Solar Orbiter traces solar wind 'switchbacks' back to the Sun's surface

ESA's Solar Orbiter flew through a large switchback — an S-shaped kink in the solar wind's magnetic field — and its SWA instrument sampled particles that could only have formed in hot magnetic loops at the Sun's surface. The finding supports the 'interchange reconnection' theory, with waves and turbulence taking over once the switchback leaves the Sun.

• Solar Orbiter flew through a large switchback and sampled its plasma with the SWA instrument
• Particle mix points to formation in hot magnetic loops at the Sun's surface
• Data supports interchange reconnection over the wave/turbulence theory
• Waves and turbulence govern the switchback only after it leaves the Sun