Tracking magnetic helicity transport in the heliosphere

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Yasuhito Narita
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 535057280

Magnetic helicity represents the topology of magnetic field such as rotation sense and its magnitude. The helicity is a crucial concept for understanding turbulence and dynamos in space and astrophysical systems. The main objective is to reveal the magnetic helicity transport in the heliosphere both in the spatial and temporal senses, yielding three questions: (1) How does the magnetic helicity evolve spatially from the Sun? (2) What does the latitudinal dependence of magnetic helicity look like in the heliosphere? (3) How does the magnetic helicity evolve in the heliosphere over the solar cycle? Analysis of spacecraft data in the heliosphere is the main method of research. Both multi-spacecraft missions (Cluster and MMS) and the heliospheric probes (Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, and BepiColombo) will be used in the research. The magnetic helicity observations are then compared with the numerical simulations to validate and interpret the results. The project will give us a clear understanding of the role of helicity of magnetic fields in the heliosphere. The results will be used as a reference model of magnetic helicity transport in various astrophysical phenomena (such as cosmic ray transport, stellar winds, and accretion disks) and in laboratory plasmas.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Japan
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Nobumitsu Yokoi