First-time UAH study sheds new light on mystery of why solar corona is so much hotter than Sun’s surface
University of Alabama HuntsvilleIn a new study published in the The Astrophysical Journal, a researcher from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, explores critical aspects of a phenomenon called kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) to provide fresh insights into an age-old heliophysics mystery. Syed Ayaz, a graduate research assistant at the UAH Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), examined the potentially pivotal role of KAWs in heating the solar corona, moving science one step closer to solving the puzzle of why the corona is many times hotter than the surface of the Sun itself.