Scientific Research

My research focuses on understanding the origins and variability of the solar wind, and how the Sun’s magnetic activity drives space weather. I use remote-sensing and in situ observations from missions including ESA/NASA’s Solar Orbiter and NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, combined with magnetic field modelling, to trace solar wind plasma back to its source regions on the Sun.

A central theme of my work is solar wind connection science — linking what we measure at spacecraft to where and how that plasma was released from the solar corona. By combining coronal imaging and spectroscopy with in situ composition data, I investigate how different source regions contribute to the solar wind we observe in the heliosphere. Our 2024 paper in Nature Astronomy showed that the variability of solar wind streams can be explained by their connection to multiple, distinct magnetic sources and the evolutionary changes within those sources.

I also investigate the sources of coronal mass ejections and solar energetic particles. In work published in  Science Advances , we traced hazardous energetic particles back to their origin on the Sun for the first time, using elemental composition as a fingerprint to pinpoint plasma confined low in the corona by strong magnetic fields. Building on this, I use multi-spacecraft observations and composition diagnostics to understand what magnetic field configurations and eruptive processes in active regions produce strong events, with the goal of improving space weather forecasting.

I play an active role in the ESA/NASA’s Solar Orbiter mission, having designed and coordinated the Slow Solar Wind Connection Observing Plan, which combines the spacecraft’s remote-sensing and in situ instruments to study the release and evolution of slow solar wind from open–closed field boundaries. I also co-mentored a team of early career researchers at the ESA Solar Orbiter Hackathon at ESTEC on solar wind connection science.

Supervision

Matthis Houlés (with Dr Andy Smith) – AI-based forecasts of Solar Eruptive Events

Victoria Thompson (with Prof Rob Wicks) – Probing solar wind variability with Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe

Publication List

Updated June 2026, Google Scholar

[1] Yardley, S. L., Solar Atmospheric Abundances in Space & Time, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, accepted, 2026

[2] Ngampoopun, N., Long, D. M., Green, L. M., Yardley, S. L., James, A. W., Mason, E. I., Heinemann, S. G., & Uritsky, V. M., Investigating the Relationship Between Physical Properties and Spatial Irregularities at Coronal Hole Boundaries, Sol. Phys., 301, 5, 75, 2026

[3] McKevitt, J., Harra, L., Valori, G., Baker, D., Janitzek, N., Yardley, S. L., Matthews, S., Reid, H., James, A. W., Stiefel, M., Brooks, D. H., Dewey, R., Raines, J. M., Lepri, S. T., Zhao, L., & Castellanos Durán, J. S., The Non-Eruptive Reconfiguration of a Quiescent Filament After a Nearby Active Region Emergence, ApJ, 999, 2, 260, 2026

[4] Wu, X., Owen, C. J., Coburn, J., Nicolaou, G., Verscharen, D., Liu, J., Ioannou, C., Ran, H., Rivera, Y. J., & Yardley, S. L., Correlation between Electron Temperature and Ion Charge-state Ratios in the Solar Wind at ∼0.5 au, ApJ, 1000, 1, 13, 2026

[5] D’Amicis, R., Raines, J. M., Benella, S., Velli, M., Panasenco, O., Nicolaou, G., Bruno, R., Sorriso-Valvo, L., Perrone, D., De Marco, R., Wang, Y.-M., Réville, V., Matteini, L., Yardley, S., Settino, A., Sioulas, N., Alterman, B., Tenerani, A., Holmes, J., Buchlin, E., Verdini, A., Demoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Telloni, D., Consolini, G., Marcucci, M. F., Stangalini, M., Marino, R., Owen, C. J., Louarn, P., & Livi, S., Alfvénic solar wind intervals observed by Solar Orbiter: Exploiting the capability of the SWA plasma suite and source region investigation, arXiv:2512.20098, submitted, 2025

[6] Yardley, S. L., Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe: Multi-viewpoint messengers of the inner heliosphere, Proc. Int. Astron. Union, in press, arXiv:2502.09450

