Research Notes of the AAS, accepted for publication. "Data behind the figure" are included in ASCII machine-readable table form, both here and on the RNAAS site
From the the solar photosphere to the outer heliosphere, the Sun's plasma properties are fluctuating with a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. In fact, a turbulent cascade of energy from large to small scales is a frequently invoked explanation for heating the corona and accelerating the solar wind. NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is expected to revolutionize our understanding of coronal heating and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence by performing in situ sampling closer to the Sun than any other prior space mission. This research note presents theoretical predictions for some properties of MHD turbulence (e.g., spacecraft-frame power spectra and variance anisotropies) in the regions to be explored by PSP. These results are derived from a previously published semi-empirical model of coupled Alfvenic and fast-mode turbulence in the fast solar wind. The primary reason for this research note is to show how straightforward it can be to extract useful predictions from existing theoretical models about measurable quantities that were not even considered when creating the models initially. The variance anisotropy, for example, may be an important quantity for distinguishing between different theoretical models for coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is about to start operations at the summit of Haleakala (Hawaii). DKIST will join the early science phases of the NASA and ESA Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter encounter missions. By combining in-situ measurements of the near-sun plasma environment and detail remote observations of multiple layers of the Sun, the three observatories form an unprecedented multi-messenger constellation to study the magnetic connectivity inside the solar system. This white paper outlines the synergistic science that this multi-mess…
NASA's Parker Solar Probe (Parker) spacecraft reached its first perihelion of 35.7 solar radii on November 5th, 2018. To aid in mission planning, and in anticipation of the unprecedented measurements to be returned, in late October, we developed a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solution for the solar corona and inner heliosphere, driven by the then available observations of the Sun's photospheric magnetic field. Our model incorporates a wave-turbulence-driven (WTD) model to heat the corona. Here, we present our predictions for the structure of the solar corona and the likely {\it …
Waiting time distributions of solar flares and {\sl coronal mass ejections (CMEs)} exhibit power law-like distribution functions with slopes in the range of $α_τ \approx 1.4-3.2$, as observed in annual data sets during 4 solar cycles (1974-2012). We find a close correlation between the waiting time power law slope $α_τ$ and the {\sl sunspot number (SN)}, i.e., $α_τ$ = 1.38 + 0.01 $\times$ SN. The waiting time distribution can be fitted with a Pareto-type function of the form $N(τ) = N_0$ $(τ_0 + τ)^{-α_τ}$, where the offset $τ_0$ depends on the instrumental sensitivity, the detection threshold…
The evolution of the magnetic field and plasma quantities inside a coronal mass ejection (CME) with distance are known from statistical studies using data from 1 au monitors, planetary missions, Helios, and Ulysses. This does not cover the innermost heliosphere, below 0.29 au, where no data are yet publicly available. Here, we describe the evolution of the properties of simulated CMEs in the inner heliosphere using two different initiation mechanisms. We compare the radial evolution of these properties with that found from statistical studies based on observations in the inner heliosphere by H…
The {\it Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe} (WISPR) on {\it Parker Solar Probe} (PSP), observing in white light, has a fixed angular field of view, extending from 13.5$^{\circ}$ to 108$^{\circ}$ from the Sun and approximately 50$^{\circ}$ in the transverse directions. Because of the highly elliptical orbit of PSP, the physical extent of the imaged coronal region varies directly as the distance from the Sun, requiring new techniques for analysis of the motions of observed density features. Here, we present a technique for determining the 3D trajectory of CMEs and other coronal ejecta moving rad…
The Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) onboard Parker Solar Probe (PSP), observing in white light, has a fixed angular field of view, extending from 13.5 degree to 108 degree from the Sun and approximately 50 degree in the transverse direction. In January 2021, on its seventh orbit, PSP crossed the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) near perihelion at a distance of 20 solar radii. At this time, WISPR observed a broad band of highly variable solar wind and multiple coronal rays. For six days around perihelion, PSP was moving with an angular velocity exceeding that of the Sun. During this p…
