Ion kinetics of plasma interchange reconnection in the lower solar corona

The exploration of the inner heliosphere by Parker Solar Probe has revealed a highly structured solar wind with ubiquitous deflections from the Parker spiral, known as switchbacks. Interchange reconnection (IR) may play an important role in generating these switchbacks by forming unstable particle distributions that generate wave activity that in turn may evolve to such structures. IR occurs in very low beta plasmas and in the presence of strong guiding fields. Although IR is unlikely to release enough energy to provide an important contribution to the heating and acceleration of the solar wind, it affects the way the solar wind is connected to its sources, connecting open field lines to regions of closed fields. This "switching on" provides a mechanism by which plasma near coronal hole boundaries can mix with that trapped inside the closed loops. This mixing can lead to a new energy balance. It may significantly change the characteristics of the solar wind because this plasma is already pre-heated and can potentially have quite different density and particle distributions. It not only replenishes the solar wind, but also affects the electric field, which in turn affects the energy balance. This interpenetration is manifested by the formation of a bimodal ion distribution, with a core and a beam-like population. Such distributions are indeed frequently observed by the Parker Solar Probe. Here we provide a first step towards assessing the role of such processes in accelerating and heating the solar wind.Comment: Accepted in Parker Solar Probe Focus Issue (ApJ

Switchbacks, microstreams, and broadband turbulence in the solar wind

Switchbacks are a striking phenomenon in near-Sun coronal hole flows, but their origins, evolution, and relation to the broadband fluctuations seen farther from the Sun are unclear. We use the near-radial lineup of Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe during September 2020 when both spacecraft were in wind from the Sun's Southern polar coronal hole to investigate if switchback variability is related to large scale properties near 1 au. Using the measured solar wind speed, we map measurements from both spacecraft to the source surface and consider variations with source Carrington longitude. The patch modulation of switchback amplitudes at Parker at 20 solar radii was associated with speed variations similar to microstreams and corresponds to solar longitudinal scales of around 5°–10°. Near 1 au, this speed variation was absent, probably due to interactions between plasma at different speeds during their propagation. The alpha particle fraction, which has recently been shown to have spatial variability correlated with patches at 20 solar radii, varied on a similar scale at 1 au. The switchback modulation scale of 5°–10°, corresponding to a temporal scale of several hours at Orbiter, was present as a variation in the average deflection of the field from the Parker spiral. While limited to only one stream, these results suggest that in coronal hole flows, switchback patches are related to microstreams, perhaps associated with supergranular boundaries or plumes. Patches of switchbacks appear to evolve into large scale fluctuations, which might be one driver of the ubiquitous turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind

Solar magnetism eXplorer (SolmeX)

The magnetic field plays a pivotal role in many fields of Astrophysics. This is especially true for the physics of the solar atmosphere. Measuring the magnetic field in the upper solar atmosphere is crucial to understand the nature of the underlying physical processes that drive the violent dynamics of the solar corona—that can also affect life on Earth. SolmeX, a fully equipped solar space observatory for remote-sensing observations, will provide the first comprehensive measurements of the strength and direction of the magnetic field in the upper solar atmosphere. The mission consists of two spacecraft, one carrying the instruments, and another one in formation flight at a distance of about 200 m carrying the occulter to provide an artificial total solar eclipse. This will ensure high-quality coronagraphic observations above the solar limb. SolmeX integrates two spectro-polarimetric coronagraphs for off-limb observations, one in the EUV and one in the IR, and three instruments for observations on the disk. The latter comprises one imaging polarimeter in the EUV for coronal studies, a spectro-polarimeter in the EUV to investigate the low corona, and an imaging spectro-polarimeter in the UV for chromospheric studies. SOHO and other existing missions have investigated the emission of the upper atmosphere in detail (not considering polarization), and as this will be the case also for missions planned for the near future. Therefore it is timely that SolmeX provides the final piece of the observational quest by measuring the magnetic field in the upper atmosphere through polarimetric observations

Inconspicuous Solar Polar Coronal X-Ray Jets as the Source of Conspicuous Hinode/EUV Imaging Spectrometer Doppler Outflows

We examine in greater detail five events previously identified as being sources of strong transient coronal outflows in a solar polar region in Hinode/Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) Doppler data. Although relatively compact or faint and inconspicuous in Hinode/X-ray Telescope (XRT) soft-X-ray (SXR) images and in Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) EUV images, we find that all of these events are consistent with being faint coronal X-ray jets. The evidence for this is that the events result from eruption of minifilaments of projected sizes spanning 5000–14,000 km and with erupting velocities spanning 19–46 km s−1, which are in the range of values observed in cases of confirmed X-ray polar coronal hole jets. In SXR images, and in some EUV images, all five events show base brightenings, and faint indications of a jet spire that (in four of five cases where determinable) moves away from the brightest base brightening; these properties are common to more obvious X-ray jets. For a comparatively low-latitude event, the minifilament erupts from near (≲few arcsec) a location of near-eruption-time opposite-polarity magnetic-flux-patch convergence, which again is consistent with many observed coronal jets. Thus, although too faint to be identified as jets a priori, otherwise all five events are identical to typical coronal jets. This suggests that jets may be more numerous than recognized in previous studies, and might contribute substantially to solar wind outflow, and to the population of magnetic switchbacks observed in Parker Solar Probe (PSP) data.ISSN:0004-637XISSN:2041-821

