The train driver in the courtyard

Inside the Great Equatorial Mount.

Everyone's breathing quickened when they heard the name magnetic reconnection.

Scientists have long been trying to figure out what causes solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

The extremely long distance of 15210 million kilometers has become a huge obstacle to observing the sun.

Theoretical astronomers have proposed a scenario.

The surface of the sun is covered with magnetic field lines. The physical process of "disconnecting" and "reconnecting" these magnetic field lines leads to the release of solar energy and is the main cause of flares and coronal mass ejections.

This physical process of "disconnection" and "reconnection" is called magnetic reconnection, also known as magnetic field annihilation.

However, magnetic reconnection is only speculation and is one of those mysterious areas that is poorly understood and observed to date.

In order to observe this phenomenon, international observatories spent huge amounts of money to build solar towers, but to no avail.

Now it has been found by a train driver.

The researchers' first reaction was that this was impossible.

When they rubbed their eyes and looked at the pattern on the projection board, the obsession in their hearts began to waver.

The swaying red matter continued to entangle itself, as if it was bound by magnetic lines.

This phenomenon perfectly matches the characteristics of magnetic reconnection.

According to the duck law proposed by Master Lu.

If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, looks like a duck, and pecks like a duck, then it must be a duck.

The external characteristics of things are the manifestation of their essence.

In other words, they did witness the mysterious magnetic reconnection with their own eyes.

"No wonder my mentor once said that the most important thing in astronomical observation is not knowledge, but luck."

"I didn't take it seriously at first, but now I think it was because I was young and hot-tempered."

After carefully analyzing the pattern on the projection board, Professor Huang's faith was almost broken.

The magnetic reconnection that I had been looking for for countless years was actually found by someone with just a casual pointing of the finger.

He couldn't help but admire Li Aiguo's good luck.

The area of ​​that distorted coronal material on the Sun is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of square kilometers.

But on the projection board, it was only the size of a needle tip. Li Aiguo discovered the abnormality through the distortion of the edge light.

"Record it, record it quickly!"

In fact, without waiting for Professor Huang to give the order, the researchers had already turned on the camera according to standard procedures and took this precious photo with a camera.

The observation is nearing its end.

Other researchers began to organize the collected data. Professor Huang, Qi Deming and several researchers took up paper and pen to calculate the magnetic intensity around the distorted corona.

Swish, swish, swish. As the pen tip slid across the paper, complex mathematical formulas emerged one after another, and Professor Huang's breathing became rapid.

“It’s getting closer.”

"This is it!"

Professor Huang wrote down an answer on the draft paper and threw away the pen. The old professor was as excited as a child and hugged Li Aiguo suddenly.

"Patriotic comrades, we have discovered magnetic reconnection. This is the first time that humans have directly observed the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection!"

"Ahem, pay attention to your image, professor, professor"

Li Aiguo didn't expect that his luck would be so good.

Friends who often visit planetariums know that there are large popular science posters in the planetarium, among which magnetic reconnection, as the most important astronomical discovery of the 20th century, has become the focus of display.

Li Aiguo felt strange at first.

Who is promoting the needle tip? Is this performance art?

After realizing that the area of ​​the needle tip was as high as hundreds of thousands of kilometers and that it affected the lives of billions of people on Earth, Li Aiguo was filled with awe and kept the needle tip firmly in his mind.

The small needle tip on the projection board just now is so similar to several of the photos that I could recognize it at a glance.

"Comrade Patriot, how did you find out there was something wrong with the needle tip?"

At this time, Professor Huang recovered from his excitement, took Li Aiguo's hand and asked.

Li Aiguo pointed at the fiery red sun in the sky with a serious expression and said: "This thing looks a lot like the furnace in a steam engine.

Every time Lao Zheng opened the furnace, the flames inside would be entangled together due to the airflow.

I was thinking, if there is no wind like ours on the sun, are there other winds? What are these winds made of? "

Professor Huang originally thought that Li Aiguo would explain this problem from a scientific perspective, but he did not expect that the real reason was actually the burning of the furnace.

Aren't these two things completely unrelated?

He originally thought it was a bit funny, but after thinking about it carefully, he seemed to realize something and his expression suddenly became serious.