Context: On 26-27 January 2020, the wide-field imager WISPR on Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a distance of approximately 30 solar radii as it passed through the instrument's 95 degree field-of-view, providing an unprecedented view of the flux rope morphology of the CME's internal structure. The same CME was seen by STEREO, beginning on 25 January. Aims: Our goal was to understand the origin and determine the trajectory of this CME. Methods: We analyzed data from three well-placed spacecraft: Parker Solar Probe (PSP), Solar Terrestrial Relations Observator…
In this letter we propose a practical methodology to interpret future Parker Solar Probe (PSP) turbulent time signals even when Taylor's hypothesis is not valid. By extending Kraichnan's sweeping model used in hydrodynamics we derive the Eulerian spacetime correlation function in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) turbulence. It is shown that in MHD, the temporal decorrelation of small-scale fluctuations arises from a combination of hydrodynamic sweeping induced by large-scale fluid velocity $δu_0$ and by the Alfvénic propagation along the local magnetic field. The resulting temporal part of the space…
We study the role of turbulence in magnetic reconnection, within the framework of magneto-hydrodynamics, using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. For small turbulent intensity we find that the reconnection rate obeys Sweet-Parker scaling. For large enough turbulent intensity reconnection rate departs significantly from Sweet-Parker behaviour, becomes almost a constant as a function of the Lundquist number. We further study energisation of test-particles in the same setup. We find that the speed of the energised particles obeys a Maxwellian distribution, whose variance also obeys S…
We provide a simple geometric explanation for the source of switchbacks and associated large and one-sided transverse flows in the solar wind observed by Parker Solar Probe. The more radial, Sub-Parker Spiral structure of the heliospheric magnetic field observed previously by Ulysses, ACE, and STEREO is created within rarefaction regions where footpoint motion from the source of fast into slow wind at the Sun creates a magnetic field line connection across solar wind speed shear. Conversely, when foot-points move from the source of slow wind into faster wind, a Super-Parker Spiral field struct…
As a key feature, NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and ESA-NASA's Solar Orbiter (SO) missions cooperate to trace solar wind and transients from their sources on the Sun to the inner interplanetary space. The goal of this work is to accurately reconstruct the interplanetary Parker spiral and the connection between coronal features observed remotely by the Metis coronagraph on-board SO and those detected in situ by PSP at the time of the first PSP-SO quadrature of January 2021. We use the Reverse In-situ and MHD Approach (RIMAP), a hybrid analytical-numerical method performing data-driven reconst…
Statistical Energy Budget of the Solar Wind with Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter : 1 - Unbalanced Total Energy Radial Evolution
University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris（巴黎天文台，巴黎文理研究大学，法国国家科学研究中心，索邦大学，巴黎大学）；IRAP, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, CNRS（红外与射电天文研究所，南比利牛斯天文台，图卢兹第三大学-保罗·萨巴蒂尔大学，法国国家科学研究中心）；Imperial College London（帝国理工学院）
The solar wind undergoes significant heating as it propagates away from the Sun; the exact mechanisms responsible for this heating remain unclear. Using data from the first perihelion of the Parker Solar Probe mission, we examine the properties of proton and electron heating occurring within magnetic coherent structures identified by means of the Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method. Statistically, regions of space with strong gradients in the magnetic field, $PVI \geq 1$, are associated with strongly enhanced proton but only slightly elevated electron temperatures. Our analysis indicat…
We systematically search for magnetic flux rope structures in the solar wind to within the closest distance to the Sun of 0.13 AU, using data from the third and fourth orbits of the Parker Solar Probe. We extend our previous magnetic helicity based technique of identifying magnetic flux rope structures. The method is improved upon to incorporate the azimuthal flow, which becomes larger as the spacecraft approaches the Sun. A total of 21 and 34 magnetic flux ropes are identified during the third (21 days period) and fourth (17 days period) orbits of the Parker Solar Probe, respectively. We prov…
