Researchers at the New York University Center for Space Science in Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have discovered a new wave in the Sun that seems to be moving much faster than the theory predicted.

In the study High frequency vortices have been found in the sunPublished in the magazine Natural astronomyThe researchers, led by researcher Chris S. Hanson, described in detail how they analyzed 25 years of space and Earth data to detect these waves. High-frequency retrograde waves (HFR), which travel in the opposite direction of the Sun’s rotation, appear as a pattern of hurricanes (rotational motion) on the Sun’s surface and travel at three times the speed of current theory.

Conventional astronomy (optical rays, X-rays, etc.) cannot represent the interior of the sun and stars, and scientists rely on the interpretation of various wave surface signatures to illustrate the interior. These new HFRs are an important puzzle element in our understanding of stars.

HFR waves can propagate rapidly due to complex interactions between other known waves and magnetic, gravitational or convection waves. “If HFR could be attributed to any of these three processes, it would answer some of the more open questions we still have about the sun,” Hanson said. “However, these new waves do not seem to be the result of these processes, they are exciting because they raise a whole new set of issues.”

The study was conducted at the NYU Abu Dhabi Space Science Center in collaboration with the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR).[{” attribute=””>New York University, using NYUAD and TIFR’s computational resources. By studying the Sun’s interior dynamics — through the use of waves — scientists can better appreciate the Sun’s potential impact on the Earth and other planets in our solar system.

“The very existence of HFR modes and their origin is a true mystery and may allude to exciting physics at play,” said Shravan Hanasoge, a co-author of the paper. “It has the potential to shed insight on the otherwise unobservable interior of the Sun.”

Reference: “Discovery of high-frequency-retrograde vorticity waves in the Sun” 24 March 2022, Nature Astronomy.
DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01632-z