Marklund convection

Think of a pot of soup simmering on a stove. The bottom of the pot gets hot, and that heat rises up to the surface of the soup, where it cools and sinks back down to the bottom. This creates a loop of hot and cold soup, which helps to evenly distribute the heat and cook the soup.

Marklund convection is similar to this concept, but it happens in space. When charged particles (like electrons and protons) move through a magnetic field, they create electric currents. These currents, in turn, create magnetic fields that interact with the original magnetic field. This interaction can cause the particles to move in a sort of spiral motion.

In space, there are often regions where two different magnetic fields intersect. When charged particles move through these regions, they can create these spiral motions and form what are called Marklund convection cells. These cells can help to mix and distribute the energy and particles in the space plasma, which is the fourth state of matter (after solid, liquid, and gas) that makes up most of the visible universe.

Overall, Marklund convection is a type of physical process that helps to mix and distribute particles and energy in space plasmas. By creating these convection cells, charged particles can more effectively interact with each other and with the surrounding magnetic fields, which can have important implications for space weather and other phenomena.