Solar coronal jets are small, transient, collimated ejections most easily observed in coronal holes (CHs). The upcoming Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission provides the first opportunity to encounter CH jets in situ near the Sun and examine their internal structure and dynamics. Using projected mission orbital parameters, we have simulated PSP encounters with a fully three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of a CH jet. We find that three internal jet regions, featuring different wave modes and levels of compressibility, have distinct identifying signatures detectable by PSP. The leading…
On the Radial Evolution of the Solar Wind : The Source Alignment Method Applied to Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter Observations
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校空间科学实验室）；Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校物理系）；LIRA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris（巴黎天文台，PSL大学，CNRS，索邦大学，巴黎大学 LIRA）；Laboratoire Cogitamus（Cogitamus 实验室）；IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES（图卢兹大学 IRAP，CNRS，CNES）；Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam（波茨坦莱布尼茨天体物理研究所）
The correlation between the plasma density measured in space and the surface potential of an electrically conducting satellite body with biased electric field detectors has been recognized and used to provide density proxies. However, for Parker Solar Probe, this correlation has not produced quantitative density estimates over extended periods of time because it depends on the energy dependent exponential variation of the photoemission spectrum, the electron temperature, the ratio of the biased surface area to the conducting spacecraft surface area, the spacecraft secondary or thermal emission…
Electrostatic analyzers of different designs have been used since the earliest days of the space age, beginning with the very earliest solar wind measurements made by Mariner 2 en route to Venus in 1962. The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission, NASA's first dedicated mission to study the innermost reaches of the heliosphere, makes its thermal plasma measurements using a suite of instruments called the Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas, and Protons (SWEAP) investigation. SWEAP's electron Parker Solar Probe Analyzer (SPAN-E) instruments are a pair of top-hat electrostatic analyzers on PSP that are capab…
Magnetic switchbacks are rapid high amplitude reversals of the radial magnetic field in the solar wind that do not involve a heliospheric current sheet crossing. First seen sporadically in the seventies in Mariner and Helios data, switchbacks were later observed by the Ulysses spacecraft beyond 1 au and have been recently identified as a typical component of solar wind fluctuations in the inner heliosphere by the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. Here we provide a simple yet predictive theory for the formation of these magnetic reversals: the switchbacks are produced by the shear of circularly po…
We present a first theoretical modeling of joint Parker Solar Probe (PSP) - Metis/Solar Orbiter (SolO) quadrature observations Telloni et al 2022c. The combined observations describe the evolution of a slow solar wind plasma parcel from the extended solar corona ($3.5-6.3$ R$_\odot$) to the very inner heliosphere (23.2 R$_\odot$). The Metis/SolO instrument remotely measures the solar wind speed finding a range from $96-201$ kms$^{-1}$, and PSP measures the solar wind plasma in situ, observing a radial speed of 219.34 kms$^{-1}$. We find theoretically and observationally that the solar wind spe…
The physical mechanisms that produce the slow solar wind are still highly debated. Parker Solar Probe's (PSP's) second solar encounter provided a new opportunity to relate in situ measurements of the nascent slow solar wind with white-light images of streamer flows. We exploit data taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) and the Wide Imager on Solar Probe to reveal for the first time a close link between imaged streamer flows and the high-density plasma measured by the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) experimen…
The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft is performing the first in situ exploration of the solar wind within 0.2 au of the Sun. Initial observations confirmed the Alfvénic nature of aligned fluctuations of the magnetic field B and velocity V in solar wind plasma close to the Sun, in domains of nearly constant magnetic field magnitude $|{\bf B}|$, i.e., approximate magnetic pressure balance. Such domains are interrupted by particularly strong fluctuations, including but not limited to radial field (polarity) reversals, known as switchbacks. It has been proposed that nonlinear Kelvin-Helmholtz i…
