Space Magnetism May Hold Secret to Fusion Power

February 1st, 2008

The never-ending search for alternative fuel sources for our planet that has not only a future of shortages, but fuels that are contributing to problems in our atmosphere may have some solutions in space.

New discoveries about magnetic field lines and the first-ever direct observation of their reconnection in space are offering hope that scientists will learn how to unlock fusion power as an energy source in the future.

“The reconnection processes in the [Earth's] magnetosphere and in fusion devices are the same animal,” said James Drake, a University of Maryland physicist to Space.com.

Space contains magnetic fields that direct the flow of plasma (not like the one on your tv wall mount), an energetic fourth state of matter consisting of positive ions and electrons. The plasma particles normally follow the paths of the magnetic field lines like streams of cars following highways. Magnetic reconnection can release that stored energy when two magnetic field lines bend towards each other and fuse to create new field lines. Full story