We haven't gotten the details right. That is where most of our work comes in and is why we need these big simulations. In the last few years, observational tools have gotten powerful enough to find the quiet sun generating magnetic fields of its own. While the amounts are much smaller, these fields seem to be important in getting heat out of the sun so it can supply, either directly or indirectly, all the Earth's energy. Simulations are piecing together the elements of this story.
Radiation transports the energy to the next, cooler region.
About two-thirds of the way to the surface, the physics changes and radiation cannot move all the energy anymore. Matter throughout the sun is plasma, a very hot gas of freely floating protons and electrons. The plasma in the star's upper third must start boiling, or convecting, to carry energy. Like a wider telescope mirror, a faster computer can see a bigger portion of a celestial object or focus its resolution on smaller details. The University of Minnesota's Paul Woodward and David Porter simulate convection throughout the sun's outer ring, techniques they have applied to studying other stars, including red giants.