"The flame entanglement phenomenon in the furnace is actually a complex phenomenon, so you can link it to solar magnetic reconnection."

After saying this, Professor Huang turned his head and looked at the researchers: "See? People who do scientific research cannot just study, they must come from labor and go to labor.

In the future, you should learn more from the workers at work, and don’t think you are superior to others just because you have read a few more years and drunk a few more bottles of ink. "

"We are learning from each other, Lao Huang," Li Aiguo interrupted him.

"Old Huang? Ahem. You should just call me Professor Huang." Professor Huang's family actually has a big yellow dog named Old Huang.

"Professor Huang, should we contact the Kunming Observatory next?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I was so happy that I forgot the procedure."

Professor Huang picked up the phone and contacted major domestic observatories such as Sheshan Observatory and Kunming Observatory.

Although the equipment of these observatories is not as good as that of Jinling Observatory, they also observed sunspots, but did not find any abnormalities.

This is not critical.

The key point is that the data observed by these observatories are exactly the same as the observation data of Jinling Observatory.

This is enough to prove that Li Aiguo's standard method is effective and confirms the authenticity of the magnetic reconnection phenomenon.

Once the observation results are announced.

It will be the most important astronomical discovery in the past twenty years.

Professor Huang handed the task of organizing the data to the researchers, and brought Li Aiguo to the office.

He personally poured tea for Li Aiguo and handed him a cigarette, and his attitude was a little more cordial than before.

For these old professors, pressure from above can only make them feel awe. What can really convince them is academic achievements.

"Aiguo, I plan to make this discovery public. You are the first observer of the phenomenon. How about you write the report?"

Professor Huang didn't mention one more thing. Li Aiguo had published mathematical papers in international journals and had a good grasp of the scale. Li Aiguo also understood this and nodded, "Leave this job to me, but when can we start our meteorological research?"

“Start now!”

Professor Huang was very cooperative now, pointing at Qi Deming and saying, "I have assigned Xiao Qi to contact those local meteorological observation stations in China recently.

Those stations are adjusting their working methods according to our nowcasting method. Once the adjustment is completed and the effect is confirmed, we can lay out weather observation stations across the country. "

The personnel and equipment expenses of a single meteorological observation station are not large.

However, rolling it out nationwide would require a huge investment, and we must be cautious.

Seeing that Professor Huang had taken action, Li Aiguo also started his work.

Professor Huang took into consideration that Li Aiguo was a layman and sent Qi Deming to Li Aiguo's office to assist.

But Qi Deming soon found himself becoming a big idler.

Li Aiguo's attainments in astronomy are even deeper than his, and he is also well-versed in physics.

In the report, Li Aiguo not only explained the observed phenomenon, but also analyzed the magnetic reconnection phenomenon from a physical perspective.

重联反向流在08:10UT附近被观测到，速度分别为≈65和41 km/s，其夹角为≈142°
For example, the Hall magnetic field outside the xz plane is superimposed on the guide field of about ≈2 nT, with an amplitude of -B_y and +B_y of ≈7.0 nT, which is about 41% of the total magnetic field.
The above is the entire phenomenon process observed.

Next, we analyze the causes of magnetic reconnection.

There is a large amount of high-temperature and high-pressure gas on the surface and inside the sun, which can be called plasma.

Plasma is mostly made up of electrons and protons that are separated from each other, which means it conducts electricity.

Therefore, the electric field can push these charged particles along the electric lines, generating electric current.

Magnetic fields also exert a force on such charged particles, causing them to spiral around the magnetic field lines.

When charged particles move in the direction where the magnetic field lines converge, they will encounter resistance.

At the same time, the plasma itself can also affect the magnetic field that binds it.

At this point we can draw a conclusion: magnetic reconnection is a special phenomenon produced by the sun itself, and magnetic reconnection is the cause of flares and coronal mass ejections.

The analysis of the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection had to wait until the Sunshine, jointly developed and launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the American and British scientists, and the observation of the sun for several months, before any progress was made.

However, can the transfer of knowledge across time and space be considered plagiarism?
Putting down the pen, Li Aiguo rubbed his wrist.

