currents, and it is these flux tubes that actually "carry" the electrical energy released by a CME.
Because the energy is traveling through vacuum space with zero resistance the only factor limiting it's velocity is it's electrical energy potential or level of charge.
The EM forces around the sun itself would likely limit it's initial velocity as it 'breaks free' so maybe it is not so much that the CME is accelerating away as perhaps it is decelerated or 'held back' initially and then increases velocity to reach it's 'standard' propagation speed as it breaks free of the stronger EM forces closer to the sun?
The sun being a variable star as per the views I have seen expressed by TB members and EU theorists is the reason for the EM energy, as the energy constantly is increasing or decreasing the energy field expands and contracts and 'pushes' or 'pulls' on the local electric lines of force(flux tubes) and produces the torsion that is magnetic energy which establishes an EMF at the boundaries of that local variable charge field(the heliospheric charge sheet).
In my view no electrons or ions are actually 'carried' by a CME, the electrons and ions are simply 'stimulated' as a result of the dielectric energy flow, especially in areas of higher EM activity such as Sol or Earth's EMF's.
Well, it's a theory anyways, eh?
Again, this is not in any way endorsed by the official EU TB theorists to my knowledge and I only mention it here as it does tie into the official theories somewhat, but ultimately I am just throwing out some ideas as the discussion around here has been a bit stifled since Nereid and 'Physicist' have showed up. [Edit: in fairness that also probably has a great deal to do with JL's passing as well.]
Spice things up a little.
Jonny