Probe Plus Research Articles

Intramuscular fat % in the loin of Australian pork demonstrates a stronger relationship with computed tomography lean and fat % than abattoir measures of P2 and lean.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) % is an important measure of pork eating quality, with reduced IMF % linked to the selection of pigs with low backfat P2 thickness and more muscular genotypes over several decades. This experiment tested the association of IMF % from the M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum of 345 pigs at three abattoirs (Sites) with computed tomography (CT) determined carcass composition (% lean or fat), accredited abattoir measures of P2 backfat (mm) (Hennessy Grading Probe, AutoFom III and PorkScan Lite) and the lean % output from abattoir devices (Hennessy Grading Probe, AutoFom III and PorkScan Plus). There was a negative relationship between carcass CT lean % with IMF % at all Sites (P < 0.05), with the strength of this relationship varying between Sites. The strongest relationship was demonstrated at Site 1 (R2 0.30, RMSE 0.59), and across a 4 standard deviation range in the carcass lean % at each Site, resulted in a decrease in loin IMF % of 1.56, 0.44 and 0.80. There was a positive relationship of carcass CT fat % with IMF %, with similar, albeit slightly stronger relationship to IMF than with CT lean %. In contrast, only one of the three Sites with an accredited P2 measurement device demonstrated a significant association (P < 0.05) with IMF %. This is the first time the associations of IMF % with carcass CT composition has been assessed alongside that of P2 backfat measures from commercially deployed abattoir devices. Given P2 backfat is the key industry measure on which carcass value is determined in Australia, this experiment demonstrates the limitations that P2 has in measuring and monitoring the associations of carcass lean and fat % with IMF. Ideally, an independent measure of IMF % would allow for independent selection for lean % and IMF %, however there is currently no commercial device that can measure pork IMF %.

Near-Sun In Situ and Remote-sensing Observations of a Coronal Mass Ejection and its Effect on the Heliospheric Current Sheet

During the thirteenth encounter of the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission, the spacecraft traveled through a topologically complex interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) beginning on 2022 September 5. PSP traversed through the flank and wake of the ICME while observing the event for nearly two days. The Solar Probe ANalyzer and FIELDS instruments collected in situ measurements of the plasma particles and magnetic field at ∼13.3 R S from the Sun. We observe classical ICME signatures, such as a fast-forward shock, bidirectional electrons, low proton temperatures, low plasma β, and high alpha particle to proton number density ratios. In addition, PSP traveled through two magnetic inversion lines, a magnetic reconnection exhaust, and multiple sub-Alfvénic regions. We compare these in situ measurements to remote-sensing observations from the Wide-field Imager for Solar PRobe Plus instrument on board PSP and the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation on the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. Based on white-light coronagraphs, two CMEs are forward modeled to best fit the extent of the event. Furthermore, Air Force Data Assimilative Flux Transport magnetograms modeled from Global Oscillation Network Group magnetograms and Potential Field Source Surface modeling portray a global reconfiguration of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) after the CME event, suggesting that these eruptions play a significant role in the evolution of the HCS.

Coronal Mass Ejection Deformation at 0.1 au Observed by WISPR

Although coronal mass ejections (CMEs) resembling flux ropes generally expand self-similarly, deformations along their fronts have been reported in observations and simulations. We present evidence of one CME becoming deformed after a period of self-similar expansion in the corona. The event was observed by multiple white-light imagers on 2021 January 20–22. The change in shape is evident in observations from the heliospheric imagers from the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe Plus (WISPR), which observed this CME for ∼44 hr. We reconstruct the CME using forward-fitting models. In the first hours, observations are consistent with a self-similar expansion, but later on the front flattens, forming a dimple. Our interpretation is that the CME becomes deformed at ∼0.1 au owing to differences in the background solar wind speeds. The CME expands more at higher latitudes, where the background solar wind is faster. We consider other possible causes for deformations, such as loss of coherence and slow-mode shocks. The CME deformation seems to cause a time-of-arrival error of 16 hr at ∼0.5 au. The deformation is clear only in the WISPR observations; thus, it would have been missed by 1 au coronagraphs. Such deformations may help explain the time-of-arrival errors in events where only coronagraph observations are available.

