Elena Khomenko/Anamaría Navarro/Matías Koll (IAC) — Unraveling the chromosphere heating problem with HPC

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Check this Success Story at our LinkedIn: Unraveling the chromosphere heating problem using HPC simulations

☀️Can we use a computer to solve why the outter sun is hotter than its core?☀️

One would expect the Sun's core to be hotter than its outer atmosphere, but observations reveal the opposite: the corona is extremely hot. This is called the coronal heating problem, and it is believed that its origins are rooted in the chromosphere. This region is 100 times denser and 100 times cooler than the corona, and is located below it. While scientists still don't have a complete explanation, HPC resources can provide important clues. 

The team formed by Elena Khomenko, Anamaria Navarro and Matías Koll Pistarini from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has developed advanced 3D numerical simulations of the solar atmosphere covering the outer solar regions using #MareNostrum5 at Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

🔎𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝?🔎 

🔹 Vortices naturally form in the solar atmosphere
🔹 These structures connect different regions and transport energy upward
🔹 They exhibit localized heating compared to their surroundings
🔹 Their evolution may play a key role in energy redistribution

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