Parker Solar Probe: Four Years of Discoveries at Solar Cycle Minimum

• DOI: 10.1007/s11214-023-00952-4
• Publication Date: 2023-02-01T16:05:46Z
• Authors: N. E. Raouafi; L. Matteini; J. Squire; S. T. Badman; M. Velli; K. G. Klein; C. H. K. Chen; W. H. Matthaeus; A. Szabo; M. Linton; R. C. Allen; J. R. Szalay; R. Bruno; R. B. Decker; M. Akhavan-Tafti; O. V. Agapitov; S. D. Bale; R. Bandyopadhyay; K. Battams; L. Berčič; S. Bourouaine; T. A. Bowen; C. Cattell; B. D. G. Chandran; R. Chhiber; C. M. S. Cohen; R. D’Amicis; J. Giacalone; P. Hess; R. A. Howard; T. S. Horbury; V. K. Jagarlamudi; C. J. Joyce; J. C. Kasper; J. Kinnison; R. Laker; P. Liewer; D. M. Malaspina; I. Mann; D. J. McComas; T. Niembro-Hernandez; T. Nieves-Chinchilla; O. Panasenco; P. Pokorný; A. Pusack; M. Pulupa; J. C. Perez; P. Riley; A. P. Rouillard; C. Shi; G. Stenborg; A. Tenerani; J. L. Verniero; N. Viall; A. Vourlidas; B. E. Wood; L. D. Woodham; T. Woolley
• Keywords: Solar maximum; Solar cycle 22; Corona (planetary geology); Solar cycle 23; Coronal hole; Solar minimum; Coronal loop

Abstract Launched on 12 Aug. 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe had completed 13 of its scheduled 24 orbits around the Sun by Nov. 2022. The mission’s primary science goal is to determine structure and dynamics Sun’s coronal magnetic field, understand how solar corona wind are heated accelerated, what processes accelerate energetic particles. returned a treasure trove data that far exceeded quality, significance, quantity expectations, leading significant number discoveries reported in nearly 700 peer-reviewed publications. first four years 7-year mission duration have been mostly during minimum conditions with few major events. Starting orbit 8 (i.e., 28 Apr. 2021), flew through magnetically dominated corona, i.e., sub-Alfvénic wind, which one objectives. In this paper, we present an overview scientific advances made mainly mission, go well beyond three objectives are: (1) Trace flow energy heats accelerates wind; (2) Determine plasma fields at sources (3) Explore mechanisms transport