Newly Detected Twisting Magnetic Waves Offer Clues to Corona Heating
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 28, 2025

Scientists have reported the first clear evidence of twisting magnetic waves in the Sun's corona, detected with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope operated by the National Solar Observatory. For decades, the cause of the corona's high temperature, millions of degrees above the solar surface, has puzzled researchers. The team, led by Richard Morton of Northumbria University, focused on torsional Alfven waves-tightly wound, twisted motions predicted for years but never conclusively observed.

Using CryoNIRSP, the Inouye Telescope's advanced spectropolarimeter, the researchers measured velocity signatures from highly ionized iron at about 1.6 million degrees Celsius. Observations revealed upward-traveling, back-and-forth twisting waves along magnetic field lines. These waves were detected through spatially resolved Doppler shifts on either side of thin coronal loops, consistent with expected twisting plasma signatures.

The findings show that torsional Alfven waves may transport significant energy, possibly matching that of kink waves previously observed in the corona. Their presence supports theories that magnetic waves help carry energy from the Sun's interior into the outer atmosphere, sustaining its extreme temperatures and fueling the solar wind.

Corroborative 3D simulations and supporting data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory reinforced the results. Researchers highlight that unraveling the energy transfer in coronal loops is vital for understanding the creation of the solar wind and the space weather that affects technology on Earth.

Richard Morton's team published the study in Nature Astronomy, describing these newly observed waves as a step toward explaining solar atmospheric heating. The Inouye Solar Telescope's precision now enables probing of plasma dynamics at unprecedented scales, bringing scientists closer to solving how the Sun's mysterious crown sustains itself.

Research Report:Evidence for small-scale torsional Alfven waves in the solar corona

Related Links
National Solar Observatory
Solar Science News at SpaceDaily