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Meet the kinetic Alfvén wave.

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These tiny waves carry energy from one place to another as they flow through the charged particles - or plasma - of space.

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For over a half century, scientist have wondered exactly how the wave interacts with the plasma particles.

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NASA's MMS mission was able to observe kinetic Alfvén waves down to the scale of how particles move, for the first time.

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We can see that the wave traps the particles in clumps between its peaks.

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This trapping allows energy to cycle efficiently back and forth between the wave and plasma.

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MMS could see such small scales, because the four observatories fly in the closest multispacecraft formation ever flown.

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With 3D data from MMS, we study plasma physics near Earth -- which sheds light on fundamental physics throughout the universe.

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By exploring kinetic Alfvén waves in near-Earth space, we can better understand plasma processes that generate energy and heat, 

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like how energy moves in plasma in nuclear fusion reactors,


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or how heat moves in the solar wind, the constant flow of plasma from the sun that fills the solar system.

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