Solar Orbiter: Studies of the Origins and Dynamics of the Solar Wind Charged Particle Populations

Understanding the connections between the Sun and the solar wind is a key goal for both solar physics and space/heliospheric physics, and it involves multiple physical processes that control the transport of mass and energy through the corona and into interplanetary space.

As well as determining the origins and drivers of steady fast and slow wind types, it is critical to also further our understanding of transient and explosive events occurring at the Sun, and how such disturbances propagate with or through the solar wind and may ultimately impact the Earth space environment.

Considering the vulnerability of both space- and Earth-based infrastructure, there is a pressing need to understand the physics behind these 'space-weather' phenomenon, from Sun to Earth, in order to facilitate forecasts and predictions.

The research to be undertaken by the student on this project aims to reveal some of the processes underpinning the Sun-solar wind connection, addressing questions of the nature of the drivers of solar wind release, the roles of active regions, coronal holes in accelerating different types of wind, and the dynamics of the Sun leading to explosive release of mass and energy in a CME.

The student will develop and use a methodology which is centred around analysis of both remote sensing and in situ data from Solar Orbiter, particularly the MSSL instruments EUI and SWA (with other supporting datasets as appropriate), which can be used to establish the links between the solar wind and its source region and thus open the pathway to address and solve these 'connection science' issues.