0000000000038068
AUTHOR
Silvio Giordano
Linking Small-scale Solar Wind Properties with Large-scale Coronal Source Regions through Joint Parker Solar Probe–Metis/Solar Orbiter Observations
Abstract The solar wind measured in situ by Parker Solar Probe in the very inner heliosphere is studied in combination with the remote-sensing observation of the coronal source region provided by the METIS coronagraph aboard Solar Orbiter. The coronal outflows observed near the ecliptic by Metis on 2021 January 17 at 16:30 UT, between 3.5 and 6.3 R ⊙ above the eastern solar limb, can be associated with the streams sampled by PSP at 0.11 and 0.26 au from the Sun, in two time intervals almost 5 days apart. The two plasma flows come from two distinct source regions, characterized by different magnetic field polarity and intensity at the coronal base. It follows that both the global and local p…
Measuring the electron temperatures of coronal mass ejections with future space-based multi-channel coronagraphs: a numerical test
Context. The determination from coronagraphic observations of physical parameters of the plasma embedded in coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is of crucial importance for our understanding of the origin and evolution of these phenomena. Aims. The aim of this work is to perform the first ever numerical simulations of a CME as it will be observed by future two-channel (visible light VL and UV Ly-α) coronagraphs, such as the Metis instrument on-board ESA-Solar Orbiter mission, or any other future coronagraphs with the same spectral band-passes. These simulations are then used to test and optimize the plasma diagnostic techniques to be applied to future observations of CMEs. Methods. The CME diagno…
First light observations of the solar wind in the outer corona with the Metis coronagraph
In this work, we present an investigation of the wind in the solar corona that has been initiated by observations of the resonantly scattered ultraviolet emission of the coronal plasma obtained with UVCS-SOHO, designed to measure the wind outflow speed by applying Doppler dimming diagnostics. Metis on Solar Orbiter complements the UVCS spectroscopic observations that were performed during solar activity cycle 23 by simultaneously imaging the polarized visible light and the H I Lyman-α corona in order to obtain high spatial and temporal resolution maps of the outward velocity of the continuously expanding solar atmosphere. The Metis observations, taken on May 15, 2020, provide the first H I …
First Determination of 2D Speed Distribution within the Bodies of Coronal Mass Ejections with Cross-correlation Analysis
The determination of the speed of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) is usually done by tracking brighter features (such as the CME front and core) in visible light coronagraphic images and by deriving unidimensional profiles of the CME speed as a function of altitude or time. Nevertheless, CMEs are usually characterized by the presence of significant density inhomogeneities propagating outward with different radial and latitudinal projected speeds, resulting in a complex evolution eventually forming the Interplanetary CME. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time how coronagraphic image sequences can be analyzed with cross-correlation technique to derive 2D maps of the almost instantaneo…
Constraining the pass-band of future space-based coronagraphs for observations of solar eruptions in the FeXIV 530.3 nm “green line”
This research has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 647214) and from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council. Observations of the solar corona in the FeXIV 530.3 nm “green line” have been very important in the past, and are planned for future coronagraphs on-board forthcoming space missions such as PROBA-3 and Aditya. For these instruments, a very important parameter to be optimized is the spectral width of the band-pass filter to be centred over the “green line”. Focusing on solar eruptions, motions occurring along the line of sight will Doppler shift the line prof…
Exploring the Solar Wind from Its Source on the Corona into the Inner Heliosphere during the First Solar Orbiter-Parker Solar Probe Quadrature
This Letter addresses the first Solar Orbiter (SO) -- Parker Solar Probe (PSP) quadrature, occurring on January 18, 2021, to investigate the evolution of solar wind from the extended corona to the inner heliosphere. Assuming ballistic propagation, the same plasma volume observed remotely in corona at altitudes between 3.5 and 6.3 solar radii above the solar limb with the Metis coronagraph on SO can be tracked to PSP, orbiting at 0.1 au, thus allowing the local properties of the solar wind to be linked to the coronal source region from where it originated. Thanks to the close approach of PSP to the Sun and the simultaneous Metis observation of the solar corona, the flow-aligned magnetic fiel…