In situ Evidence of 5-minute Oscillations from Parker Solar Probe

Zesen Huang; Marco Velli; Olga Panasenco; Richard J. Morton; Chen Shi; Yeimy J. Rivera; Benjamin Chandran; Samuel T. Badman; Yuliang Ding; Nour Raouafi; Stuart D. Bale; Michael Stevens; Tamar Ervin; Chuanpeng Hou; Kristopher G. Klein; Orlando Romeo; Jia Huang; Mingzhe Liu; Davin E. Larson; Marc Pulupa; Roberto Livi; Federico Fraschetti

arXiv · 2511.10906

In situ Evidence of 5-minute Oscillations from Parker Solar Probe

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Abstract

The Sun's surface vibrates in characteristic 5-minute oscillations, known as p-modes, generated by sound waves trapped within the convection zone. Although these oscillations have long been hypothesized to reach into the solar wind, direct in situ evidence has remained elusive, even during previous close encounters by Parker Solar Probe (PSP). Here, we present the first promising in situ detection of 5-minute oscillations in the upper solar corona, based on observations from PSP's three closest perihelia. In two events at 9.9 solar radii, we identify statistically significant ($\sim$ 6 $\sigma$) 3.1-3.2 mHz peaks in the magnetic field power spectrum, each appearing as a large-amplitude, spherically polarized Alfv\'enic wave train lasting approximately 35 minutes. These results demonstrate that global solar oscillations can reach and potentially influence the solar wind.

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Zesen Huang, Marco Velli, Olga Panasenco, Richard J. Morton, Chen Shi, Yeimy J. Rivera, Benjamin Chandran, Samuel T. Badman, Yuliang Ding, Nour Raouafi, Stuart D. Bale, Michael Stevens, Tamar Ervin, Chuanpeng Hou, Kristopher G. Klein, Orlando Romeo, Jia Huang, Mingzhe Liu, Davin E. Larson, Marc Pulupa, Roberto Livi, Federico Fraschetti. 2025-11-14. In situ Evidence of 5-minute Oscillations from Parker Solar Probe. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.10906

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