Since the launch on 2018/08/12, Parker Solar Probe (PSP) has completed its first and second orbits around the Sun, having reached down to 35.7 solar radii at each perihelion. In anticipation of the exciting new data at such unprecedented distances, we have simulated the global 3D heliosphere using an MHD model coupled with a semi-empirical coronal model using the best available photospheric magnetograms as input. We compare our heliospheric MHD simulation results with in situ measurements along the PSP trajectory from its launch to the completion of the second orbit, with particular emphasis o…
In this study we examine the radial dependence of the inertial and dissipation range indices, as well as the spectral break separating the inertial and dissipation range in power density spectra of interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations using {\it Parker Solar Probe} data from the fifth solar encounter between $\sim$0.1 and $\sim$0.7 au. The derived break wavenumber compares reasonably well with previous estimates at larger radial distances and is consistent with gyro-resonant damping of Alfvénic fluctuations by thermal protons. We find that the inertial scale power law index varies betwee…
Characterization of compressible fluctuations in solar wind streams dominated by balanced and imbalanced turbulence: Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter and Wind observations
The University of Texas at Austin（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）
研究通过分析Wind、Solar Orbiter和Parker Solar Probe的数据，探讨太阳风中压缩性波动的尺度依赖性和与等离子体β值及径向距离的关系，揭示压缩性波动在太阳风加速和加热中的作用。
Parker Solar Probe (PSP) routinely observes magnetic field deflections in the solar wind at distances less than 0.3 au from the Sun. These deflections are related to structures commonly called 'switchbacks' (SBs), whose origins and characteristic properties are currently debated. Here, we use a database of visually selected SB intervals - and regions of solar wind plasma measured just before and after each SB - to examine plasma parameters, turbulent spectra from inertial to dissipation scales, and intermittency effects in these intervals. We find that many features, such as perpendicular stoc…
Simulation results from a global magnetohydrodynamic model of the solar corona and solar wind are compared with Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations during its first five orbits. The fully three-dimensional model is based on Reynolds-averaged mean-flow equations coupled with turbulence transport equations. The model includes the effects of electron heat conduction, Coulomb collisions, turbulent Reynolds stresses, and heating of protons and electrons via a turbulent cascade. Turbulence transport equations for average turbulence energy, cross helicity, and correlation length are solved concurre…
Recent in-situ observations from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission in the inner heliosphere near perihelia show evidence of ion beams, temperature anisotropies, and kinetic wave activity, which are likely associated with kinetic heating and acceleration processes of the solar wind. In particular, the proton beams were detected by PSP/SPAN-I and related magnetic fluctuation spectra associated with ion-scale waves were observed by the FIELDS instrument. We present the ion velocity distribution functions (VDFs) from SPAN-I and the results of 2.5D and 3D hybrid-particle-in-cell (hybrid-PIC) mod…
Sunward Streaming 3He-rich SEP Events Observed by Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe during Perihelion Passage
Southwest Research Institute（西南研究所）；Center for Astrophysics—Harvard & Smithsonian（天体物理学中心——哈佛与史密森尼学会）；Space Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院空间辐射实验室）；Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University（约翰斯·霍普金斯大学应用物理实验室）；The University of Texas at San Antonio（得克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校）
The S-shaped magnetic structure in the solar wind formed by the twisting of magnetic field lines is called a switchback, whose main characteristics are the reversal of the magnetic field and the significant increase in the solar wind radial velocity. We identify 242 switchbacks during the first two encounters of Parker Solar Probe (PSP). Statistics methods are applied to analyze the distribution and the rotation angle and direction of the magnetic field rotation of the switchbacks. The diameter of switchbacks is estimated with a minimum variance analysis (MVA) method based on the assumption of…
