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Nonthermal radio transients from the quiet Sun have been recently discovered and it has been hypothesized using rough calculations that they might be important for coronal heating. It is well realized that energy calculations using coherent emissions are often subject to poorly constrained parameters and hence have large uncertainties. However, energy estimates using observations in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray bands are routinely done and the techniques are pretty well established. This work presents the first attempt to identify the EUV counterparts of these radio transients and then use them to estimate the energy deposited into the corona during the event. I show that the group of radio transients studied here is associated with a brightening observed in the EUV waveband and is produced by an energy release of ≈ 10 25  ergs. The fact that the flux density of the radio transient is only ≈ 2  mSFU suggests that it might be possible to do large statistical studies in the future for understanding the relationship between these radio transients and other EUV and X-ray counterparts, as well as for understanding their importance in coronal heating.

The homogeneous coronal data set (HCDS) of the green corona (Fe xiv ) and the coronal index of solar activity (CI) have been used to study the time–latitudinal distribution in Solar Cycles 18 – 24 and compared with similar distribution of sunspots, the magnetic fields, and the solar 10.7 cm radio flux. The most important results are: i) the distribution of coronal intensities related to the cycle maximum are different for individual cycles, ii) the poleward migration of the HCDS from mid-latitudes in each cycle exists, even in the extremely weak Cycle 24, and the same is valid for the equatorward migration, iii) the overall values of HCDS are slightly stronger for the northern hemisphere than for the southern one, iv) the distribution of the HDCS is in coincidence with the strongest photospheric magnetic fields ( B > 50 Gauss) and histograms of the sunspot groups, v) the Gnevyshev gap was confirmed with at least 95% confidence in the CI, however with different behavior for odd and even cycles. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the first and second components account for 87.7% and 7.3% of the total variation of the CI. Furthermore, the second PCA component of the green corona was quite different for Cycle 21, compared with other cycles.

In the present paper, we have studied nonlinear kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) in the vicinity of a null point. We have considered the nonlinearity due to ponderomotive effects associated with KAWs in the solar corona. A 3D model equation representing the dynamics of KAWs is developed in this null point scenario. Using numerical methods, we have solved the model equation for solar coronal parameters. The pseudospectral method and the finite difference method have been applied to tackle spatial integration and temporal evaluation, respectively. The outcome of the simulation demonstrates the formation of localized structures. With the evolution of time, these localized structures become more chaotic. Chaotic (turbulent) structures can efficiently transfer energy. The power spectrum of these turbulent structures shows the Kolmogorov spectral index of nearly − 5 / 3 in the inertial range followed by a steeper spectrum of nearly −3.3 (in the range of −2 to −4). These structures also lead to the generation of a current sheet. To understand the physics of our model, we have also done a semi-analytical study for our model equation. Semi-analytical calculations reveal that the current sheet structures have scale sizes of the order of the ion gyro-radius. The relevance of this investigation to the current observations by Parker Solar Probe has also been discussed.

We present results of a dual eclipse expedition to observe the solar corona from two sites during the annular solar eclipse of 14 October 2023 using a novel coronagraph designed to be accessible for amateurs and students to build and deploy. The coronagraph (CATEcor) builds on the standardized eclipse observing equipment developed for the Citizen CATE 2024 experiment. The observing sites were selected for likelihood of clear observations, for historic relevance (near the Climax site in the Colorado Rocky Mountains), and for centrality to the annular eclipse path (atop Sandia Peak above Albuquerque, New Mexico). The novel portion of CATEcor is an external occulter assembly that slips over the front of a conven tional dioptric telescope, forming a shaded-truss externally occulted coronagraph. CATEcor is specifically designed to be easily constructed in a garage or “makerspace” environment. We successfully observed some bright features in the solar corona to an altitude of approximately 2.25 R during the annular phases of the eclipse. Future improvements to the design, in progress now, will reduce both stray light and image artifacts; our objective is to develop a design that can be operated successfully by amateur astronomers at sufficient altitude even without the darkened skies of a partial or annular eclipse.

Modern views on the nature of the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability and its manifestations in the solar corona, in the interplanetary medium, and at the geomagnetospheric boundary are under consideration. We briefly describe the main theoretical results of the KH instability obtained in the linear approximation. Analysis of observational data, confirming the occurrence of the KH instability in magnetic formations of the solar coronal plasma and on the daytime magnetopause, was mainly performed in the approximation of incompressibility. We show that the Rayleigh–Taylor instability can significantly enhance the KH instability in the above regions due to interface accelerations or its curvature. Special attention is focused on the compressibility effect on the supersonic shear flow instability in the solar wind (SW) and at the geomagnetic tail boundary where this instability is usually considered to be ineffective. We have shown that the phase velocity of oblique perturbations is substantially less than the flow velocity, and values of the growth rate and frequency range are considerably higher than when only taking velocity-aligned disturbances into account. We emphasize that the magnetic field and plasma density inhomogeneity which weaken the KH instability of subsonic shear flows, in the case of a supersonic velocity difference weaken the stabilizing effect of the medium compressibility, and can significantly increase the instability. Effective generation of oblique disturbances by the supersonic KH instability explains the observations of magnetosonic waves and the formation of diffuse shear flows in the SW and on the distant magnetotail boundary, as well as the SW-magnetosphere energy and impulse transfer.

