Stellar Turbulence Shapes Activity of Stars
Stellar turbulence plays a significant role in the production of starlight, a new study from the Max Planck Institute reveals.
Stars shine as a result of fusion reactions at their cores, transforming one element into another, heavier, type of atom. Energy from these reactions works its way outward, through various layers of the Sun, each with its own distinctive characteristics.
Outside the core lies the radiation zone, through which energy travels in the form of high-energy electromagnetic waves. As the energy cools, the main method of transport becomes plasma flows, forming the next layer out from the center of the Sun — the convection zone. Here, heated plasma (the fifth state of matter) rises, cools, then sinks back again, creating conditions similar to boiling water.
Movement of charged materials in the Sun gives birth to the solar magnetic field. Lines of this magnetic field are then twisted by the rotation of the Sun (which is faster at the equator than near the poles), creating a twisting, convoluted series of lines of force.
“Unfortunately, we cannot look directly into the Sun and other stars to see these processes in action, but have to resort to more indirect methods”, says Dr. Jyri Lehtinen from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany.