The Encounter of the Parker Solar Probe and a Comet-like Object Near the Sun: Model Predictions and Measurements

Abstract The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) aims to explore the nascent solar wind close to the Sun. Meanwhile, PSP is also expected to encounter small objects like comets and asteroids. In this work, we survey the ephemerides to find the chance of a recent encounter and then model the interaction between released dusty plasmas and solar wind plasmas. On 2019 September 2, a comet-like object, the 322P/Solar and Heliosphere Observatory, just passed its perihelion flying to a heliocentric distance of 0.12 au and swept by PSP at a relative distance as close as 0.025 au. We present the dynamics of the dust particles released from 322P, forming a curved dust tail. Along the path of PSP in the simulated inner heliosphere, the states of plasma and magnetic field are sampled and illustrated, with the magnetic field sequences from simulation results being compared directly with the in situ measurements from PSP. Through the comparison, we suggest that 322P might be at a deficient activity level releasing limited dusty plasmas on its way to becoming a “rock comet.” We also present images of solar wind streamers as recorded by the Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe Plus, showing an indication of dust bombardment for the images superposed with messy trails. We observe from the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph that 322P was transiting from a dimming region to a relatively bright streamer during its perihelion passage, and perform a simulation to confirm that 322P was flying from relatively faster to slower solar wind streams, modifying the local plasma states of the streams.

GelPOINT single-port laparoscopy-assisted transanal minimum invasive surgery for low rectal cancer: a preliminary report on the use of the GOD VISION wireless smart glass-shaped monitor

BackgroundThe GOD VISION wireless smart glass-shaped monitor (INBYTE) was used in the treatment of an elderly patient with mixed breathing disorder undergoing transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) for low rectal cancer under lumbar anesthesia.MethodAfter wearing the GOD VISION wireless smart glass-shaped monitor, we attached it to the Gel POINT Path® (Applied Medical). The tumor was surgically removed from all layers of the rectum using an ENDOPATH Electrosurgery PROBE PLUS II System® (a spatula-type electric scalpel) and the site was closed after sufficient washing.ResultsThe total operation time was 93 min, and the estimated blood loss was 6 mL. The patient was discharged without complications on postoperative day 14. No local recurrence or distant metastasis in the 7 months after the operation. The patient remained in a good condition with the preservation of the anal function.ConclusionsIt is necessary to accumulate cases and to perform long-term follow-up. In addition, the anal side operators are able to operate without discomfort. In the present case, the GOD VISION wireless smart glass-shaped monitor allowed the TAMIS operation to be performed more comfortably.

On slow solar wind with high Alfvénicity: from composition and microphysics to spectral properties

Alfv\'enic fluctuations are very common features in the solar wind and are found especially within the main portion of fast wind streams while the slow wind usually is less Alfv\'enic and more variable. In general, fast and slow wind show many differences which span from the large scale structure to small scale phenomena including also a different turbulent behaviour. Recent studies, however, have shown that even slow wind can be sometimes highly Alfv\'enic with fluctuations as large as those of the fast wind. The present study is devoted to present many facets of this Alfv\'enic slow solar wind including for example the study of the source regions and their connection to coronal structures, large-scale properties and micro-scale phenomena and also impact on the spectral features. This study will be conducted performing a comparative analysis with the typical slow wind and with the fast wind. It has been found that the fast wind and the Alfv\'enic slow wind share common characteristics, probably attributable to their similar solar origin, i.e. coronal-hole solar wind. Given these similarities, it is suggested that in the Alfv\'enic slow wind a major role is played by the super-radial expansion responsible for the lower velocity. Relevant implications of these new findings for the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus missions, and more in general for turbulence measurements close to the Sun, will be discussed.

