R&D Capabilities — Active R&D

Space Weather & Solar Wind

Every star system generated by Cosmos Genesis includes a physically grounded heliosphere. Every qualifying planet and moon carries a generated magnetosphere. The models are derived from peer-reviewed stellar physics and validated against observed Solar System parameters.

Public reference. This page explains what Cosmos Genesis does and the science it's based on. Implementation details, such as exact algorithms, tuning values and infrastructure, are kept in our internal documentation.

Stellar Heliosphere

Stellar Wind & Heliosphere Generation

Every active star in a generated system — main sequence and subgiant classes across all spectral types — receives a heliosphere record produced by the generation pipeline.

Surface magnetic field strength is modelled using a convective dynamo relationship. M-type dwarfs carry the strongest dynamos, driven by deep convective zones. The field weakens systematically toward A, B, and O types, where convection is absent. Sol-type G stars match the Sun's measured equatorial field to within the observed activity cycle range.

The outer boundary of each heliosphere — where stellar wind ram pressure balances the interstellar medium (ISM)1 — scales with stellar luminosity.2 Sol-analog stars produce heliopauses in the range 63–117 ; Voyager 1's observed crossing at ~122 AU falls just outside it. M-dwarfs, despite stronger surface fields, produce compact heliospheres due to lower wind luminosity. An outer bow shock marks where ISM flow decelerates before reaching the heliopause.

Remnant stars — white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes — are excluded from this model. Their wind-driven nebula structures are handled by a separate exotic object pipeline.

Outputs & Accuracy

Field strength modelSpectral-class convective dynamo scaling
Sol equatorial field~1×10⁻⁴ T — within observed activity range
M-dwarf peak field~4.5×10⁻³ T — consistent with flare-star observations
Heliopause scaling lawLuminosity power-law; Sol-type: 63–117 AU
Voyager 1 crossover check~122 AU — just outside generated range
Bow shock distance~1.3 × heliopause — ISM-interaction boundary
Aurora flagAssigned to all active stars — universal polar emission

Spectral Class Reference

Field Strength & Heliopause by Stellar Type

TypeClassSurface FieldHeliopause (typical)
MRed dwarf~10⁻³ T~36 AU
KOrange dwarf~10⁻³ T~55 AU
GYellow dwarf (Sun-like)~10⁻⁴ T~90 AU
FYellow-white dwarf~10⁻⁵ T~130 AU
A/B/OHot stars~10⁻⁵ T>150 AU

Heliopause distance scales with stellar luminosity (L^0.2 power law) with ±30% stochastic scatter. Values shown are typical for mid-class representatives. Hot star heliospheres are large due to high wind luminosity despite weaker surface fields.

Planetary Magnetosphere

Planetary & Moon Magnetospheres

Planets and moons meeting physical magnetization criteria receive a full magnetosphere record alongside their orbital parameters.

Gas giants, hot Jupiters, and ice giants are always magnetized — consistent with the observed magnetospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Rocky planets qualify once they exceed a mass threshold where an iron core and sufficient rotation support a self-sustaining dynamo; below that threshold, surface field generation is negligible.

Each magnetosphere record includes surface field strength, the magnetopause boundary, the outer bow shock, and radiation belt geometry where applicable. Radiation belt arrays describe the trapped-particle environment — relevant for spacecraft shielding analysis, habitability assessment, and surface mission planning. Gas giant belts are modelled as nested tori scaled to the planet's field and local stellar wind pressure, mirroring the Van Allen structure observed around Earth and Jupiter.3

Outputs & Accuracy

Gas giants / hot Jupiters / ice giantsAlways magnetized
Rocky planetsMagnetized above ~0.5 Earth masses
Outputs per bodyField strength, magnetopause, bow shock, radiation belts
Radiation belt modelNested tori — scaled field + stellar wind pressure
Earth analog checkVan Allen belt geometry reproduced

Roadmap — Live Data Integration

Planned Real-Time Solar Weather Feeds

For Sol-analog systems, the plan is for Cosmos Genesis to integrate real-time space weather data from two authoritative sources.

NOAA would provide continuous solar wind measurements — particle flux, velocity, and magnetic field orientation — updating the simulated heliospheric environment in response to actual solar conditions.4 NASA would supply a catalog of coronal mass ejection (CME) events, so CME arrival windows would reflect documented solar activity rather than synthetic averages.5

Generated stars outside the Sol catalog use the physics-based heliosphere model described above; that part is available today.

Outputs & Accuracy

Solar wind parametersPlanned: sourced from NOAA SWPC measurements
CME arrival windowsPlanned: constrained by NASA DONKI event catalog
CoverageSol-analog systems; generated stars use physics model

Roadmap — STELLAR-WIND-1

The following capabilities are planned for the STELLAR-WIND-1 sprint and are not yet available:

  • ○Parker spiral magnetic field mesh rendered in the 3D scene
  • ○Coronal mass ejection propagation cone with arrival time visualization
  • ○Hourly live Sol magnetosphere overwrite from DONKI in the production environment
  • ○Storm frequency estimation per planet based on CME rate and orbital distance
  • ○Space Weather Properties panel showing real-time field and particle data in the UI

References

Physics models are derived from peer-reviewed literature. Live data sources are publicly operated by NASA and NOAA.

  1. 1.Parker (1958) — Solar wind model — Astrophysical Journal 128:664 ↩
  2. 2.Reimers (1975) — Empirical stellar mass-loss formula — A&A Suppl. 22 ↩
  3. 3.NASA AP-8 model — Van Allen belt particle flux standard — Aerospace Radiation Environment ↩
  4. 4.NOAA SWPC — Space Weather Prediction Center — real-time solar wind data ↩
  5. 5.NASA DONKI — Space Weather Database of Notifications, Knowledge, and Information ↩
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