The idea that magnetic fields help shape the universe has been dismissed by scientists for decades, but now new experiments involving plasma , which is hotter than the sun, are prompting people to rethink
There are few places on Earth that are as extreme as national ignition facility near Los Angeles. At its core is a 192 laser beam on a gold cylinder the size of an AA battery. As the beam gathers, the temperature in the test chamber jumps to 100 million degrees Celsius, hotter than the center of the sun.
The facility is designed to study the possibility of utilizing nuclear fusion , which promises unlimited clean energy. But earlier this year, researchers announced that its powerful lasers also target a different type of big question—what shaped the universe?
The universe is a beautiful place. On the largest scale, a huge network of material is woven throughout the space. When zoomed in, you will see the galaxy cluster in the rolling clouds, while the galaxies themselves take wonderful shapes, including elegant spirals like our galaxy .
For decades, it has been believed that only gravity can create such miracles. Now, after a series of interesting galaxy observations, laser emission experiments are suggesting that we may have mistakenly ignored the effects of another force.
Magnetic has always been considered too weak to become a cosmic sculptor. But the people behind the latest results claim that in the white heat of the test chamber, they have glimpsed how this forgotten power was turbocharged. If so, we might have to find a new magnetic position in our picture of how the universe looks like it, besides gravity...
