Solar wind is a continuous, supersonic outflow of ionized plasma from the solar corona into interplanetary space, consisting primarily of electrons, protons, and alpha particles embedded in the interplanetary magnetic field. It arises from coronal heating and open magnetic field structures, with typical speeds of ~300–800 km/s and densities of a few particles per cubic centimeter at 1 AU. Solar wind exhibits distinct regimes, notably fast and slow wind with differing composition and turbulence properties, and drives key heliophysical phenomena including the formation of the heliosphere, bow shocks, and magnetospheric dynamics such as geomagnetic storms and auroral activity.
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