A Review of Alfvénic Turbulence in High‐Speed Solar Wind Streams: Hints From Cometary Plasma Turbulence

AbstractSolar wind turbulence within high‐speed streams is reviewed from the point of view of embedded single nonlinear Alfvén wave cycles, discontinuities, magnetic decreases (MDs), and shocks. For comparison and guidance, cometary plasma turbulence is also briefly reviewed. It is demonstrated that cometary nonlinear magnetosonic waves phase‐steepen, with a right‐hand circular polarized foreshortened front and an elongated, compressive trailing edge. The former part is a form of “wave breaking” and the latter that of “period doubling.” Interplanetary nonlinear Alfvén waves, which are arc polarized, have a ~180° foreshortened front and with an elongated trailing edge. Alfvén waves have polarizations different from those of cometary magnetosonic waves, indicating that helicity is a durable feature of plasma turbulence. Interplanetary Alfvén waves are noted to be spherical waves, suggesting the possibility of additional local generation. They kinetically dissipate, forming MDs, indicating that the solar wind is partially “compressive” and static. The ~2 MeV protons can nonresonantly interact with MDs leading to rapid cross‐field (~5.5% Bohm) diffusion. The possibility of local (~1 AU) generation of Alfvén waves may make it difficult to forecast High‐Intensity, Long‐Duration AE Activity and relativistic magnetospheric electrons with great accuracy. The future Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus missions should be able to not only test these ideas but to also extend our knowledge of plasma turbulence evolution.

Solar-wind predictions for the Parker Solar Probe orbit

Context. The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; formerly Solar Probe Plus) mission will be humanitys first in situ exploration of the solar corona with closest perihelia at 9.86 solar radii (R⊙) distance to the Sun. It will help answer hitherto unresolved questions on the heating of the solar corona and the source and acceleration of the solar wind and solar energetic particles. The scope of this study is to model the solar-wind environment for PSPs unprecedented distances in its prime mission phase during the years 2018 to 2025. The study is performed within the Coronagraphic German And US SolarProbePlus Survey (CGAUSS) which is the German contribution to the PSP mission as part of the Wide-field Imager for Solar PRobe.Aim. We present an empirical solar-wind model for the inner heliosphere which is derived from OMNI and Helios data. The German-US space probes Helios 1 and Helios 2 flew in the 1970s and observed solar wind in the ecliptic within heliocentric distances of 0.29 au to 0.98 au. The OMNI database consists of multi-spacecraft intercalibrated in situ data obtained near 1 au over more than five solar cycles. The international sunspot number (SSN) and its predictions are used to derive dependencies of the major solar-wind parameters on solar activity and to forecast their properties for the PSP mission.Methods. The frequency distributions for the solar-wind key parameters, magnetic field strength, proton velocity, density, and temperature, are represented by lognormal functions. In addition, we consider the velocity distributions bi-componental shape, consisting of a slower and a faster part. Functional relations to solar activity are compiled with use of the OMNI data by correlating and fitting the frequency distributions with the SSN. Further, based on the combined data set from both Helios probes, the parameters frequency distributions are fitted with respect to solar distance to obtain power law dependencies. Thus an empirical solar-wind model for the inner heliosphere confined to the ecliptic region is derived, accounting for solar activity and for solar distance through adequate shifts of the lognormal distributions. Finally, the inclusion of SSN predictions and the extrapolation down to PSPs perihelion region enables us to estimate the solar-wind environment for PSPs planned trajectory during its mission duration.Results. The CGAUSS empirical solar-wind model for PSP yields dependencies on solar activity and solar distance for the solar-wind parameters’ frequency distributions. The estimated solar-wind median values for PSPs first perihelion in 2018 at a solar distance of 0.16 au are 87 nT, 340 km s−1, 214 cm−3, and 503 000 K. The estimates for PSPs first closest perihelion, occurring in 2024 at 0.046 au (9.86 R⊙), are 943 nT, 290 km s−1, 2951 cm−3, and 1 930 000 K. Since the modeled velocity and temperature values below approximately 20 R⊙appear overestimated in comparison with existing observations, this suggests that PSP will directly measure solar-wind acceleration and heating processes below 20 R⊙ as planned.

