“中国天眼”立新功 首次捕获恒星黑子区射电暴信号

Core Viewpoint - The research team led by Professor Tian Hui from Peking University has successfully detected millisecond-level radio burst signals from the sunspot region of a star using the FAST telescope, providing a new observational method for studying stellar magnetic activity and its origins [1][4]. Group 1: Stellar Magnetic Activity - Sunspots are localized regions of strong magnetic fields on the surface of stars, and their magnetic activity can disrupt the space environment around Earth, affecting satellite operations and communication systems [4]. - Traditional methods for measuring stellar magnetic fields have struggled to capture small-scale magnetic structures, often only providing information on large-scale magnetic fields [4]. - The detection of a unique radio burst from the active red dwarf star AD Leo, with a frequency drift rate of approximately 8 GHz per second, indicates that the radiation source is from a high magnetic field region very close to the star's surface [4][5]. Group 2: Implications of the Discovery - The findings suggest that magnetic activity in stellar sunspot regions can accelerate electrons to high energies, producing unique radio emissions that allow for direct analysis of small-scale magnetic field structures on stars [5]. - The success of this research is attributed to the high sensitivity and resolution of the FAST telescope, which has improved time resolution to the sub-millisecond level, enabling the capture of minute variations in stellar radio emissions [5]. - This research opens new avenues for studying magnetic activity in late-type stars and exploring interactions between stars and planets, potentially aiding in the search for habitable exoplanets [5].