How much 20 kHz radio power gets into space? Now we finally know.

What is it about?

Radio stations in the 20-30 kHz band (known as VLF) inject some power into space, but the amount of power is not known. Theoretical predictions for the space injection have not matched measurements, and have been off 100 times or more. This paper compares the best measurements to data of the power into space from these measurements, to a more advanced theoretical model, and finds that they actually do line up quite well.

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Why is it important?

The Earth is surrounded by belts of radiation which kill satellites and endanger astronauts. The radiation originally comes from the sun but stays trapped in the region around Earth. Power from 20-30 kHz radio stations may act like windsheid wipers, removing the radiation. But we don't know how much power from these radio stations make it to space. This paper is the first to show, both with measurement and data, what that power is.