Analysis of the distribution, rotation and scale characteristics of solar wind switchbacks: comparison between the first and second encounters of Parker Solar Probe
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 a cylindrical magnetic tube. We also make a comparison between switchbacks from inside and the boundary of coronal holes. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the rotation angles of switchbacks observed during the first encounter seem larger than those of the switchbacks observed during the second encounter in general; (2) the tangential component of the velocity inside the switchbacks tends to be more positive (westward) than in the ambient solar wind; (3) switchbacks are more likely to rotate clockwise than anticlockwise, and the number of switchbacks with clockwise rotation is 1.48 and 2.65 times of those with anticlockwise rotation during the first and second encounters, respectively; (4) the diameter of switchbacks is about 10^5 km on average and across five orders of magnitude (10^3 -- 10^7 km).
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…
Switchbacks -- rapid, large deflections of the solar wind's magnetic field -- have generated significant interest as possible signatures of the key mechanisms that heat the corona and accelerate the solar wind. In this context, an important task for theories of switchback formation and evolution is to understand their observable distinguishing features, allowing them to be assessed in detail using spacecraft data. Here, we work towards this goal by studying the influence of the Parker spiral on the evolution of Alfvénic switchbacks in an expanding plasma. Using simple analytic arguments based …
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…
Many solar coronal jets result from erupting miniature-filament ("minifilament") magnetic flux ropes that reconnect with encountered surrounding far-reaching field. Many of those minifilament flux ropes are apparently built and triggered to erupt by magnetic flux cancelation. If that cancelation (or some other process) results in the flux rope's field having twist, then the reconnection with the far-reaching field transfers much of that twist to that reconnected far-reaching field. In cases where that surrounding field is open, the twist can propagate to far distances from the Sun as a magneti…
The subject of switchbacks, defined either as large angular deflections or polarity reversals of the magnetic field, has generated substantial interest in the space physics community since the launch of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) in 2018. Previous studies have characterized switchbacks in several different ways, and have been restricted to data available from the first few orbits. Here, we analyze the frequency of occurrence of switchbacks per unit distance for the first full eight orbits of PSP. In this work, are considered switchback only the events that reverse the sign of magnetic field rela…
Parker Solar Probe's first encounters with the Sun revealed the presence of ubiquitous localised magnetic deflections in the inner heliosphere; these structures, often called switchbacks, are particularly striking in solar wind streams originating from coronal holes. We report the direct evidence for magnetic reconnection occuring at the boundaries of three switchbacks crossed by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) at a distance of 45 to 48 solar radii of the Sun during its first encounter. We analyse the magnetic field and plasma parameters from the FIELDS and SWEAP instruments. The three structures ana…
We use \emph{Parker Solar Probe} (\emph{PSP}) in-situ measurements to analyze the characteristics of solar wind turbulence during the first solar encounter covering radial distances between $35.7R_\odot$ and $41.7R_\odot$. In our analysis we isolate so-called switchback (SB) intervals (folded magnetic field lines) from non-switchback (NSB) intervals, which mainly follow the Parker spiral field. Using a technique based on conditioned correlation functions, we estimate the power spectra of Elsasser, magnetic and bulk velocity fields separately in the SB and NSB intervals. In comparing the turbul…
The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) has observed copious rapid magnetic field direction changes in the near-Sun solar wind. These features have been called "switchbacks," and their origin is a mystery. But their widespread nature suggests that they may be generated by a frequently occurring process in the Sun's atmosphere. We examine the possibility that the switchbacks originate from coronal jets. Recent work suggests that many coronal jets result when photospheric magnetic flux cancels, and forms a small-scale "minifilament" flux rope that erupts and reconnects with coronal field. We argue that the…
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…
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…
Generation and Expansion-Driven Growth of Switchbacks in the Outer Solar Corona and Solar Wind
