Electromagnetism
From Lostpedia
Electromagnetism broadly refers to the properties of electric and magnetic fields. Many of the events witnessed on the show are a result of electromagnetic phenomena inherent to the Island. It is one of the DHARMA Initiative's fields of study (as stated in the Swan Orientation Film).
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Effects of Electromagnetism on the Island
The Island exhibits a number of unique anomalies suggestive of magnetic phenomena. The cause and exact nature of these anomalies is presently unknown. We know of at least two locations on the Island that have electromagnetic anomalies in their vicinity-The Swan and The Orchid. Both were DHARMA Initiative Stations.
Difficulty in navigation
There have been many instances of navigational troubles that suggest the disruption of compass bearings on and around the island. Near the Swan station, Sayid informed Jack that his compass did not read a true magnetic north ("Hearts and Minds"). Desmond Hume also had difficulties navigating at sea, claiming that he sailed straight away from the Island but somehow ended back on it. Oceanic Flight 815 also experienced difficulties in navigation, causing the plane to travel several thousand miles off course.. Ben's advisement to Michael to take a heading of 325 degrees("Live Together, Die Alone") may bear some relation, although it is unknown if any of the latter three navigation incidents are related to the magnetism. The DHARMA Initiative, and later the Others, used a sonar beacon to allow submarine navigation to the Island, suggesting that other means of navigation might be unreliable ("Enter 77"). When the helicopter traveled to the island, Frank Lapidus followed a bearing of 305 degrees, as instructed by Daniel Faraday, who made sure he flew back following the same bearing ("The Economist").
After Ben turned the wheel underneath the Orchid station (which is known to have electromagnetic activity), Daniel told Juliet that if they wanted to leave he would have to calculate a new bearing, and to do that he would need to know what time they were presently in ("The Lie").
The crash of Oceanic Flight 815
See also: Mid-air break-up
According to the producers, the high field magnetic surge that occurred during Desmond's system failure at the Swan station caused Oceanic Flight 815 to crash. They also went so far as to state that this surge also caused the disruption or destruction of electronic systems on the plane itself. (Lost: The Answers)
It is possible for high amounts of magnetism to destroy avionics equipment, although it is unknown if extremely high amounts of electromagnetism can actually cause a catastrophic mid-air break-up.
That said, the strength of magnetism required to cause avionics failure depends on the plane's altitude at the time of the magnetic event, which, in the case of Ocean Flight 815's crash, is ambiguous. In "Pilot, Part 1", Jack suggests that the plane was at 40,000 ft AGL when the failure began. The horizon, visible from inside the airframe after the loss of the tail in this same episode, is clearly above the cloud ceiling; the horizon is likely above 10,000 ft AGL, but not near 40,000 ft. Yet, "A Tale of Two Cities" shows the plane breakup at a significantly lower altitude, well below the cloud ceiling, probably under 5,000 ft AGL.
At an altitude of ~40,000 ft AGL, sufficient magnetic strength to cause avionics failure might be possible through highly advanced artificial means, but it's not possible geologically. Disruption of avionics at ~5,000 ft AGL is within the realm of field strengths reachable in special laboratories. But, it is still tens of thousands of times stronger than geologic causes. The electromagnetism on the Island, however, has unique properties and, as it is implied that a large discharge could have catastrophic consequences, it clearly has immense magnitude. Using this information, we can tell that the Island has extremely powerful magnetic forces, since no magnetism known to science can tear apart a plane, even if it was flying below cloud level.
Difficulties in broadcast communication
In "Greatest Hits", Juliet stated that the Looking Glass station is responsible for blocking outgoing electric communications signals. Sayid also states that the broadcast from the radio tower is causing interference with the satellite phone.
It is difficult to imagine why this would occur. The radio tower presumably is broadcasting longwave radio signals, which are well outside the spectral bandwidth of a gigahertz-range microwave phone. Likewise, a submerged station is an exceedingly poor location for broadcasts of any type of electric field, except for ULF and similarly low frequencies, and anyway wouldn't be capable of causing inference in a usable frequency range.
Thus, the exact nature of how signals from the Island are blocked is inadequately explained. Given that the signal from the radio tower has been picked up unblocked on the Island on multiple occasions, the Island must be outside the radius of the signal blocking. But, to accomplish that sort of block, requires facilities encircling the Island at a reasonable distance from the Island. It also uncertain how so much of broadcast bandwidth can be effectively blocked.
