UW News
Thomas Jarboe
September 19, 2019
Plasma flow near sun’s surface explains sunspots, other solar phenomena
![orange sun with spots](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/09/18154357/sunspots_NASA_Goddard_SORCE-150x150.jpg)
A new model for plasma flow within the sun provides novel explanations for sunspots, the 11-year sunspot cycle, solar magnetic reversals and other previously unexplained solar phenomena.
October 8, 2014
UW fusion reactor concept could be cheaper than coal
![A prototype of the UW's current fusion experiment.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/10/04180459/hitsi_3-150x150.jpg)
University of Washington engineers have designed a concept for a fusion reactor that, when scaled up to the size of a large electrical power plant, would rival costs for a new coal-fired plant with similar electrical output.