[7] Wallace, S., Zambrana Prado, N., Gershkovich, I., Viall, N. M., Young, P., Kucera, T. A., Lepri, S. T., Yardley, S. L., Raines, J. M., Livi, S. A., & Dewey, R. M., Connecting Solar Orbiter and L1 Measurements of Mesoscale Solar Wind Structures to Their Coronal Source Using the ADAPT-WSA Model, ApJ, 990, 2, 97, 2025, DOI

[8] Ngampoopun, N., Susino, R., Brooks, D. H., Lionello, R., Abbo, L., Spadaro, D., Baker, D., Green, L. M., Long, D. M., Yardley, S. L., James, A. W., Romoli, M., Giordano, S. M., Burtovoi, A., Landini, F., & Russano, G., Investigating Solar Wind Outflows from Open-Closed Magnetic Field Structures Using Coordinated Solar Orbiter and Hinode Observations, Sol. Phys., 300, 4, 45, 2025, DOI

[9] D’Amicis, R., Velli, M., Panasenco, O., Sorriso-Valvo, L., Perrone, D., Benella, S., De Marco, R., Bruno, R., Wang, Y.-M., Réville, V., Baker, D., Matteini, L., Yardley, S., Settino, A., Sioulas, N., Alterman, B., Tenerani, A., Raines, J., Holmes, J., Desai, R., Arge, C. N., Owen, C. J., Louarn, P., Fedorov, A., Laker, R., Horbury, T. S., Fargette, N., Lavraud, B., Rouillard, A., Griton, L., De Pablos, D., Pinto, R. F., Auchère, F., Solomonidou, A., Harra, L., O’Brien, H., & Evans, V., On Alfvénic turbulence of solar wind streams observed by Solar Orbiter during March 2022 perihelion and their source regions, A&A, 693, A243, 2025, DOI

[10] Brooks, D. H., Warren, H. P., Baker, D., Matthews, S. A., & Yardley, S. L., An Elemental Abundance Diagnostic for Coordinated Solar Orbiter/SPICE and Hinode/EIS Observations, ApJ, 976, 2, 188, 2024, DOI

[11] Yardley, S. L. & Brooks, D. H., Sigmoid Eruption Associated with the X9.3 Flare from AR 12673 Drives the Gradual Solar Energetic Particle Event on 2017 September 6, ApJ, 976, 2, 152, 2024, DOI

[12] Yardley, S. L., Brooks, D. H., D’Amicis, R., Owen, C. J., Long, D. M., Baker, D., Démoulin, P., Owens, M. J., Lockwood, M., Mihailescu, T., Coburn, J. T., Dewey, R. M., Müller, D., Suen, G. H. H., Ngampoopun, N., Louarn, P., Livi, S., Lepri, S., Fludra, A., Haberreiter, M., & Schühle, U., Multi-source connectivity as the driver of solar wind variability in the heliosphere, Nat. Astr., 8, 953-963, 2024, DOI

[13] Baker, D., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., James, A. W., Démoulin, P., To, A. S. H., Murabito, M., Long, D. M., Brooks, D. H., McKevitt, J., Laming, J. M., Green, L. M., Yardley, S. L., Valori, G., Mihailescu, T., Matthews, S. A., Kuniyoshi, H., Bellot Rubio, L. R., Gömöry, P., Harra, L. K., & Peter, H., Searching for Evidence of Subchromospheric Magnetic Reconnection on the Sun, ApJ, 970, 1, 39, 2024, DOI

