In a new study, an international team of researchers has proposed a new theory that could explain the phenomenon of ‘magnetic switchbacks’ in the solar wind. The team believes that the switchbacks, which occur in the solar wind that flows from the Sun to Earth, are caused by a process known as ‘magnetic reconnection’. Magnetic reconnection is a process by which energy is rapidly released from the magnetic field lines of a magnetic field.

The team believes that this phenomenon of magnetic reconnection is the cause of the magnetic switchbacks in the solar wind. The magnetic switchbacks are observed in the solar wind as it travels from the Sun to Earth and are characterized by sudden reversals in the direction of the magnetic field. These reversals are believed to be the result of magnetic reconnection, which releases energy from the magnetic field lines. The team believes that this process could be responsible for the magnetic switchbacks in the solar wind, and could also explain the formation of other solar wind phenomena such as coronal mass ejections.

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source: Phys.org