Evening star., 1952-09-01
Solar 'CycIotrons' Send
Out Powerful Waves
They Explain Paradox
In New Rudio Astronomy
By T. R. Henry


There are solar "cyclotrons' which
produce radio waves of enormous ener-
gieS.
These have been postulated, and to
some extent their likelihood has been
demonstrated, in laboratory expert
ments. by United States Bureau of
Standards physicists. They explain a
hitherto unsolvable paradox of the new
radio astronomy.
There is a constant radio wave out
put from the sun. The heat energy
required is far greater than that which
can be accounted for by the surface
temperature, about 5000 centigrade. 1t
can be explained only by the assump-
tion that the temperature of the corona.
the pearl-colored circle of light which
surrounds the sun at a distance of a
million miles or more from the surface
must have temperature of at least
million degrees.
Hard to accept at first, this now is
generally accepted. But lately radio
waves requiring far greater energies
than would be produced by an extremely
thin gas at such temperatures have
been detected. These would require for
the corona temperatures of about a bill
lion degrees and there is no known
mechanism by which these could be
produced.
Energy Directly Converted.
The present thesis announced by the
Bureau physicists is that there is a di-
rect conversion of kinetic energy. the
energy Of motion, into electromagnetic
energy through cyclotron effect pro-
duced on particles moving through the
fto1I NJ
face.
Constant streams of the elementary
particles OF matter, protons and elec-
irons. are shot out of the sun into sur
rounding space at enormous speeds, COM
parable to the speed of light.
These elementary particles, the theory
holds. are shot around in circular paths
as are the particles in cyclotron and
get a new "kick" with each revolution.
Laboratory experiments carried out by
Bureau physicists have demonstrated
that when this process goes on for a
sufficient time radio waves result with
out going through the phase of thermal
energy. Thus there is no need to assume
any higher temperature for the corona
than that necessary to produce the con-
slant background noise.
The largest of all radio telescopes now
is being constructed by British scien-
lists.
It may very well double the number
of stars, or celestial objects capable Of
sending radiation ScroSs space, known
to exist in the Milky Way galaxy, the
Stupendous star system of which the
sun is a part.
Electric Fan" Telescope.
The new kind of telescope is known
as Siderable paraboloid aerial" 1t
is shaped like huge electric fan with
a diameter of $50 feet. Completely ad-
Unstable, it will be free to scan any de-
sired region of the sky. Unlike any visual
telescope, it will not be affected by
clouds or fog or any kind Of weather.
1t will survey the heavens as well by
day as by night.
The total cost of this instrument now
is estimated at about 81 100000 and it
is expected to be in operation within
the next four years.
The discovery of intensive radio wave
radiation coming to the earth from var
ious regions of the heavens may be
considered the most significant event
in modern astronomy, the significance
of which constantly increases. These
constant messages" must be coming
from hot objects Of great magnitude.
like stars. Yet no luminous objects can
be identified as associated with them.
The objects now are known as radio
stars. More and more of them are be-
ing found and it recently has been pre-
dicted that there may be as many Of
them in the galaxy as there are lumi-
nous stars.
In the past four years team Of
Manchester University scientists with
much less effective instrument already
have mapped the great nebula in An
dromeda, star system as big as the
Milky Way galaxy itself. They are PLAN
ming to plot the intensity of radiation
from regions of the Milky Way which
now are hidden by, layers Of cosmic
dust.