How does the mechanism of energy transfer in the radiative zone contrast with the convection zone?

The radiative zone relies on light quanta movement; the convection zone churns matter like boiling soup.

The distinction between the radiative zone and the convection zone lies entirely in their primary modes of energy transport, dictated by local temperature and density gradients. In the radiative zone, the density is so high that photons are constantly absorbed and re-emitted (random walk), making radiative transfer dominant. In contrast, the outer layers, like the convection zone found in the Sun, have lower temperatures and densities where the plasma becomes opaque to radiation but transparent enough to heat transfer via mass movement. This churning of matter, analogous to boiling soup, is far more energetically favorable at those outer temperatures, allowing hot plasma to rise and cool plasma to sink, effectively transporting heat via physical mixing rather than just light quanta.