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The fundamental processes responsible for energy exchange between large-scale electromagnetic fields and plasma are well understood theoretically, but in practice these theories have not been tested. These processes are ubiquitous in all plasmas, especially at the interface between high and low beta plasmas in planetary magnetospheres and other magnetic environments. Although such boundaries pervade the plasma Universe, the processes responsible for the release of the stored magnetic and thermal plasma energy have not been fully identified and the importance of the relative impact of each process is unknown. Despite advances in understanding energy release through the conversion of magnetic to kinetic energy in magnetic reconnection, how the extreme pressures in the regions between stretched and more relaxed field lines in the transition region are balanced and released through adiabatic convection of plasma and fields is still a mystery. Recent theoretical advances and the predictions of large-scale instabilities must be tested. In essence, the processes responsible remain poorly understood and the problem unresolved. The aim of the White Paper submitted to ESA's Voyage 2050 call, and the contents of this paper, is to highlight three outstanding open science questions that are of clear international interest: (i) the interplay of local and global plasma physics processes: (ii) the partitioning during energy conversion between electromagnetic and plasma energy: and (iii) what processes drive the coupling between low and high beta plasmas. We present a discussion of the new measurements and technological advances required from current state-of-the-art, and several candidate mission profiles with which these international high-priority science goals could be significantly advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary scientific goal of ICARUS (Investigation of Coronal AcceleRation and heating of solar wind Up to the Sun), a mother-daughter satellite mission, proposed in response to the ESA "Voyage 2050" Call, will be to determine how the magnetic field and plasma dynamics in the outer solar atmosphere give rise to the corona, the solar wind, and the entire heliosphere. Reaching this goal will be a Rosetta Stone step, with results that are broadly applicable within the fields of space plasma physics and astrophysics. Within ESA's Cosmic Vision roadmap, these science goals address Theme 2: "How does the Solar System work?" by investigating basic processes occurring "From the Sun to the edge of the Solar System". ICARUS will not only advance our understanding of the plasma environment around our Sun, but also of the numerous magnetically active stars with hot plasma coronae. ICARUS I will perform the first direct in situ measurements of electromagnetic fields, particle acceleration, wave activity, energy distribution, and flows directly in the regions in which the solar wind emerges from the coronal plasma. ICARUS I will have a perihelion altitude of 1 solar radius and will cross the region where the major energy deposition occurs. The polar orbit of ICARUS I will enable crossing the regions where both the fast and slow winds are generated. It will probe the local characteristics of the plasma and provide unique information about the physical processes involved in the creation of the solar wind. ICARUS II will observe this region using remote-sensing instruments, providing simultaneous, contextual information about regions crossed by ICARUS I and the solar atmosphere below as observed by solar telescopes. It will thus provide bridges for understanding the magnetic links between the heliosphere and the solar atmosphere. Such information is crucial to our understanding of the plasma physics and electrodynamics of the solar atmosphere. ICARUS II will also play a very important relay role, enabling the radio-link with ICARUS I. It will receive, collect, and store information transmitted from ICARUS I during its closest approach to the Sun. It will also perform preliminary data processing before transmitting it to Earth. Performing such unique in situ observations in the area where presumably hazardous solar energetic particles are energized, ICARUS will provide fundamental advances in our capabilities to monitor and forecast the space radiation environment. Therefore, the results from the ICARUS mission will be extremely crucial for future space explorations, especially for long-term crewed space missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switchbacks are localized deviations from the nominal Parker spiral field in the solar wind. In this study, we investigate the electron distributions inside switchbacks, focusing primarily on the suprathermal (halo and strahl) populations. We explore electron parameters in relation to the angle of rotation of the magnetic field from radial to determine whether electron distributions observed within switchbacks have any differences from those outside of switchbacks. Our observations reveal several trends in the suprathermal electron populations inside switchbacks. We find that the sunward deficit in the electron velocity distribution function typically observed near the Sun is filled in at larger rotation angles. This results in the suprathermal electron density and heat flux in the antistrahl direction changing from a negative to a positive value. On many days, we also observe a positive correlation between the halo density and rotation angle, and this may suggest that the growth of the halo may fill in the sunward deficit. We also find that strahl distributions have an increased average angular spread at large magnetic field rotation angles. The increase in suprathermal electron flux in the antistrahl direction, and the increase in strahl width, together could suggest that enhanced scattering occurs inside switchbacks. Electron core beta values tend to increase with the magnetic field rotation angle, mainly due to a decrease in magnetic pressure. An increase in electron beta may favor the growth of instabilities inside switchbacks. The Parker Solar Probe observations therefore support an enhanced role for waveâ€"particle interactions in switchbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parker