Investigation of Alpha-Proton Drift Speeds in the Solar Wind: WIND and HELIOS Observations

In this paper, we present an analysis of how alpha–proton drift speeds (the difference between the magnitudes of alpha and bulk proton speeds) are constrained in the inner heliosphere using observations from the WIND and twin HELIOS spacecraft. The solar wind is separated based on its bulk proton speed into the fast wind (>600 km/s) and slow wind (B and V vectors for fast and slow Alfvénic wind intervals. Depending on the polarity of the magnetic field, there is a clear correlation or anti-correlation between the drift speeds and the angle between the B and V vectors. Interestingly, we did not observe any such relation in the non-Alfvénic slow wind intervals. Large-amplitude Alfvénic fluctuations present in the fast and slow Alfvénic winds control the drift between the alpha and proton core in the Alfvénic solar wind. The drift speeds can be modeled using the equation +/−VArAcosθBV, where VA is the Alfvén speed and rA is the Alfvén ratio. Because the observations of drift speed constrained by the angle between the B and V vector for the fast and slow Alfvénic wind intervals are observed throughout the inner heliosphere, it is possible to consider this observed behavior to be a universal phenomenon of Alfvénic wind above the Alfvénic surface

New Evidence on the Origin of Solar Wind Microstreams/Switchbacks

Microstreams are fluctuations in the solar wind speed and density associated with polarity-reversing folds in the magnetic field (also denoted switchbacks). Despite their long heritage, the origin of these microstreams/switchbacks remains poorly understood. For the first time, we investigated periodicities in microstreams during Parker Solar Probe (PSP) Encounter 10 to understand their origin. Our analysis was focused on the inbound corotation interval on 2021 November 19-21, while the spacecraft dove toward a small area within a coronal hole (CH). Solar Dynamics Observatory remote-sensing observations provide rich context for understanding the PSP in-situ data. Extreme ultraviolet images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly reveal numerous recurrent jets occurring within the region that was magnetically connected to PSP during intervals that contained microstreams. The periods derived from the fluctuating radial velocities in the microstreams (approximately 3, 5, 10, and 20 minutes) are consistent with the periods measured in the emission intensity of the jetlets at the base of the CH plumes, as well as in larger coronal jets and in the plume fine structures. Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager magnetograms reveal the presence of myriad embedded bipoles, which are known sources of reconnection-driven jets on all scales. Simultaneous enhancements in the PSP proton flux and ionic ($^3$He, $^4$He, Fe, O) composition during the microstreams further support the connection with jetlets and jets. In keeping with prior observational and numerical studies of impulsive coronal activity, we conclude that quasiperiodic jets generated by interchange/breakout reconnection at CH bright points and plume bases are the most likely sources of the microstreams/switchbacks observed in the solar wind.Comment: ApJ Letters, 19 pages, 12 figure

Small-Scale Upflows in a Coronal Hole – Tracked from the Photosphere to the Corona

Coronal transients are known as sources of coronal upflows. With the commissioning of Solar Orbiter, it became apparent that coronal small-scale features are even more frequent than previously estimated. It was found that even small coronal features seen by Solar Orbiter can produce visible upflows. Therefore, it is important to study the plasma flows on small scales better and understand their atmospheric driving mechanisms. In this article, we present the results from a two-week coordinated multi-spacecraft observation campaign with Hinode, IRIS, and the GREGOR telescope. We identify a small region of coronal upflows with Doppler velocities of up to 16.5 km s−1. The upflows are located north of a coronal bright point in a coronal hole. We study the corona, the transition region, the chromosphere and the photospheric magnetic field to find evidence of underlying mechanisms for the coronal upflow. We find a complex photospheric magnetic field with several small mixed polarities that are the footpoints of different loops. Flux emergence and cancellation are observed at the constantly changing footpoints of the coronal loops. Reconnection of loops can be identified as the driver of the coronal upflow. Furthermore, the impact of the coronal activity triggers plasma flows in the underlying layers. This work highlights that frequent small coronal features can cause considerable atmospheric response and ubiquitously produce plasma upflows that potentially feed into the solar wind.ISSN:0038-0938ISSN:1573-093

Probing Upflowing Regions in the Quiet Sun and Coronal Holes

Recent observations from Parker Solar Probe have revealed that the solar wind has a highly variable structure. How this complex behaviour is formed in the solar corona is not yet known, since it requires omnipresent fluctuations, which constantly emit material to feed the wind. In this article we analyse 14 upflow regions in the solar corona to find potential sources for plasma flow. The upflow regions are derived from spectroscopic data from the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode determining their Doppler velocity and defining regions which have blueshifts stronger than -6 kms(-1). To identify the sources of these blueshift data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and the Xray Telescope (XRT), on board Hinode, are used. The analysis reveals that only 5 out of 14 upflows are associated with frequent transients, like obvious jets or bright points. In contrast to that, seven events are associated with small-scale features, which show a large variety of dynamics. Some resemble small bright points, while others show an eruptive nature, all of which are faint and only live for a few minutes; we cannot rule out that several of these sources may be fainter and, hence, less obvious jets. Since the complex structure of the solar wind is known, this suggests that new sources have to be considered or better methods used to analyse the known sources. This work shows that small and frequent features, which were previously neglected, can cause strong upflows in the solar corona. These results emphasise the importance of the first observations from the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on board Solar Orbiter, which revealed complex small-scale coronal structures