10 ^18 Amps, Universal Record for Current

[Dotini]

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028174.900-universes-highest-electric-current-found.html
A COSMIC jet 2 billion light years away is carrying the highest electric current ever seen: 10^18 amps, equivalent to a trillion bolts of lightning.

Philipp Kronberg of the University of Toronto in Canada and colleagues measured the alignment of radio waves around a galaxy called 3C303, which has a giant jet of matter shooting from its core. They saw a sudden change in the waves' alignment coinciding with the jet. "This is an unambiguous signature of a current," says Kronberg.


http://arxiv.org/abs/1106.1397
We present radio emission, polarization, and Faraday rotation maps of the radio jet of the galaxy 3C303. From this data we derive the magnetoplasma and electrodynamic parameters of this $50$ kpc long jet. For one component of this jet we obtain for the first time a direct determination of a {\it galactic}-scale electric current ($\sim 10^{18}$ A), and its direction $-$ {\it positive} away from the AGN. Our analysis strongly supports a model where the jet energy flow is mainly {\it electromagnetic}.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

 

[daveb]

Quick! Let's hook up a huge motor to it and solve the world's energy problems for the next billion or so years.

 

[Dotini]

Hi Dave, thanks for your post.

Should it be taken from your friendly humor and the obvious fact that stuff happening out in space usually lacks much significance to us here on earth, that I have posted inappropriately in the Electrical Engineering forum? Perhaps this sort of thing would have been better posted elsewhere?

Respectfully yours,
Steve

 

[daveb]

No, here is fine. This was just my way of saying, "HOLY !&#*!" I never pay attention to which forum something is in - it's more about the substance (and that is one whopper of an amperage!)

 

[pmacias]

, Scientist

Dear Steve,

Thank you for sharing this fascinating discovery regarding the highest electric current ever observed in the universe. The measurement of 10^18 amps is truly impressive and presents an exciting opportunity for further research and understanding of electromagnetism in the cosmos.

Your team's use of radio waves to detect and map the current in the jet of galaxy 3C303 is a clever and innovative approach. The fact that the current is aligned with the jet and is directed away from the active galactic nucleus supports the idea that the jet's energy flow is primarily electromagnetic.

This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of the universe and its physical processes. It also raises intriguing questions about the mechanisms behind such high currents and their effects on the surrounding environment.

I look forward to reading your team's publication and further advancements in this area of research. Keep up the excellent work!

Sincerely,