Energetic particle transport in the interplanetary medium is known to be affected by magnetic structures. It has been demonstrated for solar energetic particles in near-Earth orbit studies, and also for the more energetic cosmic rays. In this paper, we show observational evidence that intensity variations of solar energetic particles can be correlated with the occurrence of helical magnetic flux tubes and their boundaries. The analysis is carried out using data from Parker Solar Probe orbit 5, in the period 2020 May 24 to June 2. We use FIELDS magnetic field data and energetic particle measure…
Parallel Diffusion Coefficient of Energetic Charged Particles in the Inner Heliosphere from the Turbulent Magnetic Fields Measured by Parker Solar Probe
Observations by the Parker Solar Probe mission of the solar wind at about 35.7 solar radii reveal the existence of whistler wave packets with frequencies below 0.1 f/fce (20-80 Hz in the spacecraft frame). These waves often coincide with local minima of the magnetic field magnitude or with sudden deflections of the magnetic field that are called switchbacks. Their sunward propagation leads to a significant Doppler frequency downshift from 200-300 Hz to 20-80 Hz (from 0.2 f/fce to 0.5 f/fce). The polarization of these waves varies from quasi-parallel to significantly oblique with wave normal an…
Launched on 12 Aug. 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe had completed 13 of its scheduled 24 orbits around the Sun by Nov. 2022. The mission's primary science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun's coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Parker Solar Probe returned a treasure trove of science data that far exceeded quality, significance, and quantity expectations, leading to a significant number of discoveries reported in nearly 700 peer-reviewed publications. The…
The velocity of alpha particles relative to protons can vary depending on the solar wind type and distance from the Sun (Marsch 2012). Measurements from the previous spacecraft provided the alpha-proton's differential velocities down to 0.3 au. Parker Solar Probe (PSP) now enables insights into differential flows of newly accelerated solar wind closer to the Sun for the first time. Here, we study the difference between proton and alpha bulk velocities near PSP perihelia of Encounters 3-7 when the core solar wind is in the field of view of the Solar Probe Analyzer for Ions (SPAN-I) instrument. …
As fundamental parameters of the Sun, the Alfvén radius and angular momentum loss determine how the solar wind changes from sub-Alfvénic to super-Alfvénic and how the Sun spins down. We present an approach to determining the solar wind angular momentum flux based on observations from Parker Solar Probe (PSP). A flux of about $0.15\times10^{30}$ dyn cm sr$^{-1}$ near the ecliptic plane and 0.7:1 partition of that flux between the particles and magnetic field are obtained by averaging data from the first four encounters within 0.3 au from the Sun. The angular momentum flux and its particle compo…
The acceleration of the solar coronal plasma to supersonic speeds is one of the most fundamental yet unresolved problem in heliophysics. Despite the success of Parker's pioneering theory on an isothermal solar corona, the realistic solar wind is observed to be non-isothermal, and the decay of its temperature with radial distance usually can be fitted to a polytropic model. In this work, we use Parker Solar Probe data from the first nine encounters to estimate the polytropic index of solar wind protons. The estimated polytropic index varies roughly between 1.25 and 1.5 and depends strongly on s…
We report analysis of sub-Alfvénic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) perturbations in the low-\b{eta} radial-field solar wind using the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft data from 31 October to 12 November 2018. We calculate wave vectors using the singular value decomposition method and separate the MHD perturbations into three types of linear eigenmodes (Alfvén, fast, and slow modes) to explore the properties of the sub-Alfvénic perturbations and the role of compressible perturbations in solar wind heating. The MHD perturbations there show a high degree of Alfvénicity in the radial-field solar wind, with…
This paper presents a stochastic three-dimensional (3D) focused transport simulation of solar energetic particles (SEPs) produced by a data-driven coronal mass ejection (CME) shock propagating through a data-driven model of coronal and heliospheric magnetic fields. The injection of SEPs at the CME shock is treated using diffusive shock acceleration of post-shock superthermal solar wind ions. A time backward stochastic simulation is employed to solve the transport equation to obtain the SEP time-intensity profile at any location, energy, and pitch angle. The model is applied to a SEP event on 2…
