Switchbacks: A Statistical Investigation of Their Properties

Switchbacks are among the most prominent features observed by Parker Solar Probe during its close encounter with the Sun (Bale et al., [2019]). These magnetic structures with reversed polarity have well defined boundaries, higher flow velocity with respect to the surrounding plasma, enhanced wave activity inside the structures and at the boundaries. Their duration varies from a few seconds to tens of minutes and more.

We present an extensive statistical study of their properties, with a particular focus on their boundaries: orientation, type of discontinuity, presence of wave activity, velocity orientation with respect to the boundaries, and Poynting flux. This characterization is based both on wavefield data (FIELDS) and on particle data (SWEAP)