Physicists believe the discovery of mysterious vortex waves is leading to a new discovery in solar physics. They state that these waves are appearing to travel faster than predicted in theory.
All about mysterious and faster vortex waves on the Sun
Researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Center for Space Science studied over 25 years of ground and space-based data to detect vortex waves. The HFR waves or high-frequency retrograde waves move in the opposite direction from the Sun’s rotation. They appear as swirling motions and are present on the sun’s surface. Moreover, the study established that they move three times faster than expected by the current theory. This could be due to gravity, magnetism, or other conventions.
However, conventional astronomy is not successful in imaging the interior of stars or the Sun. Hence, researchers are relying on studying the surface signatures of several waves for imaging the interiors. According to researchers, these new HFR waves are important parts of understanding the stars. “If the high-frequency retrograde waves could be attributed to any of these three processes, then the finding would have answered some open questions we still have about the Sun,” stated Chris Hanson. Hanson is the lead author of the study.
Digging deep into the solar physics
By researching the interior dynamics of the sun using waves, researchers can understand the Sun’s impact on Earth and other planets in the solar system. “The very existence of HFR modes and their origin is a true mystery and may allude to exciting physics at play. It has the potential to shed insight on the otherwise unobservable interior of the Sun,” stated Shravan Hanasoge. Handsome is a co-author of the study. “However, these new waves don’t appear to be a result of these processes, and that’s exciting because it leads to a whole new set of questions,” concluded Hanson.