This phenomenon is thought to play a significant role in other, much larger astrophysical phenomena, such as solar flares and magnetic storms on the Sun’s surface. In these larger-scale instances, the electron dynamics of the area create what is known as a magnetic reconnection, where the magnetic field of a feature connects back with the base magnetic connection of the body it is emanating from.
Recreating these features at a small scale in the lab has never been done before, but the researchers at Osaka think that their electron outflow created by the combination of a magnet and the laser-induced plasma might be the closest thing that we will have to being able to study these phenomena on Earth.
Scaling down solar physics level phenomena to a more manageable size is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but pure electron flow is also helpful in other areas. As mentioned above, Gekko was initially designed to work on inertial confinement fusion, which a better understanding of microscopic level electron dynamics might help to control.Overall, the experiment represents steps forward in understanding fundamental physics and applies to much more macroscale phenomena.