Researchers have made a major advance in solar physics by capturing the first direct evidence of small-scale torsional Alfvén waves in the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona.
About Alfvén Waves:
Alfven waves are low-frequency, transverse electromagnetic waves that propagate along the Sun’s magnetic field lines.
It occurs in a plasma(or conducting fluid), resulting from the interaction of the magnetic fields and electric currents within it.
These waves were first proposed in 1942 by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Hannes Alfvén, are magnetic fluctuations that transfer energy through plasma.
Larger and more sporadic Alfven waves linked to solar flares have been detected before.
What Researchers have found?
The breakthrough was made possible by the unique capabilities of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope’s Cryogenic Near Infrared Spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP).
This is the first time the subtle, ever-present twisting waves, thought to be powerful enough to heat the corona, have been directly confirmed.
The study suggests that Alfven waves may account for at least half of the energy needed to heat the corona.
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