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.

Full Dynamical Model (SOCOL:14C-Ex) of 14C Atmospheric Production and Transport in Application to Miyake Events

This paper introduces a new 3D dynamical model, SOCOL:14C-Ex, to analyze the atmospheric production and transport of radiocarbon during extreme solar particle events, enabling the precise characterization and strength assessment of seven major Miyake events over the past 14,000 years, with the 12351 BC event identified as the strongest overall and the AD 774 event as the strongest of the Holocene.

Kseniia Golubenko, Ilya Usoskin, Edouard Bard, Sergey Koldobskiy, Eugene Rozanov2026-03-12🔭 astro-ph

Existence domains of arbitrary amplitude nonlinear structures in two-electron temperature space plasmas. II. High-frequency electron-acoustic solitons

This study employs a three-component plasma model and Sagdeev potential formalism to determine the Mach number ranges and physical limitations, such as double layers and density constraints, governing the existence of large-amplitude electron-acoustic solitons with both negative and positive potentials in two-temperature electron space plasmas.

S. K. Maharaj, R. Bharuthram, S. V. Singh, G. S. Lakhina2026-03-12🔬 physics

Auroral Acceleration Generates Electron Beams in Jupiter's Middle Magnetosphere

This study analyzes Juno spacecraft data to demonstrate that narrow electron beams observed in Jupiter's middle magnetosphere are statistically consistent with and originate from auroral acceleration processes in the planet's polar regions.

June Piasecki, Joachim Saur, George Clark, Barry H. Mauk, Annika Salveter, Jamey Szalay2026-03-12🔬 physics

Federated Learning-driven Beam Management in LEO 6G Non-Terrestrial Networks

This paper proposes a Federated Learning framework for LEO 6G Non-Terrestrial Networks that leverages High-Altitude Platform Stations to distribute beam selection tasks, demonstrating that a Graph Neural Network model outperforms a Multi-Layer Perceptron in prediction accuracy and stability, especially at low elevation angles.

Maria Lamprini Bartsioka, Ioannis A. Bartsiokas, Athanasios D. Panagopoulos, Dimitra I. Kaklamani, Iakovos S. Venieris2026-03-12🔬 physics

A Remarkably Accurate Predictor of Sunspot Cycle Amplitude

This paper demonstrates that the linear relationship between sunspot and white-light facular areas at the onset of solar cycles serves as a highly accurate, physically based predictor of cycle amplitude up to four years in advance, successfully confirming historical data and correctly forecasting a larger-than-expected Cycle 25.

Peter Foukal2026-03-10🔭 astro-ph

Universal energy limits of radiation belts in planetary and brown dwarf magnetospheric systems

This paper presents a universal theoretical model that successfully predicts the maximum energy limits of radiation belts across planetary and brown dwarf magnetospheres using only surface magnetic field strength, revealing a 7 TeV asymptotic bound and offering new insights into galactic cosmic ray sources and exoplanet habitability.

Drew L. Turner, Savvas Raptis, Adnane Osmane, Arika Egan, George Clark, Tom Nordheim, Leonardo Regoli, Sasha Ukhorskiy2026-03-10🔭 astro-ph

Deployable Prototype Testing and Control Allocation of the CABLESSail Concept for Solar Sail Shape Control and Momentum Management

This paper presents small-scale prototype testing and a novel, computationally-efficient control allocation algorithm for the CABLESSail concept, demonstrating its ability to effectively manage solar sail momentum through cable-actuated shape control while maintaining robustness against membrane shape uncertainties.

Soojeong Lee, Michael States, Keegan R. Bunker, Ryan J. Caverly2026-03-10🔬 physics

Kinetic Route to Helicity-Constrained Decay

This paper utilizes 2D3V PIC simulations to demonstrate that in freely decaying sub-ion turbulence, intermittent regions with non-zero $\mathbf{E} \cdot \mathbf{B}$ drive helicity reduction, motivating a new history-dependent helicity density that reveals time-invariant intermediate-scale plateaus consistent with kinetic decay constraints.

Dion Li2026-03-10🔭 astro-ph

Spatiotemporal Properties of Compressible Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence from Space Plasma

Using multi-spacecraft observations from Earth's magnetosheath, this study provides the first quantitative evidence that compressible MHD turbulence exhibits a weak-to-strong transition specifically in slow modes, while fast modes remain weakly turbulent, thereby offering a comprehensive characterization of spatiotemporal properties across different turbulence regimes.

Siqi Zhao, Huirong Yan, Terry Z. Liu, Chuanpeng Hou, Ka Ho Yuen2026-03-10🔭 astro-ph

UK White Paper on Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) seismology of solar and heliospheric plasmas

This White Paper advocates for a coordinated UK programme integrating high-precision observations, advanced theory, and machine learning to advance Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) seismology, thereby addressing critical solar physics challenges and enhancing space weather forecasting capabilities.

Valery M. Nakariakov, David B. Jess, Andrew N. Wright, Timothy K. Yeoman, Thomas Elsden, James A. McLaughlin, Dmitrii Y. Kolotkov, Viktor Fedun, Robertus Erdélyi2026-03-09🔭 astro-ph

← Previous Next →