Invisibility of the Island
It is often suggested that the invisibility of the Island is caused by its incredibly strong magnetic field. Conventional physics suggests this is theoretically possible, but would require such a strong electromagnetic and gravitational field that it would wipe out all life on the planet. Also, any complete "cloak" would block contact in either direction, making the radio tower useless. Thus, the Island might be obscured through hindrances to navigation, such as a local magnetic field. An alternate explanation is revealed when Daniel Faraday notices that "light scatters different here"... this is due to the "Faraday Effect," in which a magnetic field will rotate a polarized light source. The Island's strong magnetic field has this effect on the light. This could explain why the Island is "invisible" to outsiders...light scattered through the earth's atmosphere is (partially) polarized...if the light reflected by the Island is rotated by the magnetic field, then it's possible the Island is difficult to view until you are within the magnetic field's range. This is also why the sky turned "purple" during the discharge event (e.g. due to light scattering effects). Also, a strong magnetic field can rotate radio waves. This effect could explain how the Looking Glass station "jammed" radio signals off the Island.
The potential scientific explanation for the invisibility of the Island, however, does not explain how notoriously difficult it remains to be found; i.e., why it's apparently impossible to leave or return to the Island except by a specific bearing, nor does it explain how the Island "moves".
Tidal anomalies & healing effects
The tidal anomalies seen in "Whatever the Case May Be", which are unusual for a near-equatorial land mass, have sometimes been attributed to magnetic effects. Magnetohydrodynamic [1] effects could account for this; still, under normal circumstances, water is not responsive to magnetism.
The presumed healing properties of the Island have also been attributed to magnetic effects. Magnet therapy, magnetic therapy, or magnotherapy, as it is more commonly referred to, is "new-age" alternative medicine claiming to effectively treat certain medical disorders through exposure to magnetic fields. There is current research into, but no precedent for, miraculous cures caused by magnetism in scientific literature. [2].
Electromagnetism and the DHARMA Initiative
As mentioned in the Swan Orientation Film, and seen various times in the 1970s timeline, Electromagnetism was studied by the DHARMA Initiative. The Swan station was intended to serve this purpose before the incident.
Electromagnetism in the Swan
As Stuart Radzinsky states, the purpose of The Swan was to "manipulate electromagnetism in ways we never dreamed of."("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2"). The Swan was one of the most accessible sectors of the Island where magnetism is found. It was the focal point for at least three cataclysmic events linked to electromagnetism: The Incident, Desmond’s System Failure, and the Discharge (see below). Similarly, the station contained many subtle hints about the source and nature of the magnetism on the Island. The Swan contained a large reactor inside the Incident Room that was used for containing the anomaly.
Purpose of the Swan
According to the Swan Orientation video, the Swan was "originally constructed as a laboratory, where scientists could work to understand the unique electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the Island." An unspecified incident, however, required the implementation of a certain protocol. This protocol was to be executed every 108 minutes, by entering a series of numbers in the Swan's computer (see pushing the button).
Kelvin Inman remarked in "Live Together, Die Alone" that a "charge" progressively “builds up” in or near the Swan, with an accompanying magnetic field. The reactor behind the concrete wall and the computer installed in the geodesic dome allowed for periodic "discharge" of these "amassed" energies. Both "the button", the containment reactor, and a fail-safe mechanism were installed. The Swan station seemed to have some control over the electromagnetic field.
Plausible mechanisms
Naturalistically speaking, magnetic fields are not "cumulative," though a field's strength can be varied by a corresponding physical change or a change in the associated electric field. Fields of the strength seen normally in the Swan are geologically impossible, but could be artificially produced (except for the high fields seen during system failures).
An unobserved theoretical particle predicted by many superstring theories, known as a magnetic monopole, could hold a "magnetic charge" greater than zero. Nearby high-energy subatomic collisions could produce these particles, which could be used to explain the periodicity of the magnetic field.
Field characteristics before the discharge
Normally, the magnetic field was depicted as relatively benign and apparently did not affect daily activities in most parts of the Swan. The only area where it was shown notable was in the mural hallway, near the concrete barrier. However, there were no clear indications of exactly how strong the field was there during non-catastrophic operation. Desmond's comment in "Orientation" about "pain in his fillings" – ostensibly, gold, silver, tin, copper, or zinc amalgam, all nominally paramagnetic or diamagnetic – suggest that the field is fantastically strong. Likewise, the degree of attraction shown three times (see photos and captions) is fairly strong. These observations are probably suggestive of the >1 tesla range.
However, when attempting to excavate the concrete barrier in "Everybody Hates Hugo", Sayid notes that the titanium plane part he used had "very little magnetic attraction" to the walls.
