Kinetic Modelling of Novel Solar Wind Observations

The goal of the project is to perform observational and modeling studies of kinetic phenomena in the solar wind plasma. We will investigate the velocity distribution functions (VDFs) of ions and electrons in the previously unexplored region of the inner heliosphere below 0.29 au, using the unprecedented data of the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission. We will reproduce the proton and electron VDFs using numerical modeling of kinetic processes in the solar wind plasma (e.g., ion cyclotron instability, whistler heat flux instability, etc.) with the ECSIM particle-in-cell code. We will develop a new version of ECSIM in problem-specific coordinates, which will help to take into account the solar wind expansion. Kinetic processes in fast and slow solar wind, as well as in structures like interplanetary magnetic field switchbacks, will be investigated. The project is very timely, as it relies on the data of Parker Solar Probe with its continuously decreasing perihelion distance from the Sun.