Prediction and Verification of Parker Solar Probe Solar Wind Sources at 13.3 R⊙
Abstract
Drawing connections between heliospheric spacecraft and solar wind sources is a vital step in understanding the evolution of the solar corona into the solar wind and contextualizing in situ timeseries. Furthermore, making advanced predictions of this linkage for ongoing heliospheric missions, such as Parker Solar Probe (Parker), is necessary for achieving useful coordinated remote observations and maximizing scientific return. The general procedure for estimating such connectivity is straightforward (i.e., magnetic field line tracing in a coronal model) but validating the resulting estimates is difficult due to the lack of an independent ground truth and limited model constraints. In its most recent orbits, Parker has reached perihelia of 13.3R⊙ and moreover travels extremely fast prograde relative to the solar surface, covering over 120° longitude in 3 days. Here we present footpoint predictions and subsequent validation efforts for Parker Encounter 10, the first of the 13.3R⊙ orbits, which occurred in November 2021. We show that the longitudinal dependence of in situ plasma data from these novel orbits provides a powerful method of footpoint validation. With reference to other encounters, we also illustrate that the conditions under which source mapping is most accurate for near‐ecliptic spacecraft (such as Parker) occur when solar activity is low, but also require that the heliospheric current sheet is strongly warped by mid‐latitude or equatorial coronal holes. Lastly, we comment on the large‐scale coronal structure implied by the Encounter 10 mapping, highlighting an empirical equatorial cut of the Alfvèn surface consisting of localized protrusions above unipolar magnetic separatrices.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1029/2023ja031359
Entities
People
- Carl Henney
- Charles Arge
- J. L. Verniero
- Justin Kasper
- Michael L Stevens
- N. E. Raouafi
- N. V. Pogorelov
- Parisa Mostafavi
- Pete Riley
- Robert Allen
- S. I. Jones
- Samuel Badman
- Stuart D Bale
- Tae Kim
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- Harvard University
- Heliophysics Science Division
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- NOAA Research
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Science Foundation
- The Catholic University of America
- University of Alabama
- University of California