A new computer model developed by an international team of astrophysicists dramatically changes our ideas about the role of magnetic fields in the formation of cosmic structures, from giant stellar clouds to the solar wind. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, brings science closer to unraveling how magnetism affects the birth of stars, the movement of cosmic rays and even Earth’s auroras.
Weak forces on a giant scale
The project was led by James Beattie, a doctoral student at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics and Princeton University. For the first time, his team has created a simulation covering cosmic processes ranging from 30 light-years to structures 5,000 times smaller. This allowed us to recreate in detail the chaotic interaction of particles in the interstellar medium – the space between stars filled with gas, dust and magnetic fields.
The model shows how magnetic fields, despite their weak force (millions of times weaker than a magnet on a refrigerator), control the movement of matter in the interstellar medium, slowing the gravitational collapse of the clouds from which stars are born.
Magnetism as the key to cosmic phenomena
One of the key findings of the study is that magnetic pressure can resist the compression of gas nebulae, delaying or even stopping star formation. “We’ve always known that magnetic fields affect these processes, but now we’re seeing it in numbers,” Beattie explains.
However, the model is not only useful for studying distant galactic processes. It also helps us understand “near-space” phenomena such as the solar wind, the flow of charged particles from the Sun that shapes space weather. Initial tests have shown that the simulation accurately reproduces solar wind observations, opening up prospects for predicting geomagnetic storms that affect Earth’s satellites and power grids.
The study proves that magnetic fields, though imperceptible, are the architects of the cosmos. They form stars, guide cosmic rays, and even “draw” auroras on Earth and other planets. The new model is a step toward understanding how these unseen forces drive the evolution of our Milky Way and the entire universe.
Previously, scientists have investigated the magnetic fields that connect galaxies into clusters.
According to artsci.utoronto.ca