16th AIAC: “Turbulence, Structures, and Particle Acceleration Throughout the Heliosphere and Beyond”

PrefaceThe 16th Annual International Astrophysics Conference was held at the La Posada de Santa Fe hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA from March 6 to 10, 2017. The meeting entitled, “Turbulence, Structures, and Particle Acceleration Throughout the Heliosphere and Beyond”, addressed the remarkable ability of nature to accelerate charged particles to extraordinarily high energies. This problem remains, after 100 years, one of the outstanding puzzles of solar and astrophysical plasmas. Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) is thought to energize charged particles at shock waves. Steady-state DSA predictions include the particle intensity peaking at the shock, after which it is constant, and that the accelerated particle distribution is a power law with an index depending only on the shock compression ratio. DSA predictions are often but not always met. The anomalous cosmic ray spectrum was observed to peak behind the heliospheric termination shock and to possess a spectrum far harder than predicted by classical DSA theory. This is frequently true of shocks in the inner heliosphere and in astrophysical settings. Shocks are effective in generating magnetic turbulence and structures downstream and amplifying pre-existing turbulence, all factors in the further energization of charged particles. Furthermore, certain regions such as the heliospheric current sheet naturally produce complex turbulent environments in which numerous structures are present. Not surprisingly, in these regions observed energetic particle events, sometimes called anomalous solar energetic particle events, have characteristics quite unlike those predicted of typical impulsive or gradual solar energetic particle events. The purpose of this meeting was to explore the role of turbulence and structures (including magnetic reconnection-related processes, shock waves, etc.), in the acceleration of particles throughout the heliosphere and beyond. The meeting addressed current and past observations from spacecraft in the inner heliosphere, the distant heliosphere and very local interstellar medium, explored expectations and predictions for missions such as Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus, now renamed as the Parker Solar Probe, and of course remote observations.Finally, we thank Adele Corona and ICNS for her continued excellent organization of the AIAC meetings and her help in providing the logistical support for this volume of papers.

A Heuristic Approach to Remove the Background Intensity on White-light Solar Images. I. STEREO/HI-1 Heliospheric Images

Abstract White-light coronal and heliospheric imagers observe scattering of photospheric light from both dust particles (the F-Corona) and free electrons in the corona (the K-corona). The separation of the two coronae is thus vitally important to reveal the faint K-coronal structures (e.g., streamers, co-rotating interaction regions, coronal mass ejections, etc.). However, the separation of the two coronae is very difficult, so we are content in defining a background corona that contains the F- and as little K- as possible. For both the LASCO-C2 and LASCO-C3 coronagraphs aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the white-light imagers of the SECCHI suite aboard the Solar Terrestrial Relationships Observatory (STEREO), a time-dependent model of the background corona is generated from about a month of similar images. The creation of such models is possible because the missions carrying these instruments are orbiting the Sun at about 1 au. However, the orbit profiles for the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus missions are very different. These missions will have elliptic orbits with a rapidly changing radial distance, hence invalidating the techniques in use for the SOHO/LASCO and STEREO/SECCHI instruments. We have been investigating techniques to generate background models out of just single images that could be used for the Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager and the Wide-field Imager for the Solar Probe Plus packages on board the respective spacecraft. In this paper, we introduce a state-of-the-art, heuristic technique to create the background intensity models of STEREO/HI-1 data based solely on individual images, report on new results derived from its application, and discuss its relevance to instrumental and operational issues.

