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Many questions remain about the compressibility of solar wind turbulence with respect to its origins and properties. Low plasma beta (ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure) environments allow for the easier generation of compressible…

Parker Solar Probe's first encounters with the Sun revealed the presence of ubiquitous localised magnetic deflections in the inner heliosphere; these structures, often called switchbacks, are particularly striking in solar wind streams…

Switchbacks are widely acknowledged phenomena observed by the Parker Solar Probe and appear to occur in patches. Previous studies focused on the fluctuations at the magnetic reversals. However, the nature of the fluctuations inside the…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2021-04-27 Honghong Wu , Chuanyi Tu , Xin Wang , Liping Yang

Magnetic switchbacks, or sudden reversals in the magnetic field's radial direction, are one of the more striking observations of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) thus far in its mission. While their precise production mechanisms are still unknown,…

One of the most important early results from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is the ubiquitous presence of magnetic switchbacks, whose origin is under debate. Using a three-dimensional direct numerical simulation of the equations of…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2021-06-17 Munehito Shoda , Benjamin D. G. Chandran , Steven R. Cranmer

The S-shaped magnetic structure in the solar wind formed by the twisting of magnetic field lines is called a switchback, whose main characteristics are the reversal of the magnetic field and the significant increase in the solar wind radial…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2022-01-21 Mingming Meng , Ying D. Liu , Chong Chen , Rui Wang

Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations during its first encounter at 35.7 $R_\odot$ have shown the presence of magnetic field lines which are strongly perturbed to the point that they produce local inversions of the radial magnetic field,…

Turbulence in the solar wind is characterized by Alfv\'enic fluctuations that exhibit spherical polarization, a geometric condition resulting in the nearly constant magnitude of the magnetic field. This property persists even during the…

Plasma Physics · Physics 2026-05-07 Anna Tenerani , Marco Velli

The Parker Solar Probe mission provides a unique opportunity to characterize several features of the solar wind at different heliocentric distances. Recent findings have shown a transition in the inertial range spectral and scaling…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2022-11-30 Tommaso Alberti , Simone Benella , Giuseppe Consolini , Mirko Stumpo , Roberto Benzi

Magnetic switchbacks are of continuing interest to the scientific community due to the fact that the phenomenon has not been completely understood. Although most of the research into them in the Parker Solar Probe era has largely focused on…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2025-09-04 Emily McDougall , Bala Poduval

Motivated by recent Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations of "switchbacks" (abrupt, large-amplitude reversals in the radial magnetic field, which exhibit Alfv\'enic correlations) we examine the dynamics of large-amplitude Alfv\'en waves in…

Magnetic switchbacks are rapid high amplitude reversals of the radial magnetic field in the solar wind that do not involve a heliospheric current sheet crossing. First seen sporadically in the seventies in Mariner and Helios data,…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2023-01-09 Gabor Toth , Marco Velli , Bart van der Holst

Characterizing compressible fluctuations in the solar wind is essential for understanding their role in solar wind acceleration and heating, yet their origin and evolution across different turbulence regimes remain poorly understood. In…

Plasma Physics · Physics 2026-04-13 C. A. Gonzalez , C. Gonzalez , A. Tenerani

We investigate magnetized solar-like stellar winds by means of self-consistent three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) numerical simulations. We analyze winds with different magnetic field intensities and densities as to explore…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-13 A. A. Vidotto , M. Opher , V. Jatenco-Pereira , T. I. Gombosi

{Parker Solar Probe's first solar encounter has revealed the presence of sudden magnetic field deflections that are called switchbacks and are associated with proton velocity enhancements in the slow alfv\'{e}nic solar wind.} {We study…

Turbulence is a ubiquitous process that transfers energy across many spatial and temporal scales, thereby influencing particle transport and heating. Recent progress has improved our understanding of the anisotropy of turbulence with…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2025-12-08 Siqi Zhao , Huirong Yan , Terry Z. Liu , Chuanpeng Hou

Solar wind magnetic fluctuations exhibit anisotropy due to the presence of a mean magnetic field in the form of the Parker spiral. Close to the Sun, direct measurements were not available until the recently launched Parker Solar Probe (PSP)…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2022-01-05 Riddhi Bandyopadhyay , David J. McComas

Switchbacks are rapid magnetic field reversals that last from seconds to hours. Current Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations pose many open questions in regard to the nature of switchbacks. For example, are they stable as they propagate…

Switchbacks are Aflv\'enic fluctuations in the solar wind, which exhibit large rotations in the magnetic field direction. Observations from Parker Solar Probe's (PSP's) first two solar encounters have formed the basis for many of the…

Space Physics · Physics 2022-09-14 R. Laker , T. S. Horbury , L. Matteini , S. D. Bale , J. E. Stawarz , L. D. Woodham , T. Woolley

We study the evolution of turbulence in the solar wind by solving numerically the full 3D magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) equations embedded in a radial mean wind. The corresponding equations (expanding box model or EBM) have been considered…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-22 Yue Dong , Andrea Verdini , Roland Grappin