What are the most intense electromagnetic waves in nature?

[andresB]

Basically as the title says.
I'm interested in the naturally occurring EM waves, and I would like to know the strongest EM waves out there. I'm not talking about "strong" as in energy per photon that is proportional to the frequency, but about the overall energy transported by the wave that is proportional to the square of the electric field; so, I guess another way to state the question is: Which naturally occurring waves have the highest electric fields?

 

[tech99]

I suppose the emission of the Big Bang, which is still traveling through space, contains the greatest energy.

 

[jbriggs444]

I'm not talking about "strong" as in energy per photon that is proportional to the frequency, but about the overall energy transported by the wave that is proportional to the square of the electric field;

So we are not talking about very high energy gammas. Instead, we want a classical wave and we want to maximize flux density -- power per unit area at the receiving location.

Under that interpretation, the cosmic microwave background is too weak. How about lightning?

Or a magnetar up close.

 

[tech99]

I think the highest power flux density, or intensity, will be found with a Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse.

 

[FactChecker]

Do you want to include outer space, or only on the ground? Solar flares which hit the Earth are disruptive to satellites. That seems to be the main worry in outer space. On the ground, lightning strikes probably present the strongest naturally occurring pulse.

 

[andresB]

So we are not talking about very high energy gammas. Instead, we want a classical wave and we want to maximize flux density -- power per unit area at the receiving location.

Indeed.

Or a magnetar up close.

I know that magnetars can have very high magnetic fields attached to the star. I'll check if I can find what kind of electromagnetic radiation they produce.

 

[davenn]

I think the highest power flux density, or intensity, will be found with a Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse.

in nature ??

as per the thread title ...

What are the most intense electromagnetic waves in nature?

Solar flares tho they can be large would be miniscule compared to the jets coming out of the cores of galaxies

not sure which galaxy this one is ?

this second one is the Centaurus A radio Galaxy

Dave

 

[tech99]

Yes, in Nature I suppose a super nova?

 

[arydberg]

look up

carrington event of september 1859

 

[phinds]

look up

carrington event of september 1859

As has already been pointed out, solar flares are utterly trivial compared to the jets coming out of the cores of some galaxies

 

[FactChecker]

As has already been pointed out, solar flares are utterly trivial compared to the jets coming out of the cores of some galaxies

It's still not clear to me whether the OP had in mind the strongest on the ground, in space around the Earth, or in the entire universe. I guess the answers are lightning, solar flares, and supernova, respectively.

 

[vanhees71]

Perhaps $\gamma$-ray bursts from neutron-star collisions ("kilonovae")?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilonova

 

[davenn]

It's still not clear to me whether the OP had in mind the strongest on the ground, in space around the Earth, or in the entire universe. I guess the answers are lightning, solar flares, and supernova, respectively.

The OP asked for "in nature" so excludes anything manmade ... nuclear blast ...
There's nothing on Earth or in it's atmosphere that would qualify.

As I said in an earlier post, solar flares are tiny ... lightning even smaller
You have to start thinking BIG ... as I suggested and posted images of huge jets of EM coming
out of the cores of some galaxies. These are detected and "imaged" with radio telescopes
( they are not optically visible). These jets are 10's of 1000's of lightyears long and are continuous.
They would even dwarf supernovas where most of the emission is material from the star.
( OK there is a strong emission of visible light for a short period)D

 

[andresB]

The OP asked for "in nature" so excludes anything manmade ... nuclear blast ...

Yes, indeed.

Not man-made Strongest EM wave in whatever place in the universe.

 

[Redbelly98]

As I said in an earlier post, solar flares are tiny ... lightning even smaller
You have to start thinking BIG ... as I suggested and posted images of huge jets of EM coming
out of the cores of some galaxies. These are detected and "imaged" with radio telescopes
( they are not optically visible). These jets are 10's of 1000's of lightyears long and are continuous.
They would even dwarf supernovas where most of the emission is material from the star.
( OK there is a strong emission of visible light for a short period)
D

Since the question is about energy density (or equivalently, EM field strength or as jbriggs444 said flux density), it doesn't seem that a non-visible radio source is the answer.

(To quote Yoda, "Size matters not.")

 

[happyhacker]

So what produces the energy from the core of a Galaxy? Do we Know?

 

[Vagn]

So what produces the energy from the core of a Galaxy? Do we Know?

Active galactic nuclei are thought to be powered by the accretion of dust and gas onto the supermassive black hole at the galactic centre.

 

[gary350]

Basically as the title says.
I'm interested in the naturally occurring EM waves, and I would like to know the strongest EM waves out there. I'm not talking about "strong" as in energy per photon that is proportional to the frequency, but about the overall energy transported by the wave that is proportional to the square of the electric field; so, I guess another way to state the question is: Which naturally occurring waves have the highest electric fields?

I saw the answer to this on NOVA last week = Super Cell Lightning. Do google search for last weeks TV show and watch it.

 

[davenn]

I saw the answer to this on NOVA last week = Super Cell Lightning. Do google search for last weeks TV show and watch it.

lightning has already been discounted earlier in the thread ... absolutely tiny compared to many of the huge EM producers out there in the universe