The electromagnetic forces under the Swan are extremely powerful. They were strong enough to tear apart a 777 passenger plane during the System Failure and pull heavy industrial equipment down a narrow shaft in The Incident. No electromagnetic force on earth is known to be that immense in strength.
Purpose of the geodesic dome
Some have suggested that the metallic geodesic dome of the Swan computer room was a Faraday cage, which would protect the electronics inside. Conceptually, a Faraday cage suppresses the transit of electric fields through a given region of space; however, this does not extend to magnetic fields. For a Faraday cage to function properly, the metal blast doors must be shut (e.g. sealing the room) to create the shielding effect.
Electromagnetism in the Orchid and Relation to Time Travel
See Also: The Orchid and Orchid Orientation Film. Electromagnetic activity was discovered at The Orchid and considered contained by Pierre Chang. The energy at the Swan Station was considered about 30,000 times more powerful than that at the Orchid. ("The Variable") The DHARMA scientists were using the magnetism at The Orchid to conduct experiments in time travel. Pierre Chang said that he was brought to the Island to research the Kerr Metric Equations, which some physicists believe could allow Time travel, a property that the Island is known to have. In the Orchid Orientation Video, Chang says that the "negatively charged exotic matter" found beneath the station produces a Casimir Effect that allows "unique experiments in both space and time". He also says the Island's electromagnetic properties can be "highly volatile and unpredictable", presumably referring to The Incident. In the film's first "demonstration", the Island's electromagnetism is used to shift a white Rabbit 100 milliseconds in 4 dimensional space.
Electromagnetism and the blast door map
Main article: Blast door map equations
Several equations, likely related to electromagnetism, were contained on the blast door map. Two notations potentially alluded to fields with strengths of "104 T" and "106 T," (T is the SI abbreviation for tesla), though the exact interpretation of these two writings is somewhat unclear. If these referred to magnetic field strengths, they were unimaginably strong. Interestingly, 106 tesla is easily sufficient field strength to crash an airplane through shearing forces but the effects of such a field on the Island would involve actions unseen, such as levitation (although the writers could have accounted for this when Charlie mentioned that he'd seen a floating frog after the hatch exploded "A Tale of Two Cities") and destruction of non-metalic objects (likely the death of all life on the Island).
The Incident
Main article: The Incident
The Incident occurred in July of 1977, during the Swan's construction. The DHARMA scientists, led by Stuart Radzinsky, set up a drill to bore directly into a massive pocket of electromagnetic energy. On the fourth day after Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid arrived in 1977, the drill reached the pocket, releasing the energy. The result was a catastrophic event similar to a massive system failure in that everything metal was pulled toward the magnetism. Guns, tool chests, rebars, iron beams, scaffolding, oil drums, bulldozers, cranes, and industrial drills were all pulled into the shaft. Juliet then detonated a hydrogen bomb. It is unknown what happened after the hydrogen blast.("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2")
Desmond’s system failure
Main article: System failure
In "Live Together, Die Alone", Desmond's delay in “pushing the button” causes a "system failure," as indicated by the instrumentation in the Swan. The Pearl station printout also indicates this and confirms the correct date and time of the failure, which corresponds to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. A strong and increasing surge in the magnetic field strength is shown during this time. A considerable earth tremor on the Island also occurred. Desmond successfully entering the Numbers ended the system failure. Swan Operation after the system failure appeared visibly unchanged.
The discharge
Main article: Discharge
Locke's destruction of the computer in "Live Together, Die Alone" prevented further "pushing of the button" and resulted in an additional system failure after the next 108 minute period had lapsed. The magnetic field strength subsequently grew to enormous levels (easily >100 tesla), resulting in the Swan's gradual destruction, as ferromagnetic items aligned within the field.
Desmond’s activation of the Swan station’s fail-safe mechanism during this system failure caused phenomena collectively known as "the discharge." Inside the Swan, this was seen as a white flash, similar to a nuclear double-flash. Outside, this was characterized as: loud low-frequency sound wave, earthquake, and bright pink/lavender spectral discharge in the atmosphere above the Island for several seconds. The Hatch door was subsequently ejected, landing on the beach near several survivors. The discharge was also detected at the tracking station.
Effects of the Discharge
Locke, Eko, and Desmond, who were inside the Swan during the discharge, were subsequently seen in "Further Instructions", largely unharmed and distributed throughout the jungle. Desmond's clothing and Eko's stick were ejected in this process. Later in the episode, the Swan's remains are seen as a deep crater, with metallic debris (or possibly rock) compacted at the bottom. Locke (and later Desmond) remark that the station apparently "imploded." Desmond further remarks that the "fail safe key must have detonated the electromagnetic anomaly;" however, this brief explanation is scientifically meaningless.
