Los Alamos Laboratory Instruments Launched Aboard NASA’s IMAP Probe

Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have developed two critical instruments launched aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) probe, the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), aimed at advancing our understanding of the sun and its protective heliosphere. The IMAP probe, which took off in September 2023, is en route to the first Lagrange point—a gravitationally stable location between the Earth and the sun. The journey to this point will take approximately four months, with all instruments expected to be operational by mid-January 2024, marking the start of the scientific research phase.

Instruments Designed to Enhance Solar Research

The two instruments developed at LANL are part of a total of ten aboard the IMAP. These tools build upon the foundational data gathered by NASA’s earlier Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), launched in 2008. Notably, the IMAP-Hi instrument is designed to significantly reduce background noise interference, thereby providing clearer data than its predecessor. Herb Funsten, the lead scientist for IMAP-Hi, expressed the potential for new discoveries, stating, “IBEX was really a mission of discovery. We didn’t know what we were actually going to find, so the IBEX instrument was not very optimized.”

The heliosphere serves as a crucial barrier, diverting harmful galactic rays that can impact human DNA, disrupt radio transmissions, and damage satellites. At its outer edge, known as the heliosheath, this layer of plasma reduces the intensity of galactic rays by a factor of ten. Understanding this cosmic shield is vital for both scientific knowledge and human safety in space.

Tracking Solar Wind and Galactic Rays

The IMAP-Hi and the Solar Wind Electron instrument are at the forefront of this investigation. IMAP-Hi captures and tracks energetic neutral atoms to map the heliosphere’s composition and the origins of these particles. Meanwhile, the Solar Wind Electron instrument monitors electrons ejected by the sun, which compose the solar wind. By analyzing these particles, researchers can better define the size and shape of the heliosphere, as well as its interactions with the interstellar medium—the matter that exists between stars.

LANL scientist Dan Reisenfeld likened the investigation to bats using sonar to navigate their surroundings. “It has to figure out how far away these things are, so it sends out a sonar pulse and hits the wall of the cave,” he explained. “But for the heliosphere, we use the solar wind as that pulse.” This innovative approach is expected to reveal how the heliosphere shifts and adapts throughout the sun’s approximately 11-year solar cycle.

Recent solar activity, including a major storm around Veterans Day, demonstrated the capabilities of the Solar Wind Electron instrument. The storm resulted in the northern lights being visible at unusually low latitudes, including areas like Santa Fe. While visually stunning, solar storms can also pose significant risks, potentially disrupting power systems and creating hazards for astronauts. According to Ruth Skoug, lead scientist for the Solar Wind Electron instrument, understanding and predicting solar storms is critical for mitigating these risks. “We’re going to do even better on the next storm, with all the instruments on,” she said.

The launch of the IMAP probe represents a significant step forward in solar research, with the potential to unveil new insights into the sun’s behavior and its interactions with the broader universe.