Imperial College London（帝国理工学院）；University of California, Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）；Auburn University（奥本大学）；Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校空间科学实验室）；Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi (ISTP), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche（等离子体科学与技术研究所，意大利国家研究委员会）；The University of Texas at Austin（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）
Switchbacks are widely acknowledged phenomena observed by the Parker Solar Probe and appear to occur in patches. Previous studies focused on the fluctuations at the magnetic reversals. However, the nature of the fluctuations inside the switchbacks remains unknown. Here we utilize the magnetic field data and plasma data measured by the Parker Solar Probe in the first four encounters. We investigate the fluctuations in the switchback intervals of 100 s with BR>0 at every instant and compare them to the fluctuations in the nonswitchback intervals of 100 s with theta_RB>160o at every instant. We c…
We investigate the orientation of the magnetic field deflections in switchbacks (SB) to determine if they are characterised by a possible preferential orientation. We compute the deflection angles of the magnetic field relative to the Parker spiral direction for encounters 1 to 9 of the PSP mission. We first characterize the distribution of these deflection angles for calm solar wind intervals, and assess the precision of the Parker model as a function of distance to the Sun. We then assume that the solar wind is composed of two populations, the background calm solar wind and the population of…
Parker Solar Probe (PSP) data recorded within a heliocentric radial distance of 0.3 AU have revealed a magnetic field dominated by Alfvénic structures that undergo large local variations or even reversals of the radial magnetic field. They are called magnetic switchbacks, they are consistent with folds in magnetic field lines within a same magnetic sector, and are associated with velocity spikes during an otherwise calmer background. They are thought to originate either in the low solar atmosphere through magnetic reconnection processes, or result from the evolution of turbulence or velocity s…
Switchbacks -- abrupt reversals of the magnetic field within the solar wind -- have been ubiquitously observed by Parker Solar Probe (PSP). Their origin, whether from processes near the solar surface or within the solar wind itself, remains under debate, and likely has key implications for solar wind heating and acceleration. Here, using three-dimensional expanding box simulations, we examine the properties of switchbacks arising from the evolution of outwards-propagating Alfvén waves in the expanding solar wind in detail. Our goal is to provide testable predictions that can be used to differe…
Recent near-sun solar-wind observations from Parker Solar Probe have found a highly dynamic magnetic environment, permeated by abrupt radial-field reversals, or "switchbacks." We show that many features of the observed turbulence are reproduced by a spectrum of Alfvénic fluctuations advected by a radially expanding flow. Starting from simple superpositions of low-amplitude outward-propagating waves, our expanding-box compressible MHD simulations naturally develop switchbacks because (i) the normalized amplitude of waves grows due to expansion and (ii) fluctuations evolve towards spherical pola…
One of the main discoveries from the first two orbits of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) was the presence of magnetic switchbacks, whose deflections dominated the magnetic field measurements. Determining their shape and size could provide evidence of their origin, which is still unclear. Previous work with a single solar wind stream has indicated that these are long, thin structures although the direction of their major axis could not be determined. We investigate if this long, thin nature extends to other solar wind streams, while determining the direction along which the switchbacks within a stream…
The origin of switchbacks in the solar wind is discussed in two classes of theory that differ in the location of the source being either in the transition region near the Sun or in the solar wind, itself. The two classes of theory differ in their predictions of the switchback rate as a function of distance from the Sun. To test these theories, one-hour averages of Parker Solar Probe data were summed over orbits three through seven. It is found that: 1. The average switchback rate was independent of distance from the Sun. 2. The average switchback rate increased with solar wind speed. 3. The sw…
In this letter we report observations of magnetic switchback (SB) features near 1 au using data from the \emph{Wind} spacecraft. These features appear to be strikingly similar to the ones observed by the Parker Solar Probe mission (PSP) closer to the Sun: namely, one-sided spikes (or enhancements) in the solar-wind bulk speed $V$ that correlate/anti-correlate with the spikes seen in the radial-field component $B_R$. In the solar-wind streams that we analyzed, these specific SB features near 1 au are associated with large-amplitude Alfvénic oscillations that propagate outward from the sun along…
