Sonic and Alfvenic Critical Point and the Solar Probe Mission: presentation to the Solar Probe Science and Technology Definition Team
arXiv:2106.08450
Abstract
Are critical points important in the Solar Probe Mission? This is a brief discussion of the nature of critical points in solar wind models, what this means physically in the 'real' solar wind, and what can be expected along a nominal Solar Probe Orbit. The conclusion is that the regions where the wind becomes transonic and trans-Alfvenic, which may be irregular and varying, may reveal interesting physics, but the mathematically defined critical points themselves are of less importance.
Presentation to the Solar Probe Science and Technology Definition Team, September 17, 2004