A First-Class Ticket to the Planet Mars, Please

The paper presents some aspects related to the current stage in the aerospace industry, referring to the current possibilities of moving in space. The main problem that has kept mankind for so many millennia has been the less speed of movement, but also the difficult exit into outer space. For a ship to be able to defeat gravitational forces and go out into outer space, leaving the planet and the earth's atmosphere and to place itself in orbit, the required minimum travel speed is about 28,476 km/h. In order to leave and the Earth orbit on which a ship is moving like a satellite, a ship needs a minimum speed of 40000 km/h. For a long time, such a speed was very difficult to achieve. Even with a huge amount of chemical fuel on board, a rocket had to throw a lot of rocket stages (modules) in an attempt to get out of the ground. Besides the huge fuel consumption (not to mention the huge pollution produced), the ship also encounters various technical difficulties, which most often cause it to abandon and return (the bathtub) and to the ground. The shuttle has attempted to modify something from this difficult start, coming out of the atmosphere, gradually planted, like a plane and not upright like a rocket. They, therefore, had the advantage of a lower mass, lower fuel consumption and resistance to advancing by making them more similar to planes. In addition, such a ship could emerge and return to the terrestrial space several times and not just as the missiles did. The shuttle was a step forward for humanity, even though it was still moving slowly. Then came the ions (gas) reactors for spatial ships, which managed to accelerate ships at increasing speeds. Of all spacecraft that were launched by humans, there were some that had an impressive speed. The current record is owned by the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper belt. Launched in 2006 by NASA, the spacecraft had a speed of 58,536 kilometers per hour, but it has reached over 160,000 kilometers per hour on its route. For comparison, Voyager 1 currently has a speed of 61,200 kilometers per hour. Regarding pure heliocentric speed, speed recorders are the Helios I and II probes, which were launched in 1974 and 1976 and reached speeds of 252,000 kilometers per hour. The Juno mission to Jupiter will send a spacecraft that will reach the speed of over 250,000 kilometers per hour. And in 2018, a new NASA mission called Solar Probe Plus will launch a ship that will travel at an astonishing speed of 720,000 kilometers per hour. This would mean the probe could travel from Earth to the Moon in about half an hour and the Earth-Mars distance in about 10 days instead of five months.

The Solar Probe Plus Radio Frequency Spectrometer: Measurement requirements, analog design, and digital signal processing

The Radio Frequency Spectrometer (RFS) is a two‐channel digital receiver and spectrometer, which will make remote sensing observations of radio waves and in situ measurements of electrostatic and electromagnetic fluctuations in the solar wind. A part of the FIELDS suite for Solar Probe Plus (SPP), the RFS is optimized for measurements in the inner heliosphere, where solar radio bursts are more intense and the plasma frequency is higher compared to previous measurements at distances of 1 AU or greater. The inputs to the RFS receiver are the four electric antennas mounted near the front of the SPP spacecraft and a single axis of the SPP search coil magnetometer (SCM). Each RFS channel selects a monopole or dipole antenna input, or the SCM input, via multiplexers. The primary data products from the RFS are autospectra and cross spectra from the selected inputs. The spectra are calculated using a polyphase filter bank, which enables the measurement of low amplitude signals of interest in the presence of high‐amplitude narrowband noise generated by spacecraft systems. We discuss the science signals of interest driving the RFS measurement objectives, describe the RFS analog design and digital signal processing, and show examples of current performance.

The Mushroom: A half‐sky energetic ion and electron detector

AbstractWe present a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer design for the measurement of ions in the ~30 keV to 10 MeV range for protons (up to ~40 MeV and ~150 MeV for He and heavy ions, respectively) and ~30 keV to 1 MeV range for electrons, covering half of the sky with 80 apertures. The instrument, known as the “Mushroom,” owing to its shape, solves the field of view problem for magnetospheric and heliospheric missions that employ three‐axis stabilized spacecraft, yet still require extended angular coverage; the Mushroom is also compatible with a spinning spacecraft. The most important new feature of the Mushroom is the method through which uncomplicated electrostatic optics and clean position sensing combine to permit many apertures to fit into a compact, low‐mass sensor head (or wedge), several of which (ideally eight) compose a full instrument. Most of the sensor head's volume is an empty, equipotential region, resulting in the modest 250 g mass of each 10‐aperture wedge. The Mushroom is capable of separating ion species across most of its energy range and angular field of view. For example, separation of the neighboring 3He and 4He isotopes is excellent; the full width at half maximum mass resolution has been measured to be 0.24 amu to 0.32 amu, respectively. Converting this to a Gaussian width σm in mass m, this represents a σm/m mass resolution better than 0.04. This separation is highly desirable for the flight program for which the first Mushroom was built, the Solar Probe Plus mission. More generally, we estimate the mass resolution to be σm/m ≈ 0.1, but this is energy, mass, and angularly dependent. We also discuss the solid‐state detector stack capability, which extends the energy range of protons and helium, with composition, to ~100 MeV.

