A new Astrophysical Journal Letters study says magnetic reconnection—and especially island merging in the reconnection exhaust—drove the acceleration, producing particles roughly 1,000 times more energetic than models allowed at that location.
That result challenges the standard view that the strongest solar energetic particles mainly come from large-scale shocks tied to coronal mass ejections or co-rotating interaction regions, with current-sheet reconnection only a minor source.
Repeated Parker perihelia and comparisons with ESA's Solar Orbiter will test whether the mechanism is common and whether these near-Sun particles contribute meaningfully to energetic particle events detected near Earth.
Tiny magnetic explosions may solve why the Sun's atmosphere is so hot. Could they also power the mysterious solar wind?
NASA found a new particle accelerator at the Sun. Does this hidden radiation source change the risk for future space missions?
The Sun fires protons 1000x stronger than predicted. Are our fundamental theories about solar physics and space weather wrong?
Extreme Proton Acceleration Near the Sun: Parker Solar Probe Links Magnetic Reconnection to Solar Wind Energetics
Overview
The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) has revolutionized our understanding of the Sun by directly measuring high-energy protons near the solar corona during its close approaches. Its unique trajectory enables in-situ observations of solar wind plasma, revealing how energetic particles like protons and alpha particles behave and evolve. These findings are crucial for uncovering the processes that accelerate particles to extreme energies, especially during solar energetic particle events. By providing unprecedented views of particle dynamics and transient solar events, PSP is advancing our knowledge of how the Sun energizes its surroundings and influences space weather.