Solar Probe (PSP) data recorded within a heliocentric radial distance of 0.3 au have revealed a magnetic field dominated by Alfvénic structures that undergo large local variations or even reversals of the radial magnetic field. They are called magnetic switchbacks, they are consistent with folds in magnetic field lines within a same magnetic sector and are associated with velocity spikes during an otherwise calmer background. They are thought to originate either in the low solar atmosphere through magnetic reconnection processes or result from the evolution of turbulence or velocity shears in the expanding solar wind. In this work, we investigate the temporal and spatial characteristic scales of magnetic switchback patches. We define switchbacks as a deviation from the nominal Parker spiral direction and detect them automatically for PSP encounters 1, 2, 4, and 5. We focus in particular on a 5.1 day interval dominated by switchbacks during E5. We perform a wavelet transform of the solid angle between the magnetic field and the Parker spiral and find periodic spatial modulations with two distinct wavelengths, respectively consistent with solar granulation and supergranulation scales. In addition we find that switchback occurrence and spectral properties seem to depend on the source region of the solar wind rather than on the radial distance of PSP. These results suggest that switchbacks are formed in the low corona and modulated by the solar surface convection pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) Investigation on Solar Probe Plus is a four sensor instrument suite that provides complete measurements of the electrons and ionized helium and hydrogen that constitute the bulk of solar wind and coronal plasma. SWEAP consists of the Solar Probe Cup (SPC) and the Solar Probe Analyzers (SPAN). SPC is a Faraday Cup that looks directly at the Sun and measures ion and electron fluxes and flow angles as a function of energy. SPAN consists of an ion and electron electrostatic analyzer (ESA) on the ram side of SPP (SPAN-A) and an electron ESA on the anti-ram side (SPAN-B). The SPAN-A ion ESA has a time of flight section that enables it to sort particles by their mass/charge ratio, permitting differentiation of ion species. SPAN-A and -B are rotated relative to one another so their broad fields of view combine like the seams on a baseball to view the entire sky except for the region obscured by the heat shield and covered by SPC. Observations by SPC and SPAN produce the combined field of view and measurement capabilities required to fulfill the science objectives of SWEAP and Solar Probe Plus. SWEAP measurements, in concert with magnetic and electric fields, energetic particles, and white light contextual imaging will enable discovery and understanding of solar wind acceleration and formation, coronal and solar wind heating, and particle acceleration in the inner heliosphere of the solar system. SPC and SPAN are managed by the SWEAP Electronics Module (SWEM), which distributes power, formats onboard data products, and serves as a single electrical interface to the spacecraft. SWEAP data products include ion and electron velocity distribution functions with high energy and angular resolution. Full resolution data are stored within the SWEM, enabling high resolution observations of structures such as shocks, reconnection events, and other transient structures to be selected for download after the fact. This paper describes the implementation of the SWEAP Investigation, the driving requirements for the suite, expected performance of the instruments, and planned data products, as of mission preliminary design review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A very low power 16-channel ASIC has been designed and fabricated in a standard 0.35 \mu\m CMOS technology. It is to be used as the front-end electronics of the micro-channel plates (MCPs) based detector of a 3D space plasma analyzer. Each channel includes a charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) and a discriminator. With a CSA conversion gain of 0.5 mV/fC, the ASIC is able to detect charges emitted by the MCPs over a wide dynamic range of 10 fC to 3.5 pC. The CSA pulse-pair-resolution (PPR) is 170 ns, and the maximum counting rate frequency is 7.5 MHz for input charges limited to 100 fC and 4.6 MHz for full scale inputs. The CSA input devices are optimized for a detector capacitance varying in the range of 2–12 pF. The measured input equivalent noise charge (\ENCin) is 1.3 fC + 0.1 fC/pF rms. These features have been obtained with an unprecedented low power consumption of only 0.64 mW per channel. Experimental tests under the extended temperature range of -\40~^\circ\C to 85~^\circ\C have shown no significant performance variations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Studies the nonlinear regime of kinetic Alfven wave in a collisionless low beta-plasma composed of a cold ion population and two electron populations. Basic equations of the electron population model; Propagation of the waves at the Alfven or ion-acoustic velocities; Application of results to astrophysical plasma observations.

Electron-acoustic solitons exist in a two electron temperature plasma (with "cold" and "hot" electrons) and take the form of negative electrostatic potential pulses. They develop on a spatial scale of a few Debye lengths and propagate at the electron-acoustic velocity which is intermediate between the two electron thermal velocities. They correspond to local enhancement of the cold electron density. It is shown that the introduction of an electron beam in such a plasma allows the existence of new electron-acoustic solitons with velocity related to the beam velocity. Depending on the beam density and temperature and below a critical velocity of the electron beam, they often have a positive potential signature. In such conditions they correspond to electron density holes for the cold electron population. The properties of these solitons are studied in detail. These results suggest that further analysis of recent observations of electron density holes might provide the means to identify these structures in the magnetospheric plasma. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]