[14] Georgoulis, M. K., Yardley, S. L., Guerra, J. A., Murray, S. A., Ahmadzadeh, A., Anastasiadis, A., Angryk, R., Aydin, B., Banerjee, D., Barnes, G., Bemporad, A., Benvenuto, F., Bloomfield, D. S., Bobra, M., Campi, C., Camporeale, E., DeForest, C. E., Emslie, A. G., Falconer, D., Feng, L., Gan, W., Green, L. M., Guastavino, S., Hapgood, M., Kempton, D., Kitiashvili, I., Kontogiannis, I., Korsos, M. B., Leka, K. D., Massa, P., Massone, A. M., Nandy, D., Nindos, A., Papaioannou, A., Park, S. H., Patsourakos, S., Piana, M., Rawafi, N. E., Sadykov, V. M., Toriumi, S., Vourlidas, A., Wang, H., Wang, J. T. L., Whitman, K., Yan, Y., & Zhukov, A. N., Prediction of solar energetic events impacting space weather conditions, Adv. Space Res., 2024, DOI

[15] Varesano, T., Hassler, D. M., Zambrana Prado, N., Plowman, J., Del Zanna, G., Parenti, S., Mason, H. E., Giunta, A., Auchère, F., Carlsson, M., Fludra, A., Peter, H., Müller, D., Williams, D., Aznar Cuadrado, R., Barczynski, K., Buchlin, E., Caldwell, M., Fredvik, T., Grundy, T., Guest, S., Harra, L., Janvier, M., Kucera, T., Leeks, S., Schmutz, W., Schuehle, U., Sidher, S., Teriaca, L., Thompson, W., & Yardley, S. L., SPICE connection mosaics to link the Sun’s surface and the heliosphere, A&A, 685, A146, 2024, DOI

[16] Janvier, M., Mzerguat, S., Young, P. R., Buchlin, E., Manou, A., Pelouze, G., Long, D. M., Green, L. M., Warmuth, A., Schuller, F., Demoulin, P., Calchetti, D., Kahil, F., Bellot Rubio, L., Parenti, S., Baccar, S., Barczynski, K., Harra, L. K., Hayes, L. A., Thompson, W. T., Baker, D., Yardley, S. L., Muller, D., Berghmans, D., Verbeeck, C., Smith, P. J., Peter, H., Cuadrado, R. A., Musset, S., Brooks, D. H., Fludra, A., Rodriguez, L., Zhukov, A., Solanki, S. K., del Toro Iniesta, J. C., Woch, J., Gandorfer, A., Hirzberger, J., Orozco Suarez, D., Appourchaux, T., Valori, G., Sinjan, J., Albert, K., & Volkmer, R., Multiple spacecraft detection of the 2 April 2022 M-class flare and filament eruption, A&A, 677, A130, 2023

[17] Owens, M. J., Lockwood, M., Barnard, L. A., Yardley, S. L., Hietala, H., LaMoury, A. T., & Vuorinen, L., Annual Variations in the Near-Earth Solar Wind, Sol. Phys., 298, 111, 2023, DOI

[18] Yardley, S. L., Owen, C. J., Long, D. M., Baker, D., Brooks, D. H., Polito, V., Green, L. M., Matthews, S., Owens, M., Lockwood, M., Stansby, D., James, A. W., Valori, G., Giunta, A., Janvier, M., Ngampoopun, N., Mihailescu, T., To, A. S. H., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Demoulin, P., D’Amicis, R., French, R. J., Suen, G. H. H.,  Rouillard, A. P., Pinto, R. F., Reville, V., Watson, C. J., Walsh, A. P., De Groof, A., Williams, D. R., Zouganelis, Ioannis, Muller, D., Berghmans, D., Auchere, F., Harra, L., Scheuhle, Udo, Barczynsky, K., Buchlin, E., Aznar Cuadrado, R., Kraaikamp, E., Mandal, S., Parenti, S., Peter, H., Rodriguez, L., Schwanitz, C., Smith, P., Teriaca, L., Verbeeck, C., Zhukov, A. N., De Pontieu, B., Horbury, T., Solanki, S. K., del Toro Iniesta, J. C., Woch, J., Gandorfer, A., Hirzberger, J., Orozco, Suarez, D., Appourchaux, T., Calchetti, D., Sinjan, J., Kahil, F., Albert, K., Volkmer, R., Carlsson, M., Fludra, A., Hassler, D., Caldwell, M., Fredvik, Terje, Grundy, T., Guest, S., Haberreiter, M., Leeks, S., Pelouze, G., Plowman, J., Schmutz, W., Sidher, S., Thompson, W. T., Louarn, P., & Federov, A., Slow Solar Wind Connection Science during Solar Orbiter’s First Close Perihelion Passage, ApJS, 267, 19, 2023, DOI

