Relating turbulence "ground truth" to PUNCH observations

The solar wind is turbulent. One of PUNCH’s major objectives is to study that turbulent flow. However, obtaining quantitative information about in-situ processes from our images can be challenging. PUNCH images integrate all light along the line of sight between the observer and infinity, so the structure of local turbulence is blurred. We therefore expect its measurements to relate differently from previous in-situ data to the underlying turbulent environment of the outer corona and inner heliosphere. To understand these differences, we mimic the action of PUNCH observation itself (using the FORWARD tool, Gibson+2016), processing “ground truth” magnetohydrodynamic simulations of turbulence to obtain synthetic white-light (PUNCH-like) images. Direct 1-to-1 comparison of the simulation to “PUNCHified” images of the same shows how PUNCH observations change the spatial spectrum of the turbulence. By simple integration (projection) of the simulated densities from 3D to 2D, we can match the PUNCH-specific variation from the more sophisticated FORWARD model images. Compiling a catalog of simulations with different properties that match PUNCH remote observations will be the key to determining the properties of the solar wind simultaneously across the vast PUNCH field of view, yielding coverage impossible to attain with in-situ spacecraft alone. In preparation for these new observations, Associate Investigator Francesco Pecora and colleagues have undertaken the forward analysis described above as Paper 2 of the Solar Physics PUNCH Mission Overview Topical Issue, providing context and guidance for PUNCH as it obtains its brand new view on solar wind turbulence.

PUNCH science nuggets are archived on our News Page.
You can subscribe to PUNCH nuggets by email.
NASA official releases about PUNCH are at the NASA PUNCH blog.