Abstract
The question of how heat is persistently transported from the Sun’s photosphere (at about 6,000 K) to the much hotter corona (at about 10^6 K) is one of the great open puzzles in astrophysics. Using the quantum Markovian master equation, we show that convection in the stellar photosphere generates plasma waves by an irreversible process akin to Zeldovich superradiance and sonic booms. In the Sun, this mechanism is most efficient in quiet regions with small magnetic fields. Energy is mostly carried by megahertz Alfven waves that scatter elastically until they reach a height at which they can dissipate via mode conversion. This model gives the right power flux for coronal heating and may account for “chromospheric evaporation” leading to impulsive heat transport into the corona.
