Magnetic switchbacks

Broadly speaking, my research is on structures that exist in the solar wind, the ocean of charged particles that radiate outwards from the Sun. A current focus is on magnetic switchbacks: rapid switches in the Sun’s surrounding magnetic field that would otherwise be radial.

The solar wind causes magnetic turbulence as it propagates through the solar system. This turbulance can be studied, and has been via NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission launched in 2018. Current observations reveal a surprising abundance of these switchbacks and other fine structures in the near-Sun environment (up to 30 solar radii), but they are not well-understood. A goal of mine is to model these switchbacks and their origins with analytic solutions to the MHD equations, later to be compared with and verified by data sourced from the PSP mission.

The research can also be tied into the theoretical origins of solar flares. Understanding what these really are and how they arrive could help us decipher the origins of solar wind and how it is heated, and better yet help to understand the coronal magnetic field and its impact on the heliosphere. This, in turn, will help scientists develop infrastructure that will better withstand the effects of solar flares and project astronaughts, satellites and data from being disrupted.

I like to think of this like we once thought about earthquakes: unpredictable and utterly destructuve. With the modernisation of research we have now been able to better protect those in danger with new infrastructure and protocols. When and if new space missions are launched, we better hope that they are protected from oncoming solar storms. More information on the history/motivation for stuying solar flares can be found on NASA’s website.

Any further advances in this project will be documented here.