Institute for Advanced Study / Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

The physics of astrophysical coronal heating and the origin of the slow 
solar wind remain compelling problems in heliospheric physics, and plasma 
astrophysics more generally.  The NASA Parker Solar Probe mission was 
launched in late 2018 and has, to date, made six perihelion passes with 
the latest at 20.4 solar radii.  The PSP instruments have measured a rich variety of 
plasma physics phenomena, including Alfvenic fluctuations and turbulence, 
interplanetary dust, ion- and electron-scale plasma instabilities and solar 
radio emissions.  I will review some of the key initial results, including 
the phenomena of Alfvenic 'switchbacks' or jets, and describe more recent 
measurements as PSP encounters the dense structures associated with the 
streamer belt.