8 février 2022
Title: Unraveling stellar atmospheres and winds with Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter
Speaker: Victor Reville (IRAP)
Abstract:
Solar-like stars, and particularly the Sun, exhibit hot coronae that can reach temperatures of several million Kelvin, consequently driving expanding winds. Mechanisms for the heating and the acceleration of these winds are, however, still largely debated, with two main theories: dissipation through a turbulent cascade or direct heating through reconnection in the solar corona. Two novel heliospheric missions, Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter, have been sent closer than ever to the Sun to settle the question.
In this talk, I will review and discuss 3D MHD models of the solar corona based on Alfvén wave turbulence and compare their results with the data of the two probes. I will also show the role of the reconnection in creating dynamic signatures in the solar wind. Understanding the dynamics of the corona is also crucial to anticipate solar-terrestrial relations and I will show recent efforts undertaken at IRAP for space weather modeling.
Finally, zooming out to a more stellar context, I will discuss the important constraints that need to be taken into account to transpose corona and wind models to other solar-like stars and their planetary systems.