One of the most unrevealed pieces of information about solar F-corona is its polarization. We propose the possibility of measuring the degree of linear polarization (DF) of the F-corona along the radial distance from the Sun using the signal of two filters installed on the COronal Diagnostic EXperiment (CODEX), which will be mounted on board the International Space Station in December 2023. By analyzing the signal and noise of CODEX with Monte-Carlo simulations, we can derive DF with a 1.4 nm-width narrow bandpass filter centered at 393.55 nm and a 10 nm-width broad bandpass filter centered at 393.5 nm by stacking six images and integrating over 1R⊙ × 1R⊙. The DF measured by CODEX will help reduce the uncertainty of the K-coronal polarization (pBK), a main target of the mission, as well as to provide a better understanding of the F-corona.

Launched on 12 Aug. 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe had completed 13 of its scheduled 24 orbits around the Sun by Nov. 2022. The mission’s primary science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun’s coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Parker Solar Probe returned a treasure trove of science data that far exceeded quality, significance, and quantity expectations, leading to a significant number of discoveries reported in nearly 700 peer-reviewed publications. The first four years of the 7-year primary mission duration have been mostly during solar minimum conditions with few major solar events. Starting with orbit 8 (i.e., 28 Apr. 2021), Parker flew through the magnetically dominated corona, i.e., sub-Alfvénic solar wind, which is one of the mission’s primary objectives. In this paper, we present an overview of the scientific advances made mainly during the first four years of the Parker Solar Probe mission, which go well beyond the three science objectives that are: (1) Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind; (2) Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind; and (3) Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles.

Spicules are rapidly evolving fine-scale jets of magnetized plasma in the solar chromosphere. It remains unclear how these prevalent jets originate from the solar surface and what role they play in heating the solar atmosphere. Using the Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, we observed spicules emerging within minutes of the appearance of opposite-polarity magnetic flux around dominant-polarity magnetic field concentrations. Data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory showed subsequent heating of the adjacent corona. The dynamic interaction of magnetic fields (likely due to magnetic reconnection) in the partially ionized lower solar atmosphere appears to generate these spicules and heat the upper solar atmosphere.

The behavior of acoustic waves in a rarefied high-temperature plasma is studied; as an example, the plasma of the solar corona is considered. Effects of thermal conductivity and a heating/radiative loss are taken into account; data on a temperature distribution of a radiation intensity obtained from the CHIANTI 10 code are used. The classical Spitzer expression for a full-ionized plasma is used for the thermal conductivity. Based on the found values of the radiation-loss function, the cubic spline method is used to construct an approximate analytical expression necessary for studying linear waves. A dispersion relation is obtained, and a frequency, a phase speed, and a damping coefficient are found. Dispersion and damping properties are considered for a temperature of about 106 K and a particle density of about 1015m−3, which are typical for the coronal plasma. In sum, superiority in the dispersion and damping of the thermal conduction is shown; the heating and radiation loss manifest themselves at large wavelengths. In accordance with general results by Field, a condition was found under which the acoustic oscillations become unstable. It is shown that at certain values of the temperature and density, the wave damping is dominated by the heating/radiative loss misbalance. Thus, the earlier results on mechanisms of damping of observed acoustic waves in the solar corona are refined here.

The fast solar wind that fills the heliosphere originates from deep within regions of open magnetic field on the Sun called ‘coronal holes’. The energy source responsible for accelerating the plasma is widely debated; however, there is evidence that it is ultimately magnetic in nature, with candidate mechanisms including wave heating 1 , 2 and interchange reconnection 3 – 5 . The coronal magnetic field near the solar surface is structured on scales associated with ‘supergranulation’ convection cells, whereby descending flows create intense fields. The energy density in these ‘network’ magnetic field bundles is a candidate energy source for the wind. Here we report measurements of fast solar wind streams from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft 6 that provide strong evidence for the interchange reconnection mechanism. We show that the supergranulation structure at the coronal base remains imprinted in the near-Sun solar wind, resulting in asymmetric patches of magnetic ‘switchbacks’ 7 , 8 and bursty wind streams with power-law-like energetic ion spectra to beyond 100 keV. Computer simulations of interchange reconnection support key features of the observations, including the ion spectra. Important characteristics of interchange reconnection in the low corona are inferred from the data, including that the reconnection is collisionless and that the energy release rate is sufficient to power the fast wind. In this scenario, magnetic reconnection is continuous and the wind is driven by both the resulting plasma pressure and the radial Alfvénic flow bursts. Measurements of fast solar wind streams from the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft provide strong evidence for the interchange reconnection mechanism being responsible for accelerating the fast solar wind.