Alfvén

American

[ahl-veyn, al-] / ɑlˈveɪn, æl- /

noun

Hannes (Olof Gösta) 1908–1995, Swedish physicist: Nobel Prize 1970.

Alfvén British

/ alˈven /

noun

Hannes Olaf Gösta (ˈhannɛs ˈuːlaf ˈjøsta). 1908–95, Swedish physicist, noted for his research on magnetohydrodynamics; shared the Nobel prize for physics in 1970

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Unlike the more familiar "kink" waves that cause entire magnetic structures to sway and can be seen in solar videos, torsional Alfvén waves create a subtle twisting motion that can only be detected spectroscopically.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025

"This research provides essential validation for the range of theoretical models that describe how Alfvén wave turbulence powers the solar atmosphere," added Professor Morton.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025

Understanding how Alfvén waves behave has practical significance for predicting space weather.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025

Swedish physicist Hannes Alfvén proposed the underlying theory behind the boundary in a paper in Nature in 1942, and scientists have been looking for it ever since.

From Scientific American • Dec. 15, 2021

The spacecraft crossed the Alfvén boundary when it was around 14 million kilometres, or just under 20 solar radii, from the Sun’s surface.

From Scientific American • Dec. 15, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023