A Detailed Analysis of a Magnetic Island Observed by WISPR on Parker Solar Probe

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Ascione, Madison L., Gutarra-Leon, Angel J., Shaik, Shaheda Begum, Linton, Mark, Battams, Karl, Liewer, Paulett C., Gallagher, Brendan
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Ascione, Madison L.
Gutarra-Leon, Angel J.
Shaik, Shaheda Begum
Linton, Mark
Battams, Karl
Liewer, Paulett C.
Gallagher, Brendan
author_facet Ascione, Madison L.
Gutarra-Leon, Angel J.
Shaik, Shaheda Begum
Linton, Mark
Battams, Karl
Liewer, Paulett C.
Gallagher, Brendan
contents We present the identification and physical analysis of a possible magnetic island feature seen in white-light images observed by the Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) on board the Parker Solar Probe (Parker). The island is imaged by WISPR during Parker's second solar encounter on 2019 April 06, when Parker was ~38 solar radii from the Sun center. We report that the average velocity and acceleration of the feature are approximately 334 km s and -0.64 m s-2. The kinematics of the island feature, coupled with its direction of propagation, indicate that the island is likely entrained in the slow solar wind. The island is elliptical in shape with a density deficit in its center, suggesting the presence of a magnetic guide field. We argue that this feature is consistent with the formation of this island via reconnection in the current sheet of the streamer. The feature's aspect ratio (calculated as the ratio of its minor to major axis) evolves from an elliptical to a more circular shape that approximately doubles during its propagation through WISPR's field of view. The island is not distinct in other white-light observations from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) coronagraphs, suggesting that this is a comparatively faint heliospheric feature and that viewing perspective and WISPR's enhanced sensitivity are key to observing the magnetic island.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_07216
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Detailed Analysis of a Magnetic Island Observed by WISPR on Parker Solar Probe
Ascione, Madison L.
Gutarra-Leon, Angel J.
Shaik, Shaheda Begum
Linton, Mark
Battams, Karl
Liewer, Paulett C.
Gallagher, Brendan
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Space Physics
We present the identification and physical analysis of a possible magnetic island feature seen in white-light images observed by the Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) on board the Parker Solar Probe (Parker). The island is imaged by WISPR during Parker's second solar encounter on 2019 April 06, when Parker was ~38 solar radii from the Sun center. We report that the average velocity and acceleration of the feature are approximately 334 km s and -0.64 m s-2. The kinematics of the island feature, coupled with its direction of propagation, indicate that the island is likely entrained in the slow solar wind. The island is elliptical in shape with a density deficit in its center, suggesting the presence of a magnetic guide field. We argue that this feature is consistent with the formation of this island via reconnection in the current sheet of the streamer. The feature's aspect ratio (calculated as the ratio of its minor to major axis) evolves from an elliptical to a more circular shape that approximately doubles during its propagation through WISPR's field of view. The island is not distinct in other white-light observations from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) coronagraphs, suggesting that this is a comparatively faint heliospheric feature and that viewing perspective and WISPR's enhanced sensitivity are key to observing the magnetic island.
title A Detailed Analysis of a Magnetic Island Observed by WISPR on Parker Solar Probe
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.07216