Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

November 15 (Xinhua)-- A supernova explosion in 2022 destroyed part of ozone in Earth's atmosphere in a short time, temporarily affecting the natural barrier that protects people from harmful solar radiation, a new study shows. The paper was published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday local time.

On October 9, Pexels2022, the space telescope captured a stream of high-energy photons heading towards Earth, confirming a supernova explosion 1.9 billion light-years away, known as a gamma ray burst, and researchers called it the "brightest" supernova explosion ever.

The supernova explosion caused measurable changes in the number of ionized particles in Earth's upper atmosphere, including ozone molecules that absorb harmful solar radiation, a team of scientists found.

"Ozone was partially depleted and temporarily destroyed," said Pietro Ubertini, an astronomer at Rome's National Institute of Astrophysics, who was involved in the discovery of the atmospheric event. The effect lasted only a few minutes, and then the ozone repaired itself, so there were no "serious" consequences. However, if the supernova explosion occurred closer to us, "it would be a disaster."

The study shows that even explosions far from the solar system can affect the atmosphere, and the atmosphere can be seen as a giant probe for detecting extreme cosmic phenomena.

Most of the ozone is concentrated in the thin layer of the stratosphere, about 16 to 40 kilometers from the surface. It was in this region that researchers discovered the ozone hole above Antarctica, mainly caused by chlorofluorocarbon chemicals that once existed in aerosol sprays and plastic foams. The ozone layer absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation and protects against sunburn, skin cancer and crop damage.

Simulations show that if a gamma ray burst occurs in our Milky way, the stratospheric ozone layer could disappear for several years, enough to trigger widespread extinction.

Ozone also exists in the ionosphere, but the concentration is low. The ionosphere is part of the atmosphere, extending from 60 km to 500 km above sea level. At this height, ozone has a certain protective effect, but it is not as obvious as that in the stratosphere.

To study the impact of last year's gamma-ray bursts on Earth, Dr. Ubertini and his colleagues used data from China's Zhang Heng-1 electromagnetic Monitoring Test Satellite (China Seismo-ElectromagneticSatellite) to look for signals at the top of the ionosphere. Zhang Heng-1, an orbiter used to study atmospheric changes during earthquakes, was launched from China's Jiuquan Satellite launch Center in 2018.

The researchers found a sharp rise in the electric field at the top of the ionosphere, which they linked to gamma-ray burst signals measured by the European Space Agency's International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory.

The researchers found that gamma rays ionized high-altitude ozone and nitrogen molecules (from which they knocked out electrons), resulting in a 60-fold increase in electric field strength. Once ionization occurs, ozone molecules cannot absorb ultraviolet radiation, leaving the earth briefly exposed to more harmful solar rays.

Gamma-ray bursts are known to ionize ozone molecules at the bottom of the ionosphere 215 miles (346 kilometers) above the earth's surface. But this is the first time scientists have shown that such cosmic explosions affect the entire ionosphere, said Laura Hayes, a solar physicist at the European Space Agency.

Dr. Hayes added that it is not common for cosmic phenomena far away from Earth to cause such large-scale atmospheric disturbances. "fortunately, this gamma-ray burst occurred very far away, making its impact more of a scientific spectacle than a threat," she wrote in an email. "

Dr. Ubertini said that if the gamma-ray burst were 1 million times larger, it could ionize enough ozone to weaken the protective barrier for days or months. However, the possibility of this happening is very low, and supernova explosions as strong as last year are very rare, occurring only once every 10,000 years. In addition, gamma rays are released from supernovae in the form of jets and need to be in the right direction to hit Earth.

However, it is important to understand the response of the ionosphere to any cosmic phenomenon to be closer to the threat of Earth. "this helps us to assess the recovery time after intense ionization, especially when strong solar flares are involved," Dr. Hayes said. "

The good news is that ozone will repair itself and free electrons will eventually be recaptured by ionized molecules in the air. In this case, part of the barrier that protects the earth from space radiation can be restored, protecting the earth's residents from the deadly radiation of the sun.

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