New Data from the IS☉IS Instrument Suite on Parker Solar Probe

Abstract

NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission's first seven orbits include perihelia as close as ~11 million km (~16 solar radii), much closer to the Sun than any prior human-made object. Onboard PSP, the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS☉IS) instrument suite makes groundbreaking measurements of solar energetic particles (SEPs). Here we discuss the near-Sun energetic particle radiation environment over PSP's first two and a half years, which reveal where and how energetic particles are energized and transported. We find a great variety of energetic particle events accelerated both locally and remotely. These include stream and co-rotating interaction regions (SIRs and CIRs), “impulsive” SEP events driven by magnetic reconnection near the Sun, and events related to Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). These IS☉IS observations made close to the Sun provide critical information for investigating the near-Sun transport and energization of solar energetic particles, which has been difficult to resolve from prior observations. The Parker Solar Probe IS☉IS data are made public soon after receipt at Earth (which can be many months after the observations). We will also discuss how to get access to the data. © Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons.