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We examine the radial evolution of correlation lengths perpendicular ( λC⊥ ) and parallel ( λC∥ ) to the magnetic-field direction, computed from solar wind magnetic-field data measured by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) during its first eight orbits, Helios 1, Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), WIND, and Voyager 1 spacecraft. Correlation lengths are grouped by an interval’s alignment angle; the angle between the magnetic-field and solar wind velocity vectors (ΘBV). Parallel and perpendicular angular channels correspond to angles 0° < ΘBV < 40° and 50° < ΘBV < 90°, respectively. We observe an anisotropy in the inner heliosphere within 0.40 au, with λC∥/λC⊥≈0.75 at 0.10 au. This anisotropy reduces with increasing heliocentric distance and the correlation lengths roughly isotropize within 1 au. Results from ACE and WIND support a reversal of the anisotropy, such that λC∥/λC⊥≈1.29 at 1 au. The ratio does not appear to change significantly beyond 1 au, although the small number of parallel intervals in the Voyager data set precludes unambiguous conclusions from being drawn. This study provides insights regarding the radial evolution of the large, most energetic interacting turbulent fluctuations in the heliosphere. We also emphasize the importance of tracking the changes in sampling direction in PSP measurements as the spacecraft approaches the Sun, when using these data to study the radial evolution of turbulence. This can prove to be vital in understanding the more complex dynamics of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere and can assist in improving related simulations.

Using data collected by the Indian Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) in 2021 October, we investigated coronal regions of the Sun by analyzing the Doppler spectral width of radio signals to estimate solar wind velocity. A simplified equation is introduced to directly relate these two parameters. The study focuses on observations conducted from 2021 October 2 to October 14, a relatively quiet phase of solar cycle 25. The analysis targeted the coronal region within heliocentric distances of 5–8 R⊙, near the ecliptic plane. In this region, solar wind velocities ranged from 100 to 150 km s−1, while electron densities were on the order of 1010 m−3. We also compared our results with electron density observations and models derived from previous studies. Though the decrease in the electron densities with respect to increasing heliocentric distance matches quite well with the theoretical models, MOM estimates fall at the lower edge of the distribution. This difference may be attributed to the prolonged weak solar activity during the MOM observations, in contrast to prior studies conducted during periods of comparatively higher solar activity in earlier solar cycles.

We introduce a method to derive the bulk velocity of the solar energetic particle population, given intensity measurements for a set of apertures viewing half of the sky, as is the case for energetic particle measurements from IS⊙IS/EPI-Lo on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. In the comoving frame, intensity distribution is modeled as an isotropic power-law energy spectrum multiplied by an arbitrary pitch angle distribution. This distribution is shifted by an arbitrary bulk velocity vector, then converted to expectation values for the particle counts that would be observed by the instrument. By assuming that the observed particle counts are Poisson-distributed samples of the model, a maximum likelihood bulk velocity is found. To test the method, we used simulated measurements to explore the reliability of the method. We found that, even with half-sky measurements, the method can provide nearly unbiased estimates of the bulk velocity within the uncertainty as long as the pitch angle distribution is resolved. We also took advantage of a period during which the spacecraft was rolling for calibration purposes, effectively giving EPI-Lo full-sky viewing. By comparing the result obtained from different segments of the sky, we found that those obtained from different half-sky fields of view are generally compatible within the uncertainty, especially when the pitch angle distribution is resolved. We also compared the perpendicular part of the bulk energetic velocity to the perpendicular part of the bulk solar wind velocity, finding a strong correlation (∼0.78), as expected.

We employ Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations during the latest solar minimum period (years 2018–2021) to calibrate the version of the Wang–Sheeley–Arge (WSA) coronal model used in the European Heliospheric Forecasting Information Asset (EUHFORIA). WSA provides a set of boundary conditions at 0.1 au necessary to initiate the heliospheric part of EUHFORIA, namely, the domain extending beyond the solar Alfvénic point. To calibrate WSA, we observationally constrain four constants in the WSA semiempirical formula based on PSP observations. We show how the updated (after the calibration) WSA boundary conditions at 0.1 au are compared to PSP observations at similar distances, and we further propagate these conditions in the heliosphere according to EUHFORIA’s magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approach. We assess the predictions at Earth based on the dynamic time-warping technique. Our findings suggest that, for the period of interest, the WSA configurations that resembled optimally the PSP observations close to the Sun were different from the ones needed to provide better predictions at Earth. One reason for this discrepancy can be attributed to the scarcity of fast solar wind velocities recorded by PSP. The calibration of the model was performed based on unexpectedly slow velocities that did not allow us to achieve generally and globally improved solar wind predictions compared to older studies. Other reasons can be attributed to missing physical processes from the heliospheric part of EUHFORIA but also the fact that the currently employed WSA relationship, as coupled to the heliospheric MHD domain, may need a global reformulation beyond that of just updating the four constant factors that were taken into account in this study.

