Observational Constraints on the Radial Evolution of O6+ Temperature and Differential Flow in the Inner Heliosphere

Abstract

Over decades of solar wind observations, heavy ions have been observed to have a higher temperature and flow faster than protons in the solar corona and heliosphere. Remote observations have largely been limited to the low corona (<4 R⊙), while in situ observations for heavy ions (Z > 2) have only been sampled at 1 au and beyond. As a result, theories that address heavy ion heating and acceleration remain largely unconstrained. With the launch of Solar Orbiter, heavy ion kinetics can be probed closer to the Sun, as close as the orbit of Mercury (65 R⊙), to examine their radial behavior. Through a statistical analysis of O6+, this work provides a comprehensive analysis of the velocity and temperature of O6+ from 0.3 to 1 au. The study finds that the O6+ relative drift, normalized to the local Alfvén speed, and its temperature compared to protons both decrease with distance from the Sun and show some speed dependence. The O6+ temperature is well fit by a single temperature adiabatic profile across all wind speeds, suggesting that there is no significant heating at these heliocentric distances, which is in contrast to what is observed for protons and He2+. Alfvénic fluctuations, some with full 180∘ field rotation, create momentary negative differential streaming where the speed of O6+ trails the protons. The amount of negative differential streaming gradually increases at larger distances. These results provide critical constraints on the proposed mechanisms seeking to describe ion heating and acceleration in the solar wind.