Solar Wind Outflow Research Articles

Near Subsonic Solar Wind Outflow from an Active Region

During Parker Solar Probe (Parker) Encounter 15 (E15), we observe an 18 hr period of near-subsonic (M S ∼ 1) and sub-Alfvénic (SA), M A ⋘ 1, slow-speed solar wind from 22 to 15.6 R ⊙. As the most extreme SA interval measured to date and skirting the solar wind sonic point, it is the deepest Parker has probed into the formation and acceleration region of the solar wind in the corona. The stream is also measured by Wind and the Magnetosonic Multiscale mission near 1 au at times consistent with ballistic propagation of this slow stream. We investigate the stream source, properties, and potential coronal heating consequences via combining these observations with coronal modeling and turbulence analysis. Through source mapping, in situ evidence, and multipoint arrival time considerations of a candidate coronal mass ejection, we determine the stream is a steady (nontransient), long-lived, and approximately Parker spiral aligned and arises from overexpanded field lines mapping back to an active region. Turbulence analysis of the Elsässer variables shows the inertial range scaling of the z + mode (f ∼ −3/2) to be dominated by the slab component. We discuss the spectral flattening and difficulties associated with measuring the z − spectra, cautioning against making definitive conclusions from the z − mode. Despite being more extreme than prior SA intervals, its turbulent nature does not appear to be qualitatively different from previously observed streams. We conclude that this extreme low-dynamic-pressure solar wind interval (which has the potential for extreme space-weather conditions) is a large, steady structure spanning at least to 1 au.

Models of quasi-discontinuous solar-wind streams

Context. The modeling of the solar-wind outflow patterns is addressed in terms of local transient distortions of the flow, temperature, and density profiles due to the presence of local energy sources. A recently introduced related new class of analytically derived quasi-discontinuous solar-wind solutions is numerically approached. Aims. The analytical discontinuous solutions can asymptotically obtained from steady-state and time-dependent models in the limit of very localized external heating. The aim of the current study is to develop a numerical confirmation for the presence of quasi-discontinuous distortions of the wind profiles by mimicking the local energy sources with additional source terms in the governing equations of the numerical models. Methods. Corresponding systems of ordinary and partial differential equations, respectively, are formulated employing prescribed heating functions. After a comparison of sequences of numerically obtained steady-state solutions with the analytical one, the stability of the former is tested with a time-dependent simulation. Results. The analytical discontinuous solutions are asymptotically reproduced with the quasi-discontinuous steady-state and time-dependent numerical solutions in the limit of vanishingly small width (compared to the other characteristic length scales of the system) of the heating function. Conclusions. The interpretation that such solutions result from strongly localized heating has been confirmed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The applied numerical approach enables the building of more complex, multidimensional counterpart models and local profiles of typical local energy sources that are presumably responsible for the dynamical properties of the solar-wind patterns found.

Prolonged and Extremely Non-radial Solar Wind Flows

We present a study of three highly non-radial solar wind events in which the azimuthal solar wind flow angle exceeds 6° for one day or more. None of the events are associated with coronal mass ejections and co-rotating interaction regions observed at 1 AU. For all events, the solar wind outflows at 1 AU exhibit low velocity and density. Based on the significant increase in the oxygen charge state ratio of O7+/O6+ at 1 AU for all of the events, we have traced them back to the Sun and found that their source regions originated in active region and coronal hole (AR-CH) pairs mainly located at the central meridian. Furthermore, examining the dynamical evolutions in their source regions using both the Extreme ultra-violet Imaging Telescope and the Michelson Doppler Imager, we found that the changes taking place in AR-CH boundaries eventually disturbed the stable CH configurations, resulting in a reduction of the CH area and finally its disappearance, leaving only with the AR. Our study provides a possible explanation for discussing the origin of the prolonged and highly non-radial solar wind flows.

Constraints on Solar Wind Density and Velocity Based on Coronal Tomography and Parker Solar Probe Measurements

