Related papers: Switchback Deflections Beyond the Early Parker Sol…

We examine the statistics of Alfvenic deflections in both sub-Alfvenic and super-Alfvenic solar wind with particular focus on a common parameter that underlies the definition of switchbacks: the magnetic deflection angle. Our findings are…

Small-scale magnetic flux ropes (SFRs) are a type of structures in the solar wind that possess helical magnetic field lines. In a recent report (Chen & Hu 2020), we presented the radial variations of the properties of SFR from 0.29 to 8 au…

The physical mechanisms that produce the slow solar wind are still highly debated. Parker Solar Probe's (PSP's) second solar encounter provided a new opportunity to relate in situ measurements of the nascent slow solar wind with white-light…

Observations by the Parker Solar Probe mission of the solar wind at about 35.7 solar radii reveal the existence of whistler wave packets with frequencies below 0.1 f/fce (20-80 Hz in the spacecraft frame). These waves often coincide with…

The solar wind is a dynamic plasma outflow that shapes heliospheric conditions and drives space weather. Identifying its large-scale phenomena is crucial, yet the increasing volume of high-cadence Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations poses…

Large-scale solar ejections are well understood, but the extent to which small-scale solar features directly influence the solar wind remains an open question, primarily due to the challenges of tracing these small-scale ejections and their…

Many solar coronal jets result from erupting miniature-filament ("minifilament") magnetic flux ropes that reconnect with encountered surrounding far-reaching field. Many of those minifilament flux ropes are apparently built and triggered to…

We identify and examine the solar wind intervals near the sonic critical point (i.e., $M_S \sim 1$) observed by the Parker Solar Probe (PSP). The near subsonic wind intervals show similar properties: a low density, an extremely low…

The properties of the solar wind, as measured in situ throughout the heliosphere, depend both on the characteristics of its coronal source and on the intrinsic processes governing its interplanetary evolution. Recently, radial and Parker…

The trace magnetic power spectrum in the solar wind is known to be characterized by a double power law at scales much larger than the proton gyro-radius, with flatter spectral exponents close to -1 found at the lower frequencies below an…

Alfv\'en waves, considered one of the primary candidates for heating and accelerating the fast solar wind, are ubiquitous in spacecraft observations, yet their origin remains elusive. In this study, we analyze data from the first 19…

Parker Solar Probe observations reveal that the near-Sun space is almost filled with magnetic switchbacks (``switchbacks'' hereinafter), which may be a major contributor to the heating and acceleration of solar wind. Here, for the first…

The solar wind shows periods of highly Alfv\'enic activity, where velocity fluctuations and magnetic fluctuations are aligned or anti-aligned with each other. It is generally agreed that solar wind plasma velocity and magnetic field…

The fourth orbit of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) reached heliocentric distances down to 27.9 Rs, allowing solar wind turbulence and acceleration mechanisms to be studied in situ closer to the Sun than previously possible. The turbulence…

The Sun's surface vibrates in characteristic 5-minute oscillations, known as p-modes, generated by sound waves trapped within the convection zone. Although these oscillations have long been hypothesized to reach into the solar wind, direct…

The long-term evolution of the Sun's rotation period cannot be directly observed, and is instead inferred from trends in the measured rotation periods of other Sun-like stars. Assuming the Sun spins-down as it ages, following rotation rate…

The Alfv\'en surface -- where the solar wind exceeds the local Alfv\'en speed as it expands into interplanetary space -- is now routinely probed by NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) in the near-Sun environment. The size of the Alfv\'en…

Characterizing the plasma state in the near-Sun environment is essential to constrain the mechanisms that heat and accelerate the solar wind. In this study, we use Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations from Encounters 1 through 24 to…

The first two orbits of the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft have enabled the first in situ measurements of the solar wind down to a heliocentric distance of 0.17 au (or 36 Rs). Here, we present an analysis of this data to study solar…

Magnetic reconnection in current sheets converts magnetic energy into particle energy. The process may play an important role in the acceleration and heating of the solar wind close to the Sun. Observations from Parker Solar Probe provide a…