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We investigate the orientation of the magnetic field deflections inswitchbacks (SB) to determine if they are characterised by a possiblepreferential orientation. We compute the deflection angles of the magneticfield relative to the Parker spiral direction for encounters 1 to 9 of the PSPmission. We first characterize the distribution of these deflection angles forcalm solar wind intervals, and assess the precision of the Parker model as afunction of distance to the Sun. We then assume that the solar wind is composedof two populations, the background calm solar wind and the population of SB,characterized by larger fluctuations. We model the total distribution ofdeflection angles we observe in the solar wind as a weighed sum of two distinctnormal distributions, each corresponding to one of the populations. We fit theobserved data with our model using a MCMC algorithm and retrieve the mostprobable mean vector and covariance matrix coefficients of the two Gaussianfunctions, as well as the population proportion. We first observe that theaccuracy of the spiral direction in the ecliptic is a function of radialdistance, in a manner that is consistent with PSP being near the solar windacceleration region. We then find that the fitted switchback populationpresents a systematic bias in its deflections compared to the calm solar windpopulation. This result holds for all encounters but E6, and regardless of themagnetic field main polarity. This implies a marked preferential orientation ofSB in the clockwise direction in the ecliptic plane, and we discuss this resultand its implications in the context of the existing switchback formationtheories. Finally, we report the observation of a 12-hour patch of SB thatsystematically deflect in the same direction, so that the magnetic field vectortip within the patch deflects and returns to the Parker spiral within a givenplane.

The preferential orientation of magnetic switchbacks, implications for solar magnetic flux transport