Observation of Magnetic Switchback in the Solar Corona

Abstract

Switchbacks are sudden, large radial deflections of the solar wind magnetic field, widely revealed in interplanetary space by the Parker Solar Probe. The switchbacks' formation mechanism and sources are still unresolved, although candidate mechanisms include Alfvénic turbulence, shear-driven Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, interchange reconnection, and geometrical effects related to the Parker spiral. This Letter presents observations from the Metis coronagraph onboard Solar Orbiter of a single large propagating S-shaped vortex, interpreted as first evidence of a switchback in the solar corona. It originated above an active region with the related loop system bounded by open-field regions to the East and West. Observations, modeling, and theory provide strong arguments in favor of the interchange reconnection origin of switchbacks. Metis measurements suggest that the initiation of the switchback may also be an indicator of the origin of slow solar wind.

References in corpus (12)

• The Solar Orbiter mission -- Science overview
• Switchbacks in the near-Sun magnetic field: long memory and impact on the turbulence cascade
• Metis: the Solar Orbiter visible light and ultraviolet coronal imager
• In-situ switchback formation in the expanding solar wind
• A solar source of Alfvénic magnetic field switchbacks: {\em in situ} remnants of magnetic funnels on supergranulation scales
• Magnetic field kinks and folds in the solar wind
• Ion kinetic energy conservation and magnetic field strength constancy in multi-fluid solar wind Alfvénic turbulence
• Switchbacks Explained: Super-Parker Fields -- the Other Side of the Sub-Parker Spiral
• Coronal-Jet-Producing Minifilament Eruptions as a Possible Source of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) Switchbacks
• Characteristic scales of magnetic switchback patches near the Sun and their possible association with solar supergranulation and granulation
• Small-scale Flux Emergence, Coronal Hole Heating, and Flux-tube Expansion: A Hybrid Solar Wind Model
• A Simple Radial Gradient Filter for Batch-Processing of Coronagraph Images

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Interchange reconnection as the source of the fast solar wind within coronal holes
• The Structure and Origin of Switchbacks: Parker Solar Probe Observations
• Efficient kinetic Lattice Boltzmann simulation of three-dimensional Hall-MHD Turbulence