The near-Sun streamer belt solar wind: turbulence and solar wind acceleration
File(s)aa39872-20.pdf (4.53 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The fourth orbit of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) reached heliocentric distances down to 27.9 R⊙, allowing solar wind turbulence and acceleration mechanisms to be studied in situ closer to the Sun than previously possible. The turbulence properties were found to be significantly different in the inbound and outbound portions of PSP’s fourth solar encounter, which was likely due to the proximity to the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) in the outbound period. Near the HCS, in the streamer belt wind, the turbulence was found to have lower amplitudes, higher magnetic compressibility, a steeper magnetic field spectrum (with a spectral index close to –5/3 rather than –3/2), a lower Alfvénicity, and a ‘1∕f’ break at much lower frequencies. These are also features of slow wind at 1 au, suggesting the near-Sun streamer belt wind to be the prototypical slow solar wind. The transition in properties occurs at a predicted angular distance of ≈4° from the HCS, suggesting ≈8° as the full-width of the streamer belt wind at these distances. While the majority of the Alfvénic turbulence energy fluxes measured by PSP are consistent with those required for reflection-driven turbulence models of solar wind acceleration, the fluxes in the streamer belt are significantly lower than the model predictions, suggesting that additional mechanisms are necessary to explain the acceleration of the streamer belt solar wind.
Date Issued
2021-06-02
Date Acceptance
2021-01-04
Citation
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2021, 650, pp.1-6
ISSN
0004-6361
Publisher
EDP Sciences
Start Page
1
End Page
6
Journal / Book Title
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Volume
650
Copyright Statement
© C. H. K. Chen et al. 2021. Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Sponsor
The Leverhulme Trust
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Identifier
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2021/06/aa39872-20/aa39872-20.html
Grant Number
VP2-2017-029
ST/S000364/1
Subjects
0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
L3
Date Publish Online
2021-06-02