physics.space-ph papers

Space physics explores the dynamic environment surrounding our planet and the wider solar system, focusing on how charged particles, magnetic fields, and solar winds interact with celestial bodies. This field helps us understand phenomena like auroras, space weather that can disrupt satellites, and the fundamental behavior of plasma in the vacuum of space. It bridges the gap between astronomy and particle physics, revealing the invisible forces that shape our cosmic neighborhood.

At Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category as it appears on arXiv, ensuring you get immediate access to the latest research. For each paper, we provide both a detailed technical summary for experts and a plain-language explanation that makes complex concepts understandable for everyone. Below are the latest space physics papers from arXiv, curated and simplified for your reading.

Numerical Study of Alfven Wave-Energetic Particle Interaction in the Inner Van Allen Belt and predictions of Seismic-Related Energetic Proton Bursts for the IITMSAT Mission

This paper presents a numerical study using a kinetic model and Finite Difference Time Domain simulations to demonstrate how low-frequency Alfvén waves resonantly precipitate high-energy protons from the inner Van Allen belt, thereby validating the detection strategy for seismic-related particle bursts planned for the IITM satellite mission.

Snehanshu Maiti, Harishankar Ramachandran2026-06-18🔭 astro-ph

"Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs)", "Interaction Regions (IRs)" and "Stream Interaction Regions (SIRs)", which term should be used?

This paper reviews the historical evolution of terms for recurrent solar wind structures, argues against the vague use of "Stream Interaction Region" (SIR) for transient events, and proposes the specific term "Super CIR" (SCIR) to classify a newly identified class of transient, shock-bounded interaction regions associated with coronal jets and extreme geomagnetic storms.

Bruce T. Tsurutani, Rajkumar Hajra, Gurbax S. Lakhina2026-06-18🔭 astro-ph

The Quiet-Sun DEM Under Kappa: Diagnostic Degeneracy and the Failure of the Conductive Closure

This paper argues that if the quiet solar corona's electron distribution follows a $\kappa \approx 2.5$ suprathermal tail, the standard Spitzer-Harm conductive closure becomes mathematically invalid due to a divergent integral and EUV diagnostics fail to distinguish such plasmas from Maxwellian ones, thereby dismantling the foundational assumptions of current quiet-Sun heating models.

Victor Edmonds2026-06-18🔭 astro-ph

Scattering and sputtering on the lunar surface; Insights from negative ions observed at the surface

Using data from the Chang'e-6 lander's NILS instrument, this study employs a novel semi-analytical model to quantify the scattering and sputtering of solar wind protons on the lunar surface, revealing specific probabilities for negative ion emission, the influence of surface roughness on angular distributions, and a surface binding energy of 5.5 eV.

Romain Canu-Blot, Martin Wieser, Umberto Rollero, Thomas Maynadié, Stas Barabash, Gabriella Stenberg Wieser, Aibing Zhang, Wenjing Wang, Chi Wang2026-06-17🔬 physics.atom-ph

Contemporaneous Appearances of Auroral Spiral and Transpolar Arc: Polar UVI Observations and Global MHD Simulations

This study combines Polar UVI observations and global MHD simulations to reveal that a local auroral spiral and a large-scale transpolar arc can coexist during a substorm's recovery phase, with the spiral characterized by significantly weaker field-aligned currents and likely driven by ultra-low-frequency waves in a magnetosphere with minimal substorm effects.

Motoharu Nowada, Yukinaga Miyashita, Aoi Nakamizo, Noora Partamies, Quan-Qi Shi2026-06-16🔭 astro-ph

Detection of the Earth Tides by Diamagnetic Levitation

This paper presents a compact, low-cost levitated mechanical sensor (LOMS) capable of detecting Earth tides with high stability and sensitivity, offering a scalable alternative to bulky, expensive conventional gravimeters for high-resolution gravity mapping and geophysical monitoring.

Tim M. Fuchs, Elliot Simcox, Michael Hawker, Francis J. Headley, Hendrik Ulbricht2026-06-16🔬 physics

Direct Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in the Solar Wind Current Sheets near Mars

Using data from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft, this study reports the first direct observations of large-scale magnetic reconnection within solar wind current sheets near Mars, evidenced by Petschek-type exhaust signatures that suggest the process significantly broadens these current sheets and influences solar wind turbulence.

Chi Zhang, Chuanfei Dong, Xinmin Li, Han-Wen Shen, Jasper Halekas, Tai Phan, Christian Mazelle, Yuki Harada, Hongyang Zhou, Jiawei Gao, Liang Wang, Shannon Curry, David L. Mitchell2026-06-16🔬 physics

Beyond Mean Solar Wind Conditions: Turbulence-Aware Forecasting of the AE Index

This study demonstrates that incorporating solar wind turbulence metrics into gradient boosted decision tree models significantly enhances the short-term forecasting accuracy and economic value of the auroral electrojet (AE) index, particularly for high-impact geomagnetic events, compared to models relying solely on mean solar wind parameters.

Cara L. Waters, Christopher H. K. Chen, Mathew J. Owens2026-06-16🔬 physics

Deflective Sunshades: conceptual design and origami-inspired folding strategy

This paper proposes a new class of space-based sunshades called "deflective sunshades" that utilize origami-inspired, inclined reflective geometries to simultaneously manage solar radiation pressure and insolation reduction, enabling the use of conventional lightweight materials for effective solar radiation management at the L1 point.

Benedetta Marazzato, Jonas Seiler, Harry Holt, Dolf Huybrechts, Richard Murchie, Leone Costi, Jai Grover, Dario Izzo2026-06-16🔬 physics

Reinterpreting the sunward electron deficit: Implications for solar wind acceleration and core population formation

This paper proposes that local magnetic mirror traps, rather than the Sun's global electrostatic potential alone, explain the observed sunward electron deficit and suggest that the solar wind core population forms through electrons captured by these moving traps, implying a significantly deeper solar potential well than previously inferred.

Zoltan Nemeth2026-06-15🔭 astro-ph