Sulfur fractionation in coronal plumes as observed by Solar Orbiter/SPICE

TL;DR

This study uses Solar Orbiter/SPICE observations to investigate sulfur fractionation in coronal plumes, revealing constant sulfur enrichment linked to magnetic footpoints and wave activity, advancing understanding of plasma composition and solar wind origins.

Contribution

First direct evidence of sulfur fractionation in coronal plumes, linking it to wave-driven processes and magnetic footpoints, using high-resolution Solar Orbiter data.

Findings

Sulfur fractionation remains constant within uncertainties.

Fractionated plasma is co-located with strong magnetic footpoints.

Results support wave-driven models like the ponderomotive force for fractionation.

Abstract

Coronal plumes are bright, narrow structures rooted in coronal holes that contribute to the solar wind. Their composition, particularly elemental fractionation as a function of first ionization potential (FIP), provides diagnostics of plasma properties and magnetic connectivity. Earlier plume studies of fractionation using low-FIP elements reached conflicting conclusions. Intermediate-FIP elements may provide additional diagnostic insight, since their fractionation is thought to involve processes beyond those affecting low-FIP species. We investigate sulfur (intermediate-FIP element) in plumes to assess the presence of fractionation, its evolution, and its relation to wave activity. We analyzed Solar Orbiter observations of two plumes in an equatorial coronal hole during March--April 2024, using Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) to derive the sulfur-to-nitrogen ratio. EUV imaging and magnetograms provided additional context. Data were processed with the open-source Python tool Spectral Analysis Fitting Framework and Reduction of Noise (SAFFRON). Both plumes showed sulfur fractionation that remained constant within uncertainties. The fractionated plasma was co-located with strong magnetic footpoints, in contrast with the surrounding interplume plasma. These results provide the evidence for sulfur fractionation in plumes and suggest, consistent with the ponderomotive force model, wave dynamics in the chromosphere as a driver.