Explaining a Solar Mystery – Princeton Researchers Have Discovered a Previously Hidden Heating Process
Researchers discovered a previously unknown heating mechanism that explains why the “solar corona,” the atmosphere surrounding the Sun, is much hotter than the solar surface that emits it.
The finding at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has the potential to help resolve several astrophysical mysteries, including star formation, the source of large-scale magnetic fields in the universe, and the prediction of space weather events that can cause cell phone outages and power grid failures on Earth. Understanding the heating process also has significant implications for fusion energy research.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.