In "Every Man for Himself", Tom is briefly heard telling Ben that they'd "been blind" and that their "comms are all down" and he couldn't "get them back up again" since "the sky turned purple." Similarly, in "Not in Portland", Tom explains that "ever since the sky turned purple," some disruption precluded taking Ben off the island for medical treatment of his tumor. Sayid refers to the discharge in "Enter 77" in a similar way, and Mikhail in "Par Avion" refers to it as an "electromagnetic pulse" and confirms that it caused a disruption in the Others's communications equipment and capabilities.
However, in "Through the Looking Glass", it is implied that the communications disruption was unrelated to the Discharge, but caused rather by Greta and Bonnie, jamming all communications on and off the Island at The Looking Glass station, on Ben's orders.
Based on Kelvin's comments, activation of the fail-safe presumably ended the need for ongoing "containment" procedures. Additionally, this may have resulted in fundamental changes to the Island’s magnetic phenomena, although no persistent effects have been noted outside the Swan yet.
Plausible Mechanisms
The science of the discharge is currently unknown and very difficult to explain. If the discharge is considered an instance of the magnetic field growing to enormous strengths and then shrinking to zero (or "normal") strengths, the "implosion" can be understood as the alignment of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic items with the field in that time period. The huge magnetic force required to "implode" the Swan would also compact nonmetallic matter (such as moist dirt), possibly to very high densities. The subsequent expansion of this material upon release of the field could explain the ejecta observed and the excavation of topsoil around the Swan station remains. Additionally, diamagnetic effects could be responsible for the apparent ejection of nonmetallic material.
Similarly, such a strong magnetic field can induce significant electric eddy currents in conductive materials, if the flux strength varies rapidly enough. This is often referred to as "electromagnetic pulse" or "EMP." Solid-state electronics are particularly sensitive to these effects and can be disrupted or damaged if the pulse is sufficiently energetic. Based on the observed magnitude of the discharge, it is plausible to assume that this could have occurred on many parts of the Island. Comments about the disruption of the Others's communications equipment can be understood in this manner.
The survival of Locke, Charlie, Eko and Desmond is yet unexplainable.
The Second Discharge
- In "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" sounds similar to the discharge are heard as Ben turns the Orchid Wheel. A bright white light is also seen, similar to the purple sky event at the end of season two. In the Orchid Orientation Video, it is hinted that the Island's electromagnetism could be the reason for the effects of pushing the Wheel and the Orchid Station itself. Desmond's key and the Wheel are definitely similar concepts.
Connection to other Magnetic Pockets
Eloise Hawking says the magnetism at the Island is connected with similar, weaker pockets of magnetism all over the world. One of these smaller pockets is located under a church in Los Angeles, California. This is where The Lamp Post was built. The Lamp Post was the first DHARMA Station ever built. It was constructed over a magnetic field, and its purpose was to use equipment and physics to find similar pockets. That was how the DHARMA Initiative found the Island. According to Hawking, underneath the Island is a "unique pocket of electromagnetic energy. That energy connects to similar pockets all over the world." Isaac of Uluru referred to certain places with great energy, spots on the Earth such as Uluru. He speculated that this energy was geological, magnetic. ("S.O.S.")
Trivia
- The man who discovered electromagnetism was Hans Christian Ørsted. All the letters of his first name and the first letter of his last name spell Hanso.
- Another notable man in the field of electromagnetism is James Clerk Maxwell, who is mentioned in Find 815 (see: The Maxwell Group).
- Michael Faraday's greatest contribution to science was the unification of the electric and magnetic forces.
- According to the Blu-Ray Exclusive Feature Access Granted of Lost: The Complete Third Season (DVD), DHARMA drilled the earth and hit an area with large contained electromagnetic buildup. They broke into the anomaly which allowed the field to leak out. The Swan was built over this area to act as a sort of cork. DHARMA then came up with a scheme to "dam' the leak but with the drawback that the field built up behind the dam and would eventually break it. The failsafe perminantly "sealed" the leak.
Unanswered questions
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Electromagnetism/Theories
- What is the nature of the energy that creates the electromagnetism?
- Where are other electromagnetic pockets, beside The Island and The Lamp Post?
- Why couldn't the entry of the Numbers be automated?
- Why does The Numbers need to be pushed to prevent another incident?
- Does the magnetism have anything to do with the Time Flashes?
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