Langmuir wave electric fields induced by electron beams in the heliosphere

Solar electron beams responsible for type III radio emission generate Langmuir waves as they propagate out from the Sun. The Langmuir waves are observed via in-situ electric field measurements. These Langmuir waves are not smoothly distributed but occur in discrete clumps, commonly attributed to the turbulent nature of the solar wind electron density. Exactly how the density turbulence modulates the Langmuir wave electric fields is understood only qualitatively. Using weak turbulence simulations, we investigate how solar wind density turbulence changes the probability distribution functions, mean value and variance of the beam-driven electric field distributions. Simulations show rather complicated forms of the distribution that are dependent upon how the electric fields are sampled. Generally the higher magnitude of density fluctuations reduce the mean and increase the variance of the distribution in a consistent manor to the predictions from resonance broadening by density fluctuations. We also demonstrate how the properties of the electric field distribution should vary radially from the Sun to the Earth and provide a numerical prediction for the in-situ measurements of the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus spacecraft.

Diagnosing collisionless energy transfer using field–particle correlations: Vlasov–Poisson plasmas

Turbulence plays a key role in the conversion of the energy of large-scale fields and flows to plasma heat, impacting the macroscopic evolution of the heliosphere and other astrophysical plasma systems. Although we have long been able to make direct spacecraft measurements of all aspects of the electromagnetic field and plasma fluctuations in near-Earth space, our understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for the damping of the turbulent fluctuations in heliospheric plasmas remains incomplete. Here we propose an innovative field–particle correlation technique that can be used to measure directly the secular energy transfer from fields to particles associated with collisionless damping of the turbulent fluctuations. Furthermore, this novel procedure yields information about the collisionless energy transfer as a function of particle velocity, providing vital new information that can help to identify the dominant collisionless mechanism governing the damping of the turbulent fluctuations. Kinetic plasma theory is used to devise the appropriate correlation to diagnose Landau damping, and the field–particle correlation technique is thoroughly illustrated using the simplified case of the Landau damping of Langmuir waves in a 1D-1V (one dimension in physical space and one dimension in velocity space) Vlasov–Poisson plasma. Generalizations necessary to apply the field–particle correlation technique to diagnose the collisionless damping of turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind are discussed, highlighting several caveats. This novel field–particle correlation technique is intended to be used as a primary analysis tool for measurements from current, upcoming and proposed spacecraft missions that are focused on the kinetic microphysics of weakly collisional heliospheric plasmas, including the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS), Solar Probe Plus, Solar Orbiter and Turbulence Heating ObserveR (THOR) missions.

Modification of Velocity Power Spectra by Thermal Plasma Instrumentation

The upcoming Solar Probe Plus mission (Launch 2018) will launch with the newest and fastest space plasma instrumentation to date. The Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas, and Protons (SWEAP) instrument suite, which measures thermal plasma, will make measurements faster than the local gyro-frequency and proton plasma frequency. By developing an end-to-end computer model of a SWEAP instrument, this work explores the specific instrumental effects of thermal space plasma measurement, particularly in the reproduction of velocity power spectra, or Power Spectral Densities (PSDs). This model reproduces the slowest measurement cadence of the Solar Probe Cup (SPC), a Faraday cup (FC) style instrument on that will measure thermal plasma density, velocity, and temperature on SPP. By using the calibrated model to model measurement of fully determined and synthetic turbulent time series data, a consistent underestimation of the velocity power spectral indices has been quantified, with possible implications for previous missions flying similar instrumentation.

