The heliospheric ambipolar potential inferred from sunward-propagating halo electrons

We provide evidence that the sunward-propagating half of the solar wind electron halo distribution evolves without scattering in the inner heliosphere. We assume the particles conserve their total energy and magnetic moment, and perform a 'Liouville mapping' on electron pitch angle distributions measured by the Parker Solar Probe SPAN-E instrument. Namely, we show that the distributions are consistent with Liouville's theorem if an appropriate interplanetary potential is chosen. This potential, an outcome of our fitting method, is compared against the radial profiles of proton bulk flow energy. We find that the inferred potential is responsible for nearly 100 per cent of the proton acceleration in the solar wind at heliocentric distances 0.18-0.79 AU. These observations combine to form a coherent physical picture: the same interplanetary potential accounts for the acceleration of the solar wind protons as well as the evolution of the electron halo. In this picture the halo is formed from a sunward-propagating population that originates somewhere in the outer heliosphere by a yet-unknown mechanism.

Automated summary

We provide evidence that the sunward-propagating half of the solar wind electron halo distribution evolves without scattering in the inner heliosphere. By studying the electron pitch angle distributions, we show that choosing an appropriate interplanetary potential can be consistent with Liouville's theorem. We also find that the inferred potential plays a crucial role in the acceleration of the solar wind.