Why does the energy of the Sun spend the majority of its time in the Radiative Zone?

Question

a
Light moves a slower speed inside the Sun than outside it
b
The energy in the Radiative Zone keeps getting pushed back to the Core by electromagnetic forces
c
The Radiative Zone is made of extremely dense plasma, which makes it difficult for energy to travel through
d
The energy created in the Core has to reach a certain amount until it is high enough to escape, so that energy stays in the Radiative Zone to gain that energy

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

c. The Radiative Zone is made of extremely dense plasma, which makes it difficult for energy to travel through.

In the Sun, energy generated in the core takes a long time to pass through the Radiative Zone because the extremely dense plasma restricts the movement of photons. This process, known as radiative diffusion, causes photons to scatter in many directions, significantly slowing their progress towards the outer layers of the Sun. This is why energy spends a considerable amount of time in the Radiative Zone before moving on to the Convective Zone and eventually escaping into space.