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New Method to Detect Hidden Solar Turbulence

  • 22 May 2026

In May 2026, scientists from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) developed a new technique to detect hidden turbulence in the Sun’s corona, helping explain why the corona is much hotter than the Sun’s surface.

Key Points

  • Research Objective: The study aimed to understand the unexplained extreme heating of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona.
  • Methodology: Researchers used three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations and forward modelling techniques.
  • Wave Study: The research examined propagating transverse MHD waves, also called Alfvénic or kink waves, moving through solar magnetic structures.
  • Major Discovery: Scientists found that these waves can independently generate spectral asymmetries without requiring plasma jets or large-scale flows.
  • Turbulence Formation: Density variations and phase mixing created fine-scale turbulence inside coronal magnetic structures.
  • Spectral Signatures: The study detected alternating red and blue asymmetries in solar spectral lines caused by wave-driven plasma motion.