SHINE: Studies of the Heliospheric Magnetic Field and Slow Solar Wind

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The Principal Investigator (PI) plans to investigate the origin of the slow solar wind and the magnetic flux budget as the Sun reverses its field in the course of the 11-year sunspot cycle. Using a blend of data analysis and modeling, the PI's investigation will focus on the boundary between the slow and fast solar wind. The PI will test predictions of a widely published model of magnetic footpoint circulation on the Sun, where slow solar wind arises from the release of plasma on closed loops. This project will also use measurements taken during the current unusual minimum of solar activity to test the idea that open magnetic flux is conserved throughout the course of the solar cycle. Finally, the PI will determine to what degree the slow solar wind arises from regions on the Sun that are not associated with the coronal streamer belt and its extension into space as the heliospheric current sheet. This research addresses problems central to the interdisciplinary fields of solar and heliospheric physics. The results will be significant because they will test various existing hypotheses that have important consequences for our understanding of the evolution of the heliospheric magnetic field and the source of the slow solar wind. The proposed set of tasks will also advance our basic understanding of the space weather domain, in which better space weather predictions will benefit society. The PI will mentor students and promote a web-based program of scientific exchange. These research objectives will be aided by using global model predictions obtained from the Community Coordinated Modeling Center at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.