The dynamical nature of the coronal streamer belt

Abstract

SOHO/LASCO observations of the white-light corona have revealed a number of remarkable small-scale phenomena, including plasma blobs that are ejected continually from the cusps of streamers, fine raylike structures that pervade the streamer belt, and ubiquitous inflows during times of high solar activity. We discuss the implications of these observations for the origin of the heliospheric plasma sheet, the sources of the slow solar wind, and the variation of the interplanetary magnetic field strength.