Hot solar wind: Magnetic turbulence trumps collisions to heat solar wind
Friday, August 17, 2012 - 08:30
in Astronomy & Space
New research has provided significant insight into how the solar wind heats up when it should not. The solar wind rushes outwards from the raging inferno that is our Sun, but from then on the wind should only get cooler as it expands beyond our solar system since there are no particle collisions to dissipate energy. However, the solar wind is surprisingly hotter than it should be, which has puzzled scientists for decades. Two new articles may have solved that puzzle.