Speaker
Description
First Name: Tristan
Last Name: Vergé
Affiliation: IRAP - CNRS, CNES, Université de Toulouse
All Authors: Tristan Vergé, Victor Réville, Naïs Fargette, Vincent génot, Benoit Lavraud, Philippe Louarn, Corentin Rasser
Abstract: Switchbacks and their associated patches are key structures linking the near-Sun magnetic topology to the heliospheric solar wind. However their origin whether it's from interchange reconnection, flux-tube dynamics or Alfvénic processes remains debated. To investigate their nature and magnetic connectivity, we analyze ions distribution functions measured by PAS on Solar Orbiter. Using a Gaussian-mixture based approach, we decompose the ion distribution into proton and alpha particle and compute their moments and focus the analysis on ion temperatures. This framework enables a detailed characterization of ion temperature anisotropies across individual switchbacks and within extended patches. A central objective of this work is to identify potential kinetic signatures of magnetic reconnection in the ion thermodynamics. By comparing different intervals with patches and looking at individual switchbacks, we aim to determine how ion-scale kinetics can help distinguish between reconnection driven structures and other proposed formation mechanisms. This study outlines a methodology to use ion kinetic measurements as diagnostics of the generation mechanisms of switchbacks and switchback patches.