"This is much easier than a math paper."

Qi Deming, who was reading the heavenly book nearby, almost vomited blood when he heard this.

This was the most complicated and obscure report he had ever seen.

You actually think it's simple.

Are today's train drivers this good?
It was twelve seventeen in the middle of the night.

Professor Huang is planning the locations of observation points across the country.

When he heard the duty officer say "The report has been printed", he ran to the office in his cloth shoes with exposed toes.

There were two neatly bound stacks of reports on the desk, with a mimeographed Chinese manuscript on the left and a neat English transcript on the right.

Professor Huang adjusted his glasses that had slid to the tip of his nose and picked up the Chinese manuscript to read it carefully.

"The content is detailed, the logic is strict, and the wording is professional. He is worthy of being a mathematician who can publish papers in journals."

Professor Huang raised his head and looked at Li Aiguo: "Comrade Aiguo, you can now be called a great astronomer."

Great Astronomer. This title is quite good. Li Aiguo smiled modestly and asked, "Professor, which journal should we submit our paper to?"

Similar to international mathematics journals, core journals in the field of international astronomy have also formed a relatively stable academic communication system.

And it is divided into east and west sides.

To the west are Xiaomei’s "Astrophysical Journal", John Bull’s "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society", and Gallican’s "Astronomy and Astrophysics".

To the east is the Russian "Astronomy Magazine" and our own "Journal of Astronomy".

"If we want to maximize our influence, the most suitable journal is Xiaomei's Astrophysical Journal." Professor Huang knew that Li Aiguo was not the kind of person who would exaggerate, so he did not hide it.

"How to say?"

"At present, there are barriers to academic exchanges between the East and the West, but The Astrophysical Journal still maintains a certain degree of international cooperation through abstract exchanges and academic conferences, and has a high degree of authority in the academic community."

After Professor Huang finished speaking, he looked at Li Aiguo.

"Let's leave this difficult problem to the higher-ups." Li Aiguo smiled and said, "We will only analyze the pros and cons, not make suggestions."

"This is a good idea." Professor Huang thought about it and understood what Li Aiguo meant.

He wrote a report overnight in the name of Jinling Observatory and submitted it to the Academy of Sciences.

President Guo of the Academy of Sciences has been hospitalized due to illness recently, and Vice President Zhang is in charge of the work.

Seeing Li Aiguo's signature on the report, the old dean who came from the military looked surprised and said, "Li Aiguo? How come he has the same name as the Li Aiguo from the Red Star Computing Institute? Are they the same name?"

Qi Deming, who was sent by Jinling Observatory to report on his work, explained: "It is Li Aiguo from the Red Star Computing Institute. He is currently in our Jinling Observatory."

“……” Vice President Zhang fell silent.

He recalled the disturbance caused by Li Aiguo in the computer field some time ago, which forced Dean Guo to be unable to cope with it. In the end, he could only temporarily avoid the limelight by being hospitalized.

Now that this guy has made another major discovery in the field of astronomy, Vice President Zhang couldn't help but laugh, "This guy really can't sit still."

Seeing the familiarity and intimacy in Vice President Zhang's tone, Qi Deming was shocked.

I originally thought that Li Aiguo was so familiar with the vice president. Judging from the natural demeanor in their conversation, they probably had a deep connection.

It seems that choosing to work on weather forecasting with Li Aiguo recently was the right choice.

Qi Deming saw Vice President Zhang put down the report, collected his thoughts, and asked in a low voice: "President, which journal should we submit this report to?"

Vice President Zhang tapped his fingers twice on the paper: "Doing science is not for publishing articles, but to make people live a good life and help the country expand its path."

He suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze burning, and said, "Just send it to The Astrophysical Journal, so that the world can see what our astronomical telescopes can see."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of wind whistling came from outside the window.

Qi Deming saw the red flag in the yard fluttering in the wind, and the color was particularly bright under the sunlight.

He suddenly realized that what Li Aiguo produced was not only an astronomical report, but also a nation's determination to measure the universe with science.

And he was fortunate enough to be the rower on this star route.

Explorer of the sky.

Pioneer of science.

Now prepare to strike back at the darkness and win a new world.

(End of this chapter)