One of the discoveries made by Parker Solar Probe during first encounters with the Sun is the ubiquitous presence of relatively small-scale structures standing out as sudden deflections of the magnetic field. They were called switchbacks as some of them show up the full reversal of the radial component of the magnetic field and then return to regular conditions. Analyzing the magnetic field and plasma perturbations associated with switchbacks we identify three types of structures with slightly different characteristics: 1. Alfvenic structures, where the variations of the magnetic field compone…
Switchbacks are sudden, large radial deflections of the solar wind magnetic field, widely revealed in interplanetary space by the Parker Solar Probe. The switchbacks' formation mechanism and sources are still unresolved, although candidate mechanisms include Alfvénic turbulence, shear-driven Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, interchange reconnection, and geometrical effects related to the Parker spiral. This Letter presents observations from the Metis coronagraph onboard Solar Orbiter of a single large propagating S-shaped vortex, interpreted as first evidence of a switchback in the solar corona…
Switchbacks (rotations of the magnetic field) are observed on the Parker Solar Probe. Their evolution, content, and plasma effects are studied in this paper. The solar wind does not receive a net acceleration from switchbacks that it encountered upstream of the observation point. The typical switchback rotation angle increased with radial distance. Significant Poynting fluxes existed inside, but not outside, switchbacks and they are related to the increased EXB/B2 flow caused by the magnetic field rotating to become more perpendicular to the flow direction. (Outside the switchbacks, the magnet…
{Parker Solar Probe's first solar encounter has revealed the presence of sudden magnetic field deflections that are called switchbacks and are associated with proton velocity enhancements in the slow alfvénic solar wind.} {We study their statistical properties with a special focus on their boundaries.} {Using data from SWEAP and FIELDS we investigate particle and wavefield properties. The magnetic boundaries are analyzed with the minimum variance technique.} {Switchbacks are found to be alfvénic in 73\% of the cases and compressible in 27\%. The correlations between magnetic field magnitude an…
The structure of magnetic flux ropes injected into the solar wind during reconnection in the coronal atmosphere is explored with particle-in-cell simulations and compared with in situ measurements of magnetic "switchbacks" from the Parker Solar Probe. We suggest that multi-x-line reconnection between open and closed flux in the corona injects flux ropes into the solar wind and that these flux ropes convect outward over long distances before eroding due to reconnection. Simulations that explore the magnetic structure of flux ropes in the solar wind reproduce the following key features of the sw…
Parker Solar Probe (PSP) has shown that the solar wind in the inner heliosphere is characterized by the quasi omni-presence of magnetic switchbacks ("switchback" hereinafter), local backward-bends of magnetic field lines. Switchbacks also tend to come in patches, with a large-scale modulation that appears to have a spatial scale size comparable to supergranulation on the Sun. Here we inspect data from the first ten encounters of PSP focusing on different time intervals when clear switchback patches were observed by PSP. We show that the switchbacks modulation, on a timescale of several hours, …
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…
One of the most striking observations made by Parker Solar Probe during its first solar encounter is the omnipresence of rapid polarity reversals in a magnetic field that is otherwise mostly radial. These so-called switchbacks strongly affect the dynamics of the magnetic field. We concentrate here on their macroscopic properties. First, we find that these structures are self-similar, and have neither a characteristic magnitude, nor a characteristic duration. Their waiting time statistics shows evidence for aggregation. The associated long memory resides in their occurrence rate, and is not inh…
Switchbacks are discrete angular deflections in the solar wind magnetic field that have been observed throughout the heliosphere. Recent observations by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) have revealed the presence of patches of switchbacks on the scale of hours to days, separated by 'quieter' radial fields. We aim to further diagnose the origin of these patches using measurements of proton temperature anisotropy that can illuminate possible links to formation processes in the solar corona. We fitted 3D bi-Maxwellian functions to the core of proton velocity distributions measured by the SPAN-Ai instrume…
