The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2023)
Energy Budget in the Solar Corona
- Daniele Telloni,
- Marco Romoli,
- Marco Velli,
- Gary P. Zank,
- Laxman Adhikari,
- Lingling Zhao,
- Cooper Downs,
- Jasper S. Halekas,
- Jaye L. Verniero,
- Michael D. McManus,
- Chen Shi,
- Aleksandr Burtovoi,
- Roberto Susino,
- Daniele Spadaro,
- Alessandro Liberatore,
- Ester Antonucci,
- Yara De Leo,
- Lucia Abbo,
- Federica Frassati,
- Giovanna Jerse,
- Federico Landini,
- Gianalfredo Nicolini,
- Maurizio Pancrazzi,
- Giuliana Russano,
- Clementina Sasso,
- Vincenzo Andretta,
- Vania Da Deppo,
- Silvano Fineschi,
- Catia Grimani,
- Petr Heinzel,
- John D. Moses,
- Giampiero Naletto,
- Marco Stangalini,
- Luca Teriaca,
- Michela Uslenghi,
- Stuart D. Bale,
- Justin C. Kasper
Affiliations
- Daniele Telloni
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Marco Romoli
- ORCiD
- University of Florence , Department of Physics and Astronomy, Via Giovanni Sansone 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze, Italy
- Marco Velli
- ORCiD
- Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Gary P. Zank
- ORCiD
- Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville , Huntsville, AL 35805, USA; Department of Space Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville , Huntsville, AL 35805, USA
- Laxman Adhikari
- ORCiD
- Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville , Huntsville, AL 35805, USA
- Lingling Zhao
- ORCiD
- Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville , Huntsville, AL 35805, USA
- Cooper Downs
- ORCiD
- Predictive Science Inc. , San Diego, CA 92121, USA
- Jasper S. Halekas
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa , Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Jaye L. Verniero
- ORCiD
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration , Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Michael D. McManus
- ORCiD
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Physics Department, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Chen Shi
- ORCiD
- Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Aleksandr Burtovoi
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze, Italy
- Roberto Susino
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Daniele Spadaro
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, I-95123 Catania, Italy
- Alessandro Liberatore
- ORCiD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Ester Antonucci
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Yara De Leo
- ORCiD
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research , Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; University of Catania , Department of Physics and Astronomy, Via Santa Sofia 64, I-95123 Catania, Italy
- Lucia Abbo
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Federica Frassati
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Giovanna Jerse
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astronomical Observatory of Trieste, Località Basovizza 302, I-34149 Trieste, Italy
- Federico Landini
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Gianalfredo Nicolini
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Maurizio Pancrazzi
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Giuliana Russano
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello 16, I-80131 Napoli, Italy
- Clementina Sasso
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello 16, I-80131 Napoli, Italy
- Vincenzo Andretta
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello 16, I-80131 Napoli, Italy
- Vania Da Deppo
- ORCiD
- National Research Council, Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies , Via Trasea 7, I-35131 Padova, Italy
- Silvano Fineschi
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese, Italy ; [email protected]
- Catia Grimani
- ORCiD
- University of Urbino Carlo Bo , Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Via Santa Chiara 27, I-61029 Urbino, Italy; National Institute for Nuclear Physics , Section in Florence, Via Bruno Rossi 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Petr Heinzel
- ORCiD
- Czech Academy of Sciences , Astronomical Institute, Fričova 298, CZ-25165 Ondřejov, Czech Republic; University of Wrocław , Centre of Scientific Excellence—Solar and Stellar Activity, ul. Kopernika 11, PL-51-622 Wrocław, Poland
- John D. Moses
- ORCiD
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration , Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Giampiero Naletto
- ORCiD
- University of Padua , Department of Physics and Astronomy, Via Francesco Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova, Italy
- Marco Stangalini
- ORCiD
- Italian Space Agency , Via del Politecnico snc, I-00133 Roma, Italy
- Luca Teriaca
- ORCiD
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research , Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Michela Uslenghi
- ORCiD
- National Institute for Astrophysics , Institute of Space Astrophysics and Cosmic Physics of Milan, Via Alfonso Corti 12, I-20133 Milano, Italy
- Stuart D. Bale
- ORCiD
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Physics Department, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Justin C. Kasper
- ORCiD
- BWX Technologies, Inc. , Washington, DC 20002, USA; Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aceb64
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 954,
no. 2
p. 108
Abstract
This paper addresses the first direct investigation of the energy budget in the solar corona. Exploiting joint observations of the same coronal plasma by Parker Solar Probe and the Metis coronagraph aboard Solar Orbiter and the conserved equations for mass, magnetic flux, and wave action, we estimate the values of all terms comprising the total energy flux of the proton component of the slow solar wind from 6.3 to 13.3 R _⊙ . For distances from the Sun to less than 7 R _⊙ , we find that the primary source of solar wind energy is magnetic fluctuations including Alfvén waves. As the plasma flows away from the low corona, magnetic energy is gradually converted into kinetic energy, which dominates the total energy flux at heights above 7 R _⊙ . It is found too that the electric potential energy flux plays an important role in accelerating the solar wind only at altitudes below 6 R _⊙ , while enthalpy and heat fluxes only become important at even lower heights. The results finally show that energy equipartition does not exist in the solar corona.
Keywords
