Motivation
- The Sun, a celestial body at the heart of our solar system, generates solar wind—a continuous outflow of charged particles that extends into the interplanetary medium. The scientific community has long been intrigued by the complexities of coronal heating processes, particularly in relation to the two types of solar wind: slow and fast.
- The prevailing theories, such as Parker's solar wind theory, have successfully explained the existence of slow solar wind but fall short in explain the origins of the fast solar wind, especially during solar minimum when coronal holes do not extend to equatorial latitudes. Various mechanisms have been proposed, but a single comprehensive theory is lacking, emphasizing the need for in-depth observations. The ASPEX payload aims to address this critical gap in understanding by providing systematic observations and measurements of slow and fast solar wind.
- The ASPEX payload is designed to measure low and high-energy particles associated with various solar wind components and phenomena. It aims to differentiate between slow and fast solar wind components, suprathermal populations, and particles accelerated by Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and Corotation Interaction Regions (CIRs). The He++/H+ ratio serves as a compositional "flag" to identify different solar wind structures, enhancing our ability to distinguish between the origins of particles.
- The payload's objectives encompass fundamental questions about the generation mechanisms of suprathermal and energetic ions in interplanetary space, their association with solar processes, identification of particles associated with interplanetary shocks, the existence of anisotropy in energy distribution along the Parker spiral, and the impact of these processes on near-Earth space weather.