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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.10326 |
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Table of Contents:
- The Sun's corona, heated to temperatures exceeding one million Kelvin despite lying above the cooler photosphere, has puzzled astrophysicists since its discovery in the 1940s. Prevailing theories, based on acoustic and magnetohydrodynamic waves, and micro/nano-flares, fail to fully account for this extreme heating or the origins of the supersonic solar wind. We propose a mechanism in which magnetic reconnection rapidly reconfigures field lines and exerts a torque on the magnetic moment of gyrating charged particles. This torque transfers magnetic energy to the particles, effectively doubling their energy and heating the plasma. As particles traverse multiple reconnection sites, they gradually heat to coronal temperatures. With just a few additional crossings, particles can gain enough energy to overcome the Sun's gravity, directly driving solar wind acceleration. Our hypothesis resolves the coronal heating paradox and unifies solar wind dynamics under a universal astrophysical process. This work redefines our understanding of energy transfer in magnetized plasmas, with implications extending to stellar and astrophysical systems.