Alfvénic rotational discontinuities (RDs) are abundant in the inner heliosphere and can be used to model the boundary of switchbacks, i.e., Alfvénic magnetic kinks. To investigate the effects of RDs on proton kinetics, we model a pair of switchback-boundary-like RDs with a hybrid Particle-In-Cell approach in a 2D system. We find that, at one of the boundary RDs, a significant population of protons remains trapped over long times, creating a secondary beam-like component with temperature anisotropy T⊥/T∥ ≳ 4 in the proton velocity distribution function that excites ion cyclotron waves within the downstream portion of the transition layer. Further analysis suggests that the static electric field in the vicinity of the RD is the key factor in trapping the protons. This work indicates that switchback boundaries could represent a viable environment for the creation of proton beams in the heliosphere; it also highlights the need to investigate RD substructures, especially the embedded current systems of interplanetary RDs. Finally, this paper underscores the importance of high-resolution observations of the solar wind velocity distributions around RDs.

Solar wind forecasting plays a crucial role in space weather prediction, yet significant uncertainties persist duet to incomplete magnetic field observations of the Sun. Isolating the solar wind forecasting errors due to these effects is difficult. This study investigates the uncertainties in solar wind models arising from these limitations. We simulate magnetic field maps with known uncertainties, including far-side and polar field variations, as well as resolution and sensitivity limitations. These maps serve as input for three solar wind models: the Wang–Sheeley–Arge, the Heliospheric Upwind eXtrapolation, and the European Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset. We analyze the discrepancies in solar wind forecasts, particularly the solar wind speed at Earth’s location, by comparing the results of these models to a created ground truth magnetic field map, which is derived from a synthetic solar rotation evolution using the Advective Flux Transport model. The results reveal significant variations within each model with a root mean square error ranging from 59 to 121 km s−1. Further comparison with the thermodynamic Magnetohydrodynamic Algorithm outside a Sphere model indicates that uncertainties in the different models can lead to even larger variations in solar wind forecasts compared to those within a single model. However, predicting a range of solar wind velocities based on a cloud of points around Earth can help mitigate uncertainties by up to 20%–77%.

Switchbacks (SBs) are localized magnetic field deflections in the solar wind, marked by abrupt changes in the magnetic field direction relative to the ambient solar wind. Observations on board Parker Solar Probe (PSP) at heliocentric distances below 50 solar radii RS showed that within SBs, perturbations in the magnetic field ( ΔB ) and the bulk solar wind velocity ( ΔV ) align, i.e., ΔB∼ΔV , producing enhanced radial velocity spikes. In this study, we examine the characteristics of SB boundaries, with particular attention to the role of boundary shear flow instabilities (Kelvin–Helmholtz instability; KHI) for surface wave phenomena based on the in situ magnetic field, plasma speed, and plasma density measurements from PSP. The results indicate that SB boundaries can be unstable for generating KHI-driven surface waves, suggesting that the wave activity observed at SB boundaries is caused by shear flow instabilities. In addition, the continued development of KHI may lead to boundary erosion, contributing to the radial evolution of SBs via structural weakening or broadening. However, when ΔB and ΔV are closely aligned, the boundary remains stable unless the velocity shear significantly exceeds the magnetic shear. Since the observed velocity shear typically ranges from 40% to 90% of magnetic shear, the instability condition is generally not satisfied. Thus, the configuration leading to the instability arises from deviations from precise alignment of ΔB and ΔV in the young solar wind, and the release of the KHI presumably leads to the formation of the ΔB and ΔV alignment observed at SB boundaries located at 35–55 RS.

