From Kinetics to the Solar Cycle: Probing the Sun and Heliosphere

The distribution of charged particles in the heliosphere covers over six orders of magnitude in energy and more than 16 orders of magnitude in counts. A variety of elements with a range of charge states are observed across these energies. Their behavior results from a combination of their source along with the acceleration and transport processes they experience. As such, in situ observations can be used to probe both the Sun and heliospheric processes across a variety of time scales, each with distinct physical significance. Examples include solar activity, shocks, Coulomb collisions, and kinetic processes. We utilize in situ observations to characterize physical processes across these scales and derive insight about solar activity along with charged particle distributions across a broad range of energies and the physical processes to which they are related.