Found the source of the "slow wind" in the solar corona

Astrophysicists led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research have observed for the first time

a dynamic network of interweaving magnetized plasma forming in the middle solar corona.The study showed that the "slow" solar wind forms in the interaction regions of the filaments of this network.

Combination of data received from different satellites.Outside the white circle, rays of the slow solar wind are visible, which connect with the plasma interaction regions in the middle corona. Image: L. P. Chitta et al., Nature Astronomy

The solar wind is a stream of charged particlesejected by the Sun into space. It reaches the edge of the solar system, creating the heliosphere, a bubble of thin plasma that marks the "sphere of influence" of the sun. Depending on the speed, the solar wind is divided into fast (over 500 km/s) and slow (from 300 to 500 km/s) components. It is known that the fast solar wind is formed in spots on the Sun, but the source of the slow component remained a mystery for a long time.

The researchers used satellite dataobservations that recorded images of the Sun in ultraviolet radiation. By combining satellite data, solar wind information and computer simulations, the researchers reconstructed the motion of plasma in the middle corona. This is a layer of the solar atmosphere that begins at an altitude of 350 thousand km above the visible surface of the Sun.

Computer simulation of the formation of a slow solar wind in the middle corona. Video: L. P. Chitta et al., Nature Astronomy

Study reveals complex web of linesmagnetized plasma, which constantly interact and reunite in the middle corona. In this case, a slow solar wind is formed over these regions simultaneously with the collisions of plasma flows of this web. 

The analysis showed that the plasma flows repeat the coursemagnetic field lines. The researchers believe that the architecture of the magnetic field is carried over to the slowly moving solar wind and plays an important role in accelerating solar wind particles in space. Hot solar plasma in the middle corona flows along the open lines of force in the coronal grid, the scientists add. Where the lines of force intersect and interact with each other, energy is released.

Scientists plan to continue researchinternal structure of the middle corona in order to better understand the structures of the Sun and stars in general in future experiments. In particular, for this it is planned to use data from launched and planned missions to the Sun.

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