Parker Solar Probe Observations of Energetic Particles in the Flank of a Coronal Mass Ejection Close to the Sun

N. A. Schwadron; Stuart D. Bale; J. Bonnell; A. Case; M. Shen; E. R. Christian; C. M. S. Cohen; A. J. Davis; M. I. Desai; K. Goetz; J. Giacalone; M. E. Hill; J. C. Kasper; K. Korreck; D. Larson; R. Livi; T. Lim; R. A. Leske; O. Malandraki; D. Malaspina; W. H. Matthaeus; D. J. McComas; R. L. McNutt Jr.; R. A. Mewaldt; D. G. Mitchell; J. T. Niehof; M. Pulupa; Francesco Pecora; J. S. Rankin; C. Smith; E. C. Stone; J. R. Szalay; A. Vourlidas; M. E. Wiedenbeck; P. Whittlesey

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad527f

The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2024)

Parker Solar Probe Observations of Energetic Particles in the Flank of a Coronal Mass Ejection Close to the Sun

N. A. Schwadron,
Stuart D. Bale,
J. Bonnell,
A. Case,
M. Shen,
E. R. Christian,
C. M. S. Cohen,
A. J. Davis,
M. I. Desai,
K. Goetz,
J. Giacalone,
M. E. Hill,
J. C. Kasper,
K. Korreck,
D. Larson,
R. Livi,
T. Lim,
R. A. Leske,
O. Malandraki,
D. Malaspina,
W. H. Matthaeus,
D. J. McComas,
R. L. McNutt Jr.,
R. A. Mewaldt,
D. G. Mitchell,
J. T. Niehof,
M. Pulupa,
Francesco Pecora,
J. S. Rankin,
C. Smith,
E. C. Stone,
J. R. Szalay,
A. Vourlidas,
M. E. Wiedenbeck,
P. Whittlesey

Affiliations

N. A. Schwadron: ORCiD; University of New Hampshire , Durham, NH 03824, USA; Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Stuart D. Bale: ORCiD; Physics Department, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720-7300, USA; Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720-7450, USA
J. Bonnell: University of California at Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
A. Case: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
M. Shen: Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
E. R. Christian: Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
C. M. S. Cohen: California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
A. J. Davis: California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
M. I. Desai: University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
K. Goetz: University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
J. Giacalone: University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
M. E. Hill: Applied Physics Laboratory , Laurel, MD 20723, USA
J. C. Kasper: University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
K. Korreck: NASA HQ , Science Mission Directorate, Heliophysics Division, Mary W. Jackson NASA HQ Building, 300 Hidden Figures Way SW, Washington, DC 20546, USA
D. Larson: University of California at Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
R. Livi: University of California at Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
T. Lim: University of New Hampshire , Durham, NH 03824, USA
R. A. Leske: ORCiD; California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
O. Malandraki: Institute for Astronomy , Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens, Vas. Pavlou and I. Metaxa, 15236 Penteli, Greece
D. Malaspina: ORCiD; Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado , Boulder, CO 80303, USA
W. H. Matthaeus: ORCiD; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware Newark , DE 19716, USA
D. J. McComas: Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
R. L. McNutt Jr.: Applied Physics Laboratory , Laurel, MD 20723, USA
R. A. Mewaldt: California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
D. G. Mitchell: Applied Physics Laboratory , Laurel, MD 20723, USA
J. T. Niehof: University of New Hampshire , Durham, NH 03824, USA
M. Pulupa: University of California at Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Francesco Pecora: ORCiD; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware Newark , DE 19716, USA
J. S. Rankin: Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
C. Smith: University of New Hampshire , Durham, NH 03824, USA
E. C. Stone: California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
J. R. Szalay: Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
A. Vourlidas: ORCiD; Applied Physics Laboratory , Laurel, MD 20723, USA
M. E. Wiedenbeck: California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
P. Whittlesey: University of California at Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad527f
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 970, no. 1
p. 98

Abstract

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We present an event observed by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) at ∼0.2 au on 2022 March 2 in which imaging and in situ measurements coincide. During this event, PSP passed through structures on the flank of a streamer blowout coronal mass ejection (CME) including an isolated flux tube in front of the CME, a turbulent sheath, and the CME itself. Imaging observations and in situ helicity and principal variance signatures consistently show the presence of flux ropes internal to the CME. In both the sheath and the CME interval, the distributions are more isotropic, the spectra are softer, and the abundance ratios of Fe/O and He/H are lower than those in the isolated flux tube, and yet elevated relative to typical plasma and solar energetic particle abundances. These signatures in the sheath and the CME indicate that both flare populations and those from the plasma are accelerated to form the observed energetic particle enhancements. In contrast, the isolated flux tube shows large streaming, hard spectra, and large Fe/O and He/H ratios, indicating flare sources. Energetic particle fluxes are most enhanced within the CME interval from suprathermal through energetic particle energies (∼keV to >10 MeV), indicating particle acceleration, as well as confinement local to the closed magnetic structure. The flux-rope morphology of the CME helps to enable local modulation and trapping of energetic particles, in particular along helicity channels and other plasma boundaries. Thus, the CME acts to build up energetic particle populations, allowing them to be fed into subsequent higher-energy particle acceleration throughout the inner heliosphere where a compression or shock forms on the CME front.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal

ISSN: 1538-4357 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Astronomy: Astrophysics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X

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