Dispersive out-of-ecliptic solar particle events observed by EPD on Solar Orbiter

With its inclined orbit, Solar Orbiter now reaches higher heliocentric latitudes than are accessible from the ecliptic. We will investigate small, dispersive solar particle events and compare their onset times with X-ray measurements. Using the first particles to arrive, we determine the path lengths along which they traveled and compare these with the expected values. This exploratory work could help elucidate the global configuration of the coronal and interplanetary magnetic field and discern between traditional models and, e.g., the Fisk model. We find that at the heliographic latitudes attained by Solar Orbiter, small, dispersve events do not appear different form in-ecliptic solar particle events.