Hidden electric space waves are quietly cleaning Earth's 'killer' electrons

High above our heads, a silent battle is unfolding within Earth's magnetic shield.

For decades, scientists have tracked "killer electrons"—ultrafast particles capable of piercing satellite armor and endangering astronauts as they zip through the Van Allen radiation belts.

While we knew these dangerous particles eventually leak out of the belts and into the atmosphere, the primary mechanism "cleaning" the highest-energy electrons has remained a persistent mystery of space weather. ...