The Solar Magnetic Switchbacks are Magnetic Scattering of Coulomb Collisions between Galactic Cosmic Rays and Solar Radiation

This research article presents a novel, non-mainstream interpretation of solar magnetic switchbacks that strictly adheres to the established experimental laws of physics. By bypassing conventional solar physics assumptions, the paper introduces an alternative framework rooted in verified physical principles to explain these abrupt magnetic deflections. This approach challenges standard heliophysics models while maintaining rigorous theoretical consistency with laboratory-tested phenomena.

The process of magnetic switchbacks contributes greatly to coronal heating and the acceleration of solar wind. It is a weakly collisional plasma process influenced by magnetic field configuration, rather than a result of purely electrostatic Coulomb collisions. This magnetic process is a consequence of magnetic scattering, in which low-energy galactic cosmic rays (3-30 MeV/nuc) interact with solar radiation, and this interaction is more pronounced during periods of heightened solar activity, including the release of Energetic Solar Particles (SEPs). Essentially, when highly modulated Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) collide weakly with the solar radiation, magnetic switchbacks are formed, resulting in a form of anti-Stokes Raman scattering that increases the temperature of a magnetised plasma and accelerates the solar wind. It is unconventional Raman scattering of a highly magnetised plasma involving nonlinear, non-isotropic interactions in which an external magnetic field modifies charged-particle dynamics, producing an optical S-shaped signature. In the presence of a strong magnetic field, Coulomb collisions are significantly altered, forcing them into complex, S-shaped or non-monotonic trajectories rather than the simple hyperbolic paths observed in conventional Coulomb scattering. That is because the magnetic field induces cyclotron motion (gyromotion) which interacts with the Coulomb potential, causing the heavily charged particle to spiral or curve, intersect its asymptotic line, and create a unique S-shape before completing its scattering.

magnetic switchbacksgalactic cosmic-raysCoulomb collisionsanti-Stokes Raman scatteringastrophysical plasmaelectric double layers