Previous work has established an empirical relationship between densities gained from coronal rotational tomography near the ecliptic plane with solar wind outflow speeds at heliocentric distance r 0 = 8R ⊙. This work aims to include solar wind acceleration, and thus velocity profiles out to 1 au. Inner boundary velocities are given as a function of normalized tomographic densities, ρ N , as V0=75∗e−5.2*ρN+108 , and typically range from 100 to 180 km s−1. The subsequent acceleration is defined as V(r)=V01+αIP1−e−r−r0/rH , with α IP ranging between 1.75 and 2.7, and r H between 50 and 35 R ⊙ dependent on V 0. These acceleration profiles approximate the distribution of in situ measurements by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and other measurements at 1 au. Between 2018 November and 2021 September these constraints are applied using the HUXt model and give good agreement with in situ observations at PSP, with a ∼6% improvement compared with using a simpler constant acceleration model previously considered. Given the known tomographical densities at 8 R ⊙, we extrapolate density to 1 au using the model velocities and assuming mass flux conservation. Extrapolated densities agree well with OMNI measurements. Thus coronagraph-based estimates of densities define the ambient solar wind outflow speed, acceleration, and density from 8 R ⊙ to at least 1 au. This sets a constraint on more advanced models, and a framework for forecasting that provides a valid alternative to the use of velocities derived from magnetic field extrapolations.

Magnetic Topology and the Structure of the Slow Solar Wind

We present a 3D reduced magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) model of reflection driven Alfvén wave turbulence in an open magnetic field positioned near the solar equator. The non-linear interactions between outward and inward propagating waves generate turbulence. The RMHD equations describing the turbulence include the effects of solar wind outflow velocity on the dissipation of waves. For Alfvén wave turbulence to be a viable mechanism for heating the corona and accelerating the slow solar wind, there must be sufficient counter-propagating waves to generate the turbulence. In our previous study of the fast wind, we showed that the Alfvén wave turbulence model creates the energy needed for accelerating the fast solar wind, when observed density fluctuations are included in the model. Here, we will explore whether the conditions of the equatorial corona, a source of slow solar wind, are capable of generating sufficient Alfvén wave turbulence to account for the acceleration of the slow wind. We show that for a specific sets of model parameters, the energy from the Alfvén wave turbulence model is smaller by an order of magnitude than the energy needed to heat and accelerate the slow solar wind.

The Origin of Extremely Nonradial Solar Wind Outflows

The origin of nonradial solar wind flows and their effect on space weather are poorly understood. Here we present a detailed investigation of 12 nonradial solar wind events during solar cycles 23–24, covering the period 1995–2017. In all these events the azimuthal flow angles of the solar wind exceed 6° as measured at the L1 Lagrangian point of the Sun–Earth system, for periods of 24 hr. In addition, all the events were selected during periods when coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and/or corotating interaction regions (CIRs) were absent. For most of the events, the near-Earth solar wind density was <5 cm−3 for periods exceeding 24 hr, similar to the well-known “solar wind disappearance events” wherein near-Earth solar wind densities dropped by two orders of magnitude for periods exceeding 24 hr. The solar source regions determined for all the cases were found to be associated with active region–coronal hole (AR–CH) pairs located around the central meridian. Further, the dynamical evolution of the source regions, studied using both the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope and the Michelson Doppler Imager, showed a clear reduction in the CH area accompanied by the emergence of new magnetic flux regions. This dynamic evolution in the AR–CH source regions eventually disturbed the stable CH configurations, thereby giving rise to the extremely nonradial solar wind outflows. We discuss, based on our results, a possible causative mechanism for the origin of these highly nonradial flows that were not associated with either CMEs or CIRs.

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.

Global Coronal Equilibria with Solar Wind Outflow

Abstract Given a known radial magnetic field distribution on the Sun’s photospheric surface, there exist well-established methods for computing a potential magnetic field in the corona above. Such potential fields are routinely used as input to solar wind models, and to initialize magneto-frictional or full magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the coronal and heliospheric magnetic fields. We describe an improved magnetic field model that calculates a magneto-frictional equilibrium with an imposed solar wind profile (which can be Parker’s solar wind solution, or any reasonable equivalent). These “outflow fields” appear to approximate the real coronal magnetic field more closely than a potential field, take a similar time to compute, and avoid the need to impose an artificial source surface. Thus they provide a practical alternative to the potential field model for initializing time-evolving simulations or modeling the heliospheric magnetic field. We give an open-source Python implementation in spherical coordinates and apply the model to data from solar cycle 24. The outflow tends to increase the open magnetic flux compared to the potential field model, reducing the well-known discrepancy with in situ observations.

Effects of Density Fluctuations on Alfvén Wave Turbulence in a Coronal Hole

Abstract We present a study of density fluctuations in coronal holes. We used a reduced magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) model that incorporated observationally constrained density fluctuations to determine whether density fluctuations in coronal holes can enhance Alfvén wave reflection and dissipation, thereby heating coronal holes and driving the fast solar wind. We show results for two models of the background atmosphere. Each model is a solution of the momentum equation and includes the effects of wave pressure on the solar wind outflow. In the first model, the plasma density and Alfvén speed vary smoothly with height. Wave reflection is relatively weak in the smooth model, resulting in a low energy dissipation rate. In the second model, we include additional density fluctuations along the flux tube based on the observations. We find that density ρ fluctuations on the order of δρ/ρ ∼ 0.24 increase the Alfvén wave turbulence to levels sufficient to heat the open field regions in coronal holes.

