On the Vitality, or Lack Thereof, in Heliospheric and Coronal Physics

Abstract

AbstractHeliospheric physics is the study of all phenomena in the solar wind, which carves out the heliosphere from the local interstellar medium. Coronal physics is the study of all phenomena in the solar corona, which creates the supersonic wind and all disturbances and variations contained therein. The vitality of heliospheric and coronal physics is measured in two different ways: First, is there conventional vitality, are important observations being made, comprehensive and insightful data analyses occurring, and are the data being successfully explained using numerical models that are based upon known physical processes? Second, is there what I refer to as enhanced vitality, is there new important knowledge being discovered, are paradigm shifts occurring, is the discipline still in search of more complete understandings and not satisfied that all important governing physical processes have been identified and simply need to be applied? By any reasonable standard both heliospheric and coronal physics have achieved conventional vitality. The subject of this article is whether heliospheric and coronal physics have also achieved enhanced vitality. I have been a participant in heliospheric and coronal physics since 1967, which is only 5 years after what can be considered the founding of heliospheric and coronal physics, the confirmation that the solar wind is a supersonic outflow. The assessment of whether heliospheric and coronal physics have achieved enhanced vitality will be based upon the experiences I have had during my 55‐year career.