Study highlights relationship between temperature and solar wind speed

Every day, the Sun emits a stream of charged particles that can reach speeds of up to 500 kilometers per second (or 1.8 million km/h). This phenomenon is called solar wind. Until recently, scientists didn’t know exactly how this flow reached such impressive speeds, but a new study published in the journal Science attempts to answer the question.

Based on data collected by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter probe and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Parker Solar probe, scientists have gained important insights that help explain the source of the energy that accelerates the solar wind to this speed.

The article suggests the answer to this mystery It lies in large-scale oscillations in the Sun’s magnetic field, a phenomenon called Alfvén waves. This isn’t the first time scientists in the field have suggested that Alfvén waves are responsible for the hypervelocity, but previously the data wasn’t as conclusive as the new study’s.

“Our work addresses a big open question about how the solar wind is energized, and helps us understand how it affects the Sun’s environment and ultimately Earth. If this process occurs on our local star, it likely powers the winds of other stars as well.” “It could have implications for the habitability of exoplanets in the Milky Way and beyond,” said study co-leader and Smithsonian Observatory associate Dr. Yeimy Rivera.

Solar wind and Alfvén waves

The team responsible for the research confirmed this Alfvén waves are responsible for the speed and high temperature of the solar wind. At first, they did not realize that the two probes were recording the same data about Alfvén’s waves.

After further analysis they realized that: In the magnetic field the energy was 10% and when the wind hit this energy dropped to 1%. This means that magnetic energy is transferred into the solar wind..

The measurements only concern the solar wind from the Sun, but the team explains that this information could be used to understand the solar winds of other stars with structures similar to our Solar System. Because the Sun is the only star we can study so closely, it is our best reference for understanding similar stars in other parts of the universe.

“This new study skillfully brings together some major pieces of the solar puzzle. The combination of data collected by Solar Orbiter, Parker Solar Probe and other missions is increasingly showing us that different solar phenomena actually work together to create this extraordinary magnetic environment,” says Daniel Müller, ESA project scientist for Solar Orbiter.

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