EGU26-19918, updated on 14 Mar 2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19918
EGU General Assembly 2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Poster | Thursday, 07 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST), Display time Thursday, 07 May, 08:30–12:30
 
Hall X4, X4.154
Small-scale localized structures in sub-alfvenic regions of solar wind
Rehab Abdulmajed1, Andris Vaivads1,2, Tomas Karlsson1, Luca Sorriso-Valvo3,1, and Stuart D. Bale4
Rehab Abdulmajed et al.
  • 1KTH Royal Institute of Technology, EECS, EMP, Sweden (rehaba@kth.se)
  • 2Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, Inženieru 101, Ventspils, LV-3601, Latvia
  • 3CNR - Istituto per la Scienza e la Tecnologia dei Plasmi, Bari, Italy
  • 4University of California, Berkeley, USA

Starting from encounter 22, Parker Solar Probe is on orbits having the closest approach to the sun (perihelion of 9.9 Rs). We examine the encounter 22, the period from 22nd to 27th December 2024, during which there is roughly three continuous days of sub-alfvenic solar wind. Two heliospheric current sheet crossings are identified. A particular region of interest is also the region of strong fluctuations in the plasma parameters on the 24th of December, when the spacecraft is close to the perihelion. We study the dynamics of the solar wind and the formation of localized structures, such as switchbacks, current sheets, and magnetic flux ropes. We compare these to similar structures that form during periods of Aflvenic solar wind. This allows us to conclude on potential generation mechanisms of different localized structures. 

How to cite: Abdulmajed, R., Vaivads, A., Karlsson, T., Sorriso-Valvo, L., and D. Bale, S.: Small-scale localized structures in sub-alfvenic regions of solar wind, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19918, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19918, 2026.