Since its launch in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission revealed the presence of numerous fascinating phenomena occurring closer to the Sun, such as the presence of ubiquitous switchbacks (SBs). The SBs are large magnetic field deflections of the local magnetic field relative to a background field. We investigated the statistical properties of the SBs during the first 10 encounters between 13.28 and 58 solar radii (R ⊙) using data from the SWEAP and FIELDS suites on board PSP. We find that the occurrence percentage of small deflections with respect to the Parker spiral decreases with radial distance (R). In contrast, the occurrence percentage of the large deflections (SBs) increases with R, as does the SB patches. We also find that the occurrence of SBs correlates with the bulk velocity of the solar wind, i.e., the higher the solar wind velocity, the higher the SB occurrence. For V sw ≤ 400 km s−1, the SB occurrence percentage shows a constantly increasing trend between 13 and 58 R ⊙. However, for V sw > 400 km s−1, the occurrence percentage saturates beyond 35 R ⊙. The occurrence percentage of mini SB patches (<60 s) shows a decreasing trend with R, while the occurrence percentage of long-duration SB patches (>200 s) increases with R. Sub-Alfvénic regions that we analyzed during Encounters 8–10 have not shown any SBs. This analysis of the PSP data hints that some of the SBs are decaying and some are being created in situ.

Switchbacks (SBs) are localized structures in the solar wind containing deflections of the magnetic field direction relative to the background solar wind magnetic field. The amplitudes of the magnetic field deflection angles (θ) for different SBs vary from ∼40° to ∼160°–170°. Alignment of the perturbations of the magnetic field (Δ B ) and the bulk solar wind velocity (Δ V ) is observed inside SBs so that Δ V ∼ Δ B when the background magnetic field is directed toward the Sun (if the background solar wind magnetic field direction is anti-sunward then Δ V ∼ − Δ B , supporting anti-sunward propagation in the background solar wind frame). This causes spiky enhancements of the radial bulk velocity inside SBs. We have investigated the deviations of SB perturbations from Alfvénicity by evaluating the distribution of the parameter α, defined as the ratio of the parallel to Δ B component of Δ V to Δ V A = Δ B /4π n i m i inside SBs, i.e., α = V ∣∣/∣Δ V A∣ (α = ∣Δ V ∣/∣Δ V A∣ when Δ V ∼ Δ B ), which quantifies the deviation of the perturbation from an Alfvénic one. Based on Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations, we show that α inside SBs has systematically lower values than it has in the pristine solar wind: α inside SBs observed during PSP Encounter 1 were distributed in a range from ∼0.2 to ∼0.9. The upper limit on α is constrained by the requirement that the jump in velocity across the switchback boundary be less than the local Alfvén speed. This prevents the onset of shear flow instabilities. The consequence of this limitation is that the perturbation of the proton bulk velocity in SBs with θ > π/3 cannot reach α = 1 (the Alfvénicity condition) and the highest possible α for an SB with θ = π is 0.5. These results have consequences for the interpretation of switchbacks as large amplitude Alfvén waves.

The 2024 May 10 space weather event stands out as the most powerful storm recorded during the current solar cycle. This study employs a numerical framework utilizing a semiempirical coronal model, along with heliospheric upwind extrapolation with time dependence and cone coronal mass ejection (CME) models for the inner heliosphere, to forecast solar wind velocity and the arrival of CMEs associated with this event. The simulations were also carried out using the Space Weather Adaptive Simulation framework and a drag-based model (DBM) for this complex event of multiple CMEs. Predicted arrival times and velocities from these models are compared with actual observations at the Sun–Earth L1 point. These simulations reveal that three CMEs reached Earth nearly simultaneously, resulting in the extreme space weather event, followed by the arrival of a few more eruptions. The simulations accurately predicted arrival times with a discrepancy of approximately 5 hr or less for these CMEs. Further, the ensemble study of the DBM shows the sensitivity of the CME arrival time to the background solar wind speed and drag parameters. All three models have done fairly well in reproducing the arrival time closely to the actual observation of the CMEs responsible for the extreme geomagnetic storm of 2024 May 10. These rare solar storms offered a unique opportunity to thoroughly evaluate and validate our advanced models for predicting their arrival at Earth.