美国国家太阳天文台的研究团队利用Daniel K. Inouye太阳望远镜首次观测到太阳表面普遍存在的Kelvin-Helmholtz不稳定性现象[1]。这一物理现象由两种速度不同的流体相互作用产生涡旋[1]，长期以来因为涡旋尺度小于2米口径的望远镜分辨能力而无法被直接观测到[1]。
Daniel K. Inouye太阳望远镜是世界最大的太阳望远镜，拥有4米镜面，位于夏威夷[1]，于2021年11月进入运行阶段[1]。由David Kuridze和Friedrich Wöger领导的研究团队利用该望远镜的观测能力，成功捕捉到了这些太阳大气现象[1]。Kelvin-Helmholtz不稳定性的物理理论在1860年代后期已经确立[1]，但直到现在才得以在太阳表面得到实际观测验证。这一发现可能改变人们对太阳大气中热量、质量和磁能传输方式的理解[1]。
Researchers at the National Solar Observatory have used the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope to directly observe Kelvin-Helmholtz instability phenomena on the Sun's surface for the first time [1]. This physical process occurs when fluids moving at different velocities interact with one another, creating rotating vortices that have remained invisible to astronomers until now due to their extremely small scale [1].
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, a well-established concept in fluid dynamics since the late 1860s, produces plasma vortices on the Sun with dimensions smaller than what previous solar telescopes could resolve [1]. The 4-meter Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located in Hawaii and the world's largest solar telescope, possesses the unprecedented resolution necessary to detect these structures [1]. The telescope began regular operations in November 2021 [1]. Led by David Kuridze and Friedrich Wöger from the National Solar Observatory, the research team's findings could fundamentally reshape scientific understanding of how heat, mass, and magnetic energy are transported through the solar atmosphere [1].