76-year-old theory on how magnetic waves heat Sun proved
In a first, scientists have claimed to directly detect how magnetic field-driven plasma waves contribute to the Sun's high temperatures, first predicted by Nobel-winning physicist Hannes AlfvÃ©n in 1942. Scientists studied magnetic fields emanating out of dark spots on Sun that suggested the AlfvÃ©n waves convert their energy into shock waves, which then ripple through the Sun and produce heat.