The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope has captured the most detailed images ever of the sun's surface, revealing ultra-narrow bright and dark stripes (striations) on the solar photosphere.
These striations, caused by rippling magnetic field sheets, provide unprecedented insight into solar surface dynamics, resolving features as small as 20 kilometers. Light passing through these magnetic "curtains" creates alternating brightness and darkness, tracing magnetic field variations.
The study confirms that striations are signatures of magnetic fluctuations. Variations of only a hundred gauss alter the plasma's density and opacity, detectable due to the Inouye Solar Telescope's resolving power.
Understanding the solar surface's magnetic architecture is crucial for predicting space weather events like flares and coronal mass ejections. This discovery enhances our understanding and opens doors to studying magnetic structures in other astrophysical contexts. The Inouye Solar Telescope's capabilities are vital for understanding the small-scale physics driving space weather events, which impact our technological society.