Solar Flares Heat Ions to 60 Million Degrees, Challenging 50-Year Physics Puzzle
ST. ANDREWS,SCOTLAND – A new study fromโ the University of St. Andrews reveals that ions within solar flares reach temperaturesโค exceedingโ 60 million โขdegrees celsius – 6.5 times hotter than previously estimated – resolving a decades-old mystery surrounding the sun’s spectral lines. The findings, published in โฃ The Astrophysical Journal Letters, upend conventional understanding of energy distribution during solar flares and have โimplications for space weather forecasting, satellite operation, and astronaut safety.
Forโ nearly half a century, physicists haveโข been โbaffled by the unusually โขbroadโค spectral linesโ emitted during solar โฃflares. The prevailing theory assumed ions and electrons reached similar temperatures. This researchโ demonstrates a significant disparity, with ions experiencing dramatically greater heating. Solar flares, powerful bursts of energy โfrom the sun’s atmosphere,โฃ can disruptโค Earth’s atmosphere, interfere with satellite communications, and pose โฃrisks to astronauts. Understanding the mechanics of these flares is crucial for mitigating their impact.
The research team,โฃ led by Dr. Alexander Russell, a solar theory expert at St. andrews, found โthat magnetic reconnection heats โions 6.5 times more effectively than electrons. “This evidence isโ consistentโ in spaceโ observations, solar breeze, to โขnumerical simulations,” Dr. Russell โexplained.โ “But this is the first time โassociated with sun flares.” The superheated ions are believed to be the key to explaining the long-observedโข widening of spectral lines, a phenomenon previously attributed to turbulence.
The study confirms thatโฃ these energetic flares โฃcan heat plasma โขto tens โof โคmillions of degrees, releasing X-ray radiation and impacting near-Earth space. The new data supports โขa โขmodel where extreme ion temperatures are a โขprimary driver of flare โdynamics,โ shiftingโ the paradigm in solarโ physics and possibly unlocking solutions to longstanding astrophysical puzzles.