Magnetic
Tree Hypothesis
Prelims:
Science & Technology,
Mains:
GS Paper III-Science & Technology
Current relevance:
Scientists from ARIES, in collaboration with Indian research institutions and NASA, have provided the
first observational evidence supporting the Magnetic Tree Hypothesis, revealing that the Sun's poleward plasma flow
extends into the upper chromosphere.
Highlights:
Background:
1.
Scientists have
long known that the Sun exhibits a slow
poleward movement of hot plasma, called the meridional flow, which transports magnetic fields across the
solar surface.
2.
Earlier, the
Sun's meridional plasma flow had been detected only in its lower atmospheric layers. The latest study reveals that this flow extends
nearly 3,000 km above
the visible surface into the upper chromosphere.
Key findings:
1.
The study
provides the first direct
evidence that the Sun's poleward plasma
flow extends into the upper
chromosphere.
2.
Bright radio
features move poleward in close alignment with the Sun's magnetic fields,
indicating a strong connection between the Sun's surface and upper atmosphere.
3.
Plasma flows
toward the poles at speeds of about 5–15 metres per second, with variations
over the 11-year solar
cycle.
4.
The northern and southern hemispheres exhibit different
plasma flow patterns depending on
their magnetic activity.
Magnetic Tree Hypothesis:
1.
It proposes
that magnetic
structures extending high above the Sun's surface remain connected to deeper layers, similar to the way the branches of a
tree remain connected to its trunk and roots.
2. It suggests that the Sun's upper atmosphere remains closely connected to the deeper layers, reflecting the movements occurring within the Sun.
Source: PIB - https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2285705®=48&lang=1