近日，美国国家太阳观测站Friedrich Wöger团队报道了普遍存在的开尔文-亥姆霍兹不稳定性驱动太阳上的等离子体混合。这一研究成果于2026年8月5日发表在《自然》杂志上。

太阳光球层中磁场与湍流对流的相互作用，驱动着其磁化大气的动力学、演化和结构形成。这种相互作用通常发生在当今观测的空间分辨率极限或以下。

研究组报道了利用世界首台4米级太阳望远镜——美国国家科学基金会丹尼尔·K·井上太阳望远镜（Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope）获取的太阳光球层高空间分辨率观测结果。时序图像揭示出比以往观测远为复杂和动态的太阳活动景象。研究组在磁通量集中区的边缘识别出普遍存在的磁化开尔文–亥姆霍兹不稳定性，并为一项长期存在的理论预测提供了实验验证。

太阳光球层中小尺度磁化开尔文–亥姆霍兹不稳定性的发现——这一现象可通过高分辨率数值模拟重现——对人们理解展现涡旋运动的磁场的产生与耗散具有深远意义，这种涡旋运动可能导致磁通量编织。该结果支持如下图像：在可见太阳表面以下的层中存在不相连的磁通量集中区，而这些区域在太阳光球层中连接为表现为光斑聚集区和暗斑的整体磁通量区域。开尔文–亥姆霍兹不稳定性是磁流体动力学系统中传输质量、能量、动量和磁通量的有效机制，并为像本文所观测的磁活动区中的过程提供了变革性的认识。

附：英文原文

Title: Ubiquitous Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities driving plasma mixing on the Sun

Author: Kuridze, David, Wger, Friedrich, van Noort, Michiel, Rempel, Matthias, Cameron, Robert, Rimmele, Thomas, Solanki, Sami K., Jaeggli, Sarah A., Tritschler, Alexandra, Uitenbroek, Han, Przybylski, Damien, Boboltz, David A.

Issue&Volume: 2026-08-05

Abstract: The interaction between the magnetic field and turbulent convection in the Sun’s photosphere drives the dynamics, evolution and structuring of its magnetized atmosphere. This interaction often takes place at or below the spatial resolution of modern-day observations. Here we report on high-spatial-resolution observations of the solar photosphere acquired using the world’s first 4-m class solar telescope, the US National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. Time sequence images reveal a far more complex and dynamic solar scene than previously observed. We identify ubiquitous magnetized Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities at the edges of magnetic flux concentrations and provide experimental confirmation of a long-standing theoretical prediction1,2. The discovery of small-scale magnetized Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities in the solar photosphere, which can be reproduced by high-resolution numerical simulations, has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the creation and dissipation of magnetic fields exhibiting vortex motion, which can lead to flux braiding. Our results support the picture of disjoint magnetic field concentrations in layers below the visible solar surface that connect to monolithic flux regions visible as facular concentrations and pores in the solar photosphere. Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities are an efficient mechanism for transporting mass, energy, momentum and magnetic flux in magnetohydrodynamic systems, and they offer transformative insights into processes in magnetically active regions such as the one observed here.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10871-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10871-3