Large gradual solar energetic particle events.

Solar energetic particles, or SEPs, from suprathermal (few keV) up to relativistic (sim few GeV) energies are accelerated near the Sun in at least two ways: (1) by magnetic reconnection-driven processes during solar flares resulting in impulsive SEPs, and (2) at fast coronal-mass-ejection-driven shock waves that produce large gradual SEP events. Large gradual SEP events are of particular interest because the accompanying high-energy ({>}10s MeV) protons pose serious radiation threats to human explorers living and working beyond low-Earth orbit and to technological assets such as communications and scientific satellites in space. However, a complete understanding of these large SEP events has eluded us primarily because their properties, as observed in Earth orbit, are smeared due to mixing and contributions from many important physical effects. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge of these important phenomena, and summarizes some of the key questions that will be addressed by two upcoming missions—NASA’s Solar Probe Plus and ESA’s Solar Orbiter. Both of these missions are designed to directly and repeatedly sample the near-Sun environments where interplanetary scattering and transport effects are significantly reduced, allowing us to discriminate between different acceleration sites and mechanisms and to isolate the contributions of numerous physical processes occurring during large SEP events.

MEASURING COLLISIONLESS DAMPING IN HELIOSPHERIC PLASMAS USING FIELD–PARTICLE CORRELATIONS

An innovative field-particle correlation technique is proposed that uses single-point measurements of the electromagnetic fields and particle velocity distribution functions to investigate the net transfer of energy from fields to particles associated with the collisionless damping of turbulent fluctuations in weakly collisional plasmas, such as the solar wind. In addition to providing a direct estimate of the local rate of energy transfer between fields and particles, it provides vital new information about the distribution of that energy transfer in velocity space. This velocity-space signature can potentially be used to identify the dominant collisionless mechanism responsible for the damping of turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind. The application of this novel field-particle correlation technique is illustrated using the simplified case of the Landau damping of Langmuir waves in an electrostatic 1D-1V Vlasov-Poisson plasma, showing that the procedure both estimates the local rate of energy transfer from the electrostatic field to the electrons and indicates the resonant nature of this interaction. Modifications of the technique to enable single-point spacecraft measurements of fields and particles to diagnose the collisionless damping of turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind are discussed, yielding a method with the potential to transform our ability to maximize the scientific return from current and upcoming spacecraft missions, such as the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) and Solar Probe Plus missions.

Slow Solar Wind: Observations and Modeling

While it is certain that the fast solar wind originates from coronal holes, where and how the slow solar wind (SSW) is formed remains an outstanding question in solar physics even in the post-SOHO era. The quest for the SSW origin forms a major objective for the planned future missions such as the Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus. Nonetheless, results from spacecraft data, combined with theoretical modeling, have helped to investigate many aspects of the SSW. Fundamental physical properties of the coronal plasma have been derived from spectroscopic and imaging remote-sensing data and in situ data, and these results have provided crucial insights for a deeper understanding of the origin and acceleration of the SSW. Advanced models of the SSW in coronal streamers and other structures have been developed using 3D MHD and multi-fluid equations.

Emissivity of Boron Nitride and Metals for the Solar Probe Plus Mission

For application to the Solar Probe Plus mission (NASA), the behavior and the thermo-optical performance at very high temperatures (range 1100–2200 K) of candidate passive thermal control materials was assessed. On one hand, a pyrolytic boron nitride coating ( thick) was proved to be stable at high temperatures up to 2200 K in vacuum, as well as proved, via total and spectral emissivity measurements at high temperatures, to be able to effectively turn an initially selective solar absorber substrate (carbon/carbon composite) into a solar reflector. On the other hand, chemical vapor deposition coatings made of refractory metals with highly textured surfaces were proved to be able to significantly reduce the temperature of a metallic instrument facing the sun thanks to their high total hemispherical emissivity (up to 0.8 in the range of 1300–1700 K), although it was highlighted that their use showed limitation in term of stability at high temperatures as well as outgassing.