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Relation between Pressure Balance Structures and polar plumes from Ulysses high latitude observations
Author(s) -
Yamauchi Yohei,
Suess Steven T.,
Sakurai Takashi
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2001gl013820
Subject(s) - plasmoid , classification of discontinuities , solar wind , polar , physics , coronal hole , geology , atmospheric sciences , geophysics , astrophysics , astronomy , plasma , coronal mass ejection , magnetic reconnection , mathematical analysis , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Ulysses observations have shown that pressure balance structures (PBSs) are a common feature in high‐latitude, fast solar wind near solar minimum. Previous studies of Ulysses/SWOOPS plasma data suggest these PBSs may be remnants of coronal polar plumes. Here we find support for this suggestion in an analysis of PBS magnetic structure. We used Ulysses magnetometer data and applied a minimum variance analysis to magnetic discontinuities in PBSs. We found that PBSs preferentially contain tangential discontinuities, as opposed to rotational discontinuities and to non‐PBS regions in the solar wind. This suggests that PBSs contain structures like current sheets or plasmoids that may be associated with network activity at the base of plumes.