Matching Temporal Signatures of Solar Features to Their Corresponding Solar-Wind Outflows

The role of small-scale coronal eruptive phenomena in the generation and heating of the solar wind remains an open question. Here, we investigate the role played by coronal jets in forming the solar wind by testing whether temporal variations associated with jetting in EUV intensity can be identified in the outflowing solar-wind plasma. This type of comparison is challenging due to inherent differences between remote-sensing observations of the source and in-situ observations of the outflowing plasma, as well as travel time and evolution of the solar wind throughout the heliosphere. To overcome these, we propose a novel algorithm combining signal filtering, two-step solar-wind ballistic back-mapping, window shifting, and Empirical Mode Decomposition. We first validate the method using synthetic data, before applying it to measurements from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Wind spacecraft. The algorithm enables the direct comparison of remote-sensing observations of eruptive phenomena in the corona to in-situ measurements of solar-wind parameters, among other potential uses. After application to these datasets, we find several time windows where signatures of dynamics found in the corona are embedded in the solar-wind stream, at a time significantly earlier than expected from simple ballistic back-mapping, with the best-performing in-situ parameter being the solar-wind mass flux.

Imaging Evidence for Solar Wind Outflows Originating from a Coronal Mass Ejection Footpoint

Abstract We report on Atmospheric Imaging Assembly observations of plasma outflows originating in a coronal dimming during a 2015 April 28 filament eruption. After the filament started to erupt, two flare ribbons formed, one of which had a well-visible hook enclosing a core (twin) dimming region. Along multiple funnels located in this dimming, a motion of plasma directed outward started to be visible in the 171 and 193 Å filter channels of the instrument. In time–distance diagrams, this motion generated a strip-like pattern, which lasted for more than 5 hr and whose characteristics did not change along the funnel. We therefore suggest the motion is a signature of outflows corresponding to velocities ranging between ≈70 and 140 km s−1. Interestingly, the pattern of the outflows and their velocities were found to be similar to those we observed in a neighboring ordinary coronal hole. Therefore, the outflows were most likely a signature of a coronal mass ejection–induced solar wind flowing along the open-field structures rooted in the dimming region. Further, the evolution of the hook encircling the dimming region was examined in the context of the latest predictions imposed for 3D magnetic reconnection. The observations indicate that the filament’s footpoints were, during their transformation to the dimming region, reconnecting with surrounding canopies. To our knowledge, our observations present the first imaging evidence for outflows of plasma from a dimming region.

Coronal Electron Density Fluctuations Inferred from Akatsuki Spacecraft Radio Observations

Trans-coronal radio observations were taken during the 2011 observing campaign of the Akatsuki spacecraft through superior conjunction. The observed X-band (8.4 GHz) signals exhibit frequency fluctuations (FF) that are produced by temporal variations in electron density along the radio ray path. A two-component model for interpretation of the FF is proposed: FF scales largely with acoustic wave amplitude through the inner coronal regions where the sound speed dwarfs the solar wind outflow speed, while FF in the region of solar wind acceleration is dominated by the increased density oscillation frequency on the sensing path that results from bulk advection of the plasma inhomogeneities. An estimate of fractional electron density fluctuation is obtained from the mid-corona. A radial profile of slow solar wind speed is determined in the extended corona using mass-flux continuity principles. The coronal sonic point for slow solar wind is estimated to range from 4 to 5 solar radii from the heliocenter.

Particle-in-cell Simulations of the Whistler Heat-flux Instability in Solar Wind Conditions.

In collision-poor plasmas from space, e.g., solar wind or stellar outflows, the heat flux carried by the strahl or beaming electrons is expected to be regulated by the self-generated instabilities. Recently, simultaneous field and particle observations have indeed revealed enhanced whistler-like fluctuations in the presence of counter-beaming populations of electrons, connecting these fluctuations to the whistler heat-flux instability (WHFI). This instability is predicted only for limited conditions of electron beam-plasmas, and has not yet been captured in numerical simulations. In this Letter we report the first simulations of WHFI in particle-in-cell setups, realistic for the solar wind conditions, and without temperature gradients or anisotropies to trigger the instability in the initiation phase. The velocity distributions have a complex reaction to the enhanced whistler fluctuations conditioning the instability saturation by a decrease of the relative drifts combined with induced (effective) temperature anisotropies (heating the core electrons and pitch-angle and energy scattering the strahl). These results are in good agreement with a recent quasilinear approach, and support therefore a largely accepted belief that WHFI saturates at moderate amplitudes. In the anti-sunward direction the strahl becomes skewed with a pitch-angle distribution decreasing in width as electron energy increases, which seems to be characteristic of self-generated whistlers and not to small-scale turbulence.