During Parker Solar Probe's first two orbits there are widespread observations of rapid magnetic field reversals known as switchbacks. These switchbacks are extensively found in the near-Sun solar wind, appear to occur in patches, and have possible links to various phenomena such as magnetic reconnection near the solar surface. As switchbacks are associated with faster plasma flows, we questioned whether they are hotter than the background plasma and whether the microphysics inside a switchback is different to its surroundings. We have studied the reduced distribution functions from the Solar …
We consider 2D joint distributions of normalised residual energy $σ_r(s,t)$ and cross helicity $σ_c(s,t)$ during one day of Parker Solar Probe's (PSP's) first encounter as a function of wavelet scale $s$. The broad features of the distributions are similar to previous observations made by HELIOS in slow solar wind, namely well correlated and fairly Alfvénic, except for a population with negative cross helicity which is seen at shorter wavelet scales. We show that this population is due to the presence of magnetic switchbacks, brief periods where the magnetic field polarity reverses. Such switc…
The magnetic switchbacks observed recently by the Parker Solar Probe have raised the question about their nature and origin. One of the competing theories of their origin is the interchange reconnection in the solar corona. In this scenario, switchbacks are generated at the reconnection site between open and closed magnetic fields, and are either advected by an upflow or propagate as waves into the solar wind. In this paper we test the wave hypothesis, numerically modelling the propagation of a switchback, modelled as an embedded Alfvén wave packet of constant magnetic field magnitude, through…
Direct Evidence of Non-Ideal Dissipative Dynamics in Solar Wind Magnetic Switchbacks
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校空间科学实验室）；Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校物理系）；Physics Department, University of Alberta（阿尔伯塔大学物理系）
The recent rediscovery of magnetic field switchbacks or deflections embedded in the solar wind flow by the Parker Solar Probe mission lead to a huge interest in the modelling of the formation mechanisms and origin of these switchbacks. Several scenarios for their generation were put forth, ranging from lower solar atmospheric origins by reconnection, to being a manifestation of turbulence in the solar wind, and so on. Here we study some potential formation mechanisms of magnetic switchbacks in the lower solar atmosphere, using three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) numerical simulations.…
Averaging Effects on the Solar Wind Alfven Mach Number: Implications for Switchbacks and Alfven Transition
University of Delaware（特拉华大学）；Princeton University（普林斯顿大学）；University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Mahidol University（玛希隆大学）；University of Orléans（奥尔良大学）；Kasetsart University（泰国农业大学）；NASA Goddard Space Flight Center（美国宇航局戈达德太空飞行中心）
Magnetic switchbacks, or sudden reversals in the magnetic field's radial direction, are one of the more striking observations of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) thus far in its mission. While their precise production mechanisms are still unknown, the two main theories are via interchange reconnection events and in-situ generation. In this work density and abundance variations of alpha particles are studied inside and outside individual switchbacks. We find no consistent compositional differences in the alpha particle abundance ratio, $n_{αp}$, inside vs outside, nor do we observe any signature when s…
One of the most important early results from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is the ubiquitous presence of magnetic switchbacks, whose origin is under debate. Using a three-dimensional direct numerical simulation of the equations of compressible magnetohydrodynamics from the corona to 40 solar radii, we investigate whether magnetic switchbacks emerge from granulation-driven Alfvén waves and turbulence in the solar wind. The simulated solar wind is an Alfvénic slow-solar-wind stream with a radial profile consistent with various observations, including observations from PSP. As a natural consequenc…
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 …
\textit{Parker Solar Probe} has shown the ubiquitous presence of strong magnetic field deflections, namely switchbacks, during its first perihelion where it was embedded in a highly Alfvénic slow stream. Here, we study the turbulent magnetic fluctuations around ion scales in three intervals characterized by a different switchback activity, identified by the behaviour of the magnetic field radial component, $B_r$. \textit{Quiet} ($B_r$ does not show significant fluctuations), \textit{weak} ($B_r$ has strong fluctuations but no reversals) and \textit{strong} ($B_r$ has full reversals) periods sh…
