EGU22-8923, updated on 10 Jan 2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-8923
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Origin of the solar wind observed by PSP 

Jasmina Magdalenic1,2, Senthamizh Pavai Valliappan1, and Luciano Rodriguez1
Jasmina Magdalenic et al.
  • 1Royal Observatory of Belgium, Solar Physics, Brussels, Belgium (jasmina.magdalenic@sidc.be)
  • 2Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (jasmina.magdalenic@kuleuven.be)

The recently available novel Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations allow mapping of the solar wind characteristics in the low solar corona, at only a few tens of solar radii, and study the characteristics of the solar wind and its transients close to the Sun. The first few perihelion passes of the PSP revealed the highly variable structure of the solar wind. These observations provided the unique possibility to study the solar wind originating from small coronal holes. Such studies were previously not possible as the majority of the in situ observations were taken at distances of about 1 AU, and the association of the solar wind originating from the small coronal holes and its sources on the Sun was extremely unreliable. We employ a magnetic connectivity tool (developed by ESA’s MADAWG group) to associate the solar wind parcels observed by the PSP with their source regions on the Sun.  Our study encompasses the first eight PSP perihelion passes, using a time window of about three weeks around each perihelion. The first results indicate that we can well distinguish and identify the solar wind observed by the PSP originating not only from the big, but also from the small coronal holes.

How to cite: Magdalenic, J., Valliappan, S. P., and Rodriguez, L.: Origin of the solar wind observed by PSP , EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-8923, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-8923, 2022.