Cleo Loi
| Cleo Loi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991-1992 (based on age) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | CAASTRO ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney |
| Known for | Mapping plasma tubes in the Earth's atmosphere |
| Notable awards | Bok Prize of the Astronomical Society of Australia (2015) |
Shyeh Tjing Cleo Loi (born 1991 or 1992) is an Australian astrophysicist and undergraduate at the University of Sydney School of Physics. She is credited with proving the existence of plasma tubes inside the Earth's magnetosphere and extending into the plasmasphere.[1][2][3][4]
Background
Loi had been a student at James Ruse Agricultural High School[3] before studying at the University of Sydney as an undergraduate and member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO).[3]
Plasma tubes
While working on her thesis, Loi followed the suspicions of scientists as far back as 60 years ago theorizing the existence of plasma tubes. Loi was the lead researcher on the project, and first to successfully prove their existence using the Murchison Widefield Array. The findings of the study were published in the Geophysical Research Letters.[3]
In June 2015, Dr Tara Murphy of the University of Sydney explained the process by which her undergraduate student, Loi, had used MWA results to determine the existence of plasma channels following the Earth's magnetic field lines.[5] Loi applied visualization techniques to specific data that showed distortions in positions for distant point sources, explaining the distortion by the existence of tubular structures along the field lines. Dividing the MWA data into a 'stereo' set from several MWA sources allowed the height of the tubes to be determined. They are believed to be, or are related to, "whistler ducts".[5]
Honors and Prizes
Ms Loi won the Astronomical Society of Australia and Australian Academy of Science's 2015 Bok Prize for her plasma tube research.[3]
References
- ↑ O'Callaghan, Jonathan. "Giant plasma tubes found in SPACE: Huge structures spotted circling Earth filled with charged particles from the sun". Daily Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ Luntz, Stephen. "Student Confirms That There Are Enormous Tubes Of Plasma Floating Above The Earth". IFL Science. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Strom, Marcus. "Sydney University physics undergraduate maps huge plasma tubes in the sky". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ "Aussie student proves existence of plasma tubes floating above Earth". News.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- 1 2 How an undergraduate discovered tubes of plasma in the sky, Tara Murphy, The Conversation, 5 June 2015, accessed 7 June 2015
External links
- Shyeh Tjing Loi et. al. (27 April 2015). "Real-time imaging of density ducts between the plasmasphere and ionosphere". Geophysical Research Letters. 42 (10): 3707. arXiv:1504.06470
. Bibcode:2015GeoRL..42.3707L. doi:10.1002/2015GL063699.