Measured energy exchange in coronal hole solar wind from its solar origins to the heliosphere

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Abstract

The 2024 total solar eclipse over North America enabled an unprecedented multi-perspective view of the solar atmosphere through coordinated ground- and space-based observations. Here we use these near-contemporaneous, multi-wavelength datasets to derive the plasma conditions and magnetic environment of an equatorial coronal hole. By connecting remote observations of the nascent solar wind to \emph{in situ} measurements, we trace the energy budget of a single solar wind stream from the subsonic corona across the Alfv\'en surface. Our results demonstrate that enthalpy and Alfv\'en wave energy fluxes dominate the low-coronal budget, with nearly all energy converted to ion heating and acceleration within the Alfv\'en surface. The stream’s evolution is well-described as a thermal-pressure driven wind with additional energy deposited by Alfv\'enic fluctuations. The observed evolution of these Alfv\'enic fluctuations deviate from a dissipation-free curve throughout, indicating significant and persistent dissipation before reaching the Alfv\'en surface.

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