Effect of the non-uniform solar chromospheric Lyα radiation on determining the coronal H I outflow velocity

We derived maps of the solar wind outflow velocity of coronal neutral hydrogen atoms at solar minimum in the altitude range 1.5–4.0 R⊙. We applied the Doppler dimming technique to coronagraphic observations in the UV H I Lyα line at 121.6 nm. The technique exploits the intensity reduction in the coronal line with increasing velocities of the outflowing plasma to determine the solar wind velocity by iterative modelling. The Lyα line intensity is sensitive to the wind outflow velocity and also depends on the physical properties of coronal particles and underlying chromospheric emission. Measurements of irradiance by the chromospheric Lyα radiation in the corona are required for a rigorous application of the Doppler dimming technique, but they are not provided by past and current instrumentations. A correlation function between the H I 121.6 nm and He II 30.4 nm line intensities was used to construct Carrington rotation maps of the non-uniform solar chromospheric Lyα radiation and thus to compute the Lyα line irradiance throughout the outer corona. Approximations concerning the temperature of the scattering H I atoms and exciting solar disc radiation were also adopted to significantly reduce the computational time and obtain a faster procedure for a quick-look data analysis of future coronagraphic observations. The effect of the chromospheric Lyα brightness distribution on the resulting H I outflow velocities was quantified. In particular, we found that the usual uniform-disc approximation systematically leads to an overestimated velocity in the polar and mid-latitude coronal regions up to a maximum of about 50−60 km s−1 closer to the Sun. This difference decreases at higher altitudes, where an increasingly larger chromospheric portion, including both brighter and darker disc features, contributes to illuminate the solar corona, and the non-uniform radiation condition progressively approaches the uniform-disc approximation.

A Model for Solar Wind Structure and Dynamics Based on Alfvén Wave Turbulence

We present a 3D reduced magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) model of reflection-driven Alfvén wave turbulence in an open magnetic field at the center of a coronal hole. The non-linear interactions between outward (dominant) and inward (minority) propagating waves generate turbulence. The RMHD equations describing the turbulence include the effects of solar wind outflow velocity on the dissipation of waves. The Alfvén wave turbulence results in the transfer of energy to small perpendicular scales (“direct cascade”) or to larger scales (“inverse cascade”). We first show the result of our calculation for a model where there is smooth variation of plasma parameters such as Alfvén speed and density with height along the flux tube. However, this model does not produce the required energy to heat the plasma and accelerate the fast solar wind. Therefore, we introduce our second model, where we include additional density fluctuation along the open field. These density variations simulate the effects of compressive MHD waves in the solar wind. We find that these variations in density enhance the turbulence dissipation rates, and thereby increase the heating rate and the acceleration of the solar wind.

Mapping the solar wind HI outflow velocity in the inner heliosphere by coronagraphic ultraviolet and visible-light observations

We investigated the capability of mapping the solar wind outflow velocity of neutral hydrogen atoms by using synergistic visible-light and ultraviolet observations. We used polarised brightness images acquired by the LASCO/SOHO and Mk3/MLSO coronagraphs, and synoptic Lyα line observations of the UVCS/SOHO spectrometer to obtain daily maps of solar wind H I outflow velocity between 1.5 and 4.0 R⊙ on the SOHO plane of the sky during a complete solar rotation (from 1997 June 1 to 1997 June 28). The 28-days data sequence allows us to construct coronal off-limb Carrington maps of the resulting velocities at different heliocentric distances to investigate the space and time evolution of the outflowing solar plasma. In addition, we performed a parameter space exploration in order to study the dependence of the derived outflow velocities on the physical quantities characterising the Lyα emitting process in the corona. Our results are important in anticipation of the future science with the Metis instrument, selected to be part of the Solar Orbiter scientific payload. It was conceived to carry out near-sun coronagraphy, performing for the first time simultaneous imaging in polarised visible-light and ultraviolet H I Lyα line, so providing an unprecedented view of the solar wind acceleration region in the inner corona.

