Prediction and Verification of Parker Solar Probe Solar Wind Sources at 13.3 R${}_{\odot }$

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 \textit{in situ} timeseries. Furthermore, making advanced predictions of this linkage for ongoing heliospheric missions, such as Parker Solar Probe (PSP), 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 difficult due to the lack of an independent ground truth and limited model constraints. In its most recent orbits, PSP has reached perihelia of 13.3$R_{\odot }$ and moreover travels extremely fast prograde relative to the solar surface, covering over 120 degrees longitude in three days. Here we present footpoint predictions and subsequent validation efforts for PSP Encounter 10, the first of the 13.3$R_{\odot }$ orbits, which occurred in November 2021. We show that the longitudinal dependence of \textit{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 PSP) occur when solar activity is low, but also requires 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.

33 Pages, 7 Figures, JGR Space Physics, Published Online 2023/3/28, In Final Production

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Cited by in corpus (17)

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• In situ observations of large amplitude Alfvén waves heating and accelerating the solar wind
• Quantifying the Energy Budget in the Solar Wind from 13.3-100 Solar Radii
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• Compositional metrics of fast and slow Alfvenic solar wind emerging from coronal holes and their boundaries
• Near subsonic solar wind outflow from an active region
• Tracing magnetic switchbacks to their source: An assessment of solar coronal jets as switchback precursors
• Dominance of 2-Minute Oscillations near the Alfvén Surface
• Testing the flux tube expansion factor -- solar wind speed relation with Solar Orbiter data
• Solar Wind Structures from the Gaussianity of Magnetic Magnitude
• Formation of Magnetic Switchbacks via expanding Alfvén Waves
• Nested active regions anchor the heliospheric current sheet and stall the reversal of the coronal magnetic field
• On the estimation of solar wind velocity under varying solar activity conditions using Akatsuki measurements
• Magnetic connectivity from the Sun to the Earth with MHD models I. Impact of the magnetic modelling for connectivity validation
• Ensemble Modeling of the Solar Wind Flow with Boundary Conditions Governed by Synchronic Photospheric Magnetograms. I. Multi-point Validation in the Inner Heliosphere
• Reconstructing the Sun's Alfvén surface and wind braking torque with Parker Solar Probe
• Proposal of a Novel Physical Parameter Characterizing Solar Wind Speed in a Wave-Driven Model