High-Frequency Magnetohydrodynamic Waves with Substantial Energy in the Solar Polar Corona
Abstract
The acceleration and heating of the fast solar wind remain long-standing challenges in space physics. One type of leading theoretical models requires high-frequency magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves to transport and dissipate sufficient energy in the corona. However, such high-frequency waves with energetically significant amplitudes have never been unambiguously observed, leaving a key gap between theories and observations. Using high-cadence, high-resolution extreme-ultraviolet imaging from Solar Orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, we identify a previously hidden population of high-frequency MHD waves in coronal plumes of the solar polar region. An analysis of the detected propagating kink waves shows that over one-third have periods shorter than 100 s, a population largely undetected by earlier instruments. Power spectral analysis demonstrates that these high-frequency waves carry substantial energy flux, which are significantly underestimated in lower-cadence data. These results suggest that high-frequency MHD waves may contribute importantly to the energy budget of the solar polar corona and could play a role in solar wind acceleration, highlighting the value of high-resolution observations for probing energy transport in magnetized space and astrophysical plasmas.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2607.25799,
title = {High-Frequency Magnetohydrodynamic Waves with Substantial Energy in the Solar Polar Corona},
author = {Yuhang Gao and Hui Tian and Richard Morton and Tom Van Doorsselaere and Daye Lim and Mingzhe Guo and Jiansen He and Zhenyong Hou},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.25799},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
14 pages, 4 figures, 1 table