Formation and Reconnection of Three-dimensional Current Sheets with a Guide Field in the Solar Corona

Abstract We analyze a series of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations of magnetic reconnection in a model solar corona to study the effect of the guide-field component on quasi-steady-state interchange reconnection in a pseudostreamer arcade configuration. This work extends the analysis of Edmondson et al. by quantifying the mass density enhancement coherency scale in the current sheet associated with magnetic island formation during the nonlinear phase of plasmoid-unstable reconnection. We compare the results of four simulations of a zero, weak, moderate, and a strong guide field, , to quantify the plasmoid density enhancement’s longitudinal and transverse coherency scales as a function of the guide-field strength. We derive these coherency scales from autocorrelation and wavelet analyses, and demonstrate how these scales may be used to interpret the density enhancement fluctuation’s Fourier power spectra in terms of a structure formation range, an energy continuation range, and an inertial range—each population with a distinct spectral slope. We discuss the simulation results in the context of solar and heliospheric observations of pseudostreamer solar wind outflow and possible signatures of reconnection-generated structure.

Kinematical properties of coronal mass ejections

AbstractCoronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the most dynamic phenomena in our solar system. They abruptly disrupt the continuous outflow of solar wind by expelling huge clouds of magnetized plasma into interplanetary space with velocities enabling to cross the Sun‐Earth distance within a few days. Earth‐directed CMEs may cause severe geomagnetic storms when their embedded magnetic fields and the shocks ahead compress and reconnect with the Earth's magnetic field. The transit times and impacts in detail depend on the initial CME velocity, size, and mass, as well as on the conditions and coupling processes with the ambient solar wind flow in interplanetary space. The observed CME parameters may be severely affected by projection effects and the constant changing environmental conditions are hard to derive. This makes it difficult to fully understand the physics behind CME evolution, preventing to do a reliable forecast of Earth‐directed events. This short review focusing on observational data, shows recent methods which were developed to derive the CME kinematical profile for the entire Sun‐Earth distance range as well as studies which were performed to shed light on the physical processes that CMEs encounter when propagating from Sun to Earth. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

CONTROLLING INFLUENCE OF MAGNETIC FIELD ON SOLAR WIND OUTFLOW: AN INVESTIGATION USING CURRENT SHEET SOURCE SURFACE MODEL

ABSTRACT This Letter presents the results of an investigation into the controlling influence of large-scale magnetic field of the Sun in determining the solar wind outflow using two magnetostatic coronal models: current sheet source surface (CSSS) and potential field source surface. For this, we made use of the Wang and Sheeley inverse correlation between magnetic flux expansion rate (FTE) and observed solar wind speed (SWS) at 1 au. During the period of study, extended over solar cycle 23 and beginning of solar cycle 24, we found that the coefficients of the fitted quadratic equation representing the FTE–SWS inverse relation exhibited significant temporal variation, implying the changing pattern of the influence of FTE on SWS over time. A particularly noteworthy feature is an anomaly in the behavior of the fitted coefficients during the extended minimum, 2008–2010 (CRs 2073–2092), which is considered due to the particularly complex nature of the solar magnetic field during this period. However, this variation was significant only for the CSSS model, though not a systematic dependence on the phase of the solar cycle. Further, we noticed that the CSSS model demonstrated better solar wind prediction during the period of study, which we attribute to the treatment of volume and sheet currents throughout the corona and the more accurate tracing of footpoint locations resulting from the geometry of the model.

Suprathermal ions in solar-wind outflows from coronal holes at 1 AU

The energy spectra and relative abundances of 3He, 4He, C, O, and Fe ions with energies of ~0.04–2 MeV/nucleon are studied using data from the ULEIS instrument on board the ACE spacecraft obtained during quiescent periods in 2006–2012. During the unique, prolonged minimum between cycles 23 and 24, 35 quiescent periods were distnguished, during which solar-wind flows from near-equatorial coronal holes (CHs) were detected. It is shown that the C/O and Fe/O ratios for suprathermal ions correspond to the relative abundances of the corresponding thermal ions in the fast and slow (Maxwellian) solar wind (SWICS/ACE), while the 4He/O ratio exceeds the corresponding ratio in the solar wind by a factor of two. The intensities of the 3He, 4He, C, O, and Fe suprathermal ions in outflows from CHs grow with the speed of the solar wind. This indicates that, in periods ofminimumsolar activity, suprathermal ions from CHs represent a high-temperature “tail” of the solar wind. An additional flux of suprathermal helium ions may also be contributed by other external sources.