[19] Ngampoopun, N., Long, D. M., Baker, D., Green, L. M., Yardley, S. L., James, A. W., & To, A. S. H., The Merging of a Coronal Dimming and the Southern Polar Coronal Hole, ApJ, 950, 150, 2023, DOI

[20] Baker, D., Demoulin, P., Yardley, S. L., Mihailescu, T., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., D’Amicis, R., Long, D. M., To, A. S. H., Owen, C. J., Horbury, T. S., Brooks, D. H., Perrone, D., French, R. J., James, A. W., Janvier, M., Matthews, S., Stangalini, M., Valori, G., Smith, P., Anzar Cuadrado, R., Peter, H., Schuehle, U., Harra, L., Barczynski, K., Berghmans, D., Zhukov, A. N., Rodriguez, L., & Verbeeck, C., Observational Evidence of S-Web Source of the Slow Solar Wind, ApJ, 2023, 950, 1, 65, DOI

[21] Yardley, S. L., Green, L. M., James, A.W., Stansby, D., & Mihailescu, T., The Magnetic Field Environment of Active Region 12673 that produced the Energetic Particle Events of September 2017, ApJ, 937, 57, 2022, DOI

[22] Lockwood, M., Owens, M. J., Yardley, S. L., Virtanen, I. O. I., Yeates, A. R., & Munoz-Jaramillo, A., Application of Historic Datasets to Understanding Open Solar Flux and the 20^th-century Grand Solar Maximum. 2. Solar Observations, Frontiers in Astron. & Spa. Sci., 9, 976444, 2022, DOI

[23] Yardley. S, L., The Unknown Origins of Solar Energetic Particles, A&G, 63, 3, DOI

[24] Brooks, D. H., Baker, D., van Driel-Gesztelyi L., Warren, H. P., & Yardley, S. L., Detection of stellar-like abundance anomalies in the slow solar wind, ApJL, 930, L10, 2022, DOI

[25] Baker, D., Green, L. M., Brooks, D. H., Demoulin, P., van-Driel Gesztelyi, Mihailescu, T., To, A. S. H., Long, D. M., Yardley, S. L., Janvier, M., & Valori, G., Evolution of Plasma Composition in an Eruptive Flux Rope, ApJ, 924, 17, 2022, DOI

[26] Nitta, N. V., Mulligan, T., Kilpua, K. J., Lynch, B. J., Mierla, M., O’Kane, J., Pagano, P. Palmerio, E., Pomoell, J., Richardson, I. G., Rodriguez, L., Rouillard, A. P. Sinha, S., Srivastava, N., Talpeanu, D., Yardley, S. L., & Zhukov, A. N., Understanding the Origins of Problem Geomagnetic Storms Associated with “Stealth” Coronal Mass Ejections, Space Sci. Rev., 217, 82, 2021, DOI

[27] Brooks, D. H. & Yardley, S. L., Signature and escape of highly fractionated plasma in an active region, MNRAS, 508, 1831, 2021, DOI

[28] Yardley, S. L., Pagano, P., Mackay, D. H., & Upton, L. A., Determining the source and eruption dynamics of a stealth CME using NLFFF modelling and MHD simulations, A&A, 652, A160, 2021, DOI

[29] Palmerio, E., Nitta, N. V., Mulligan, T., Mierla, M., O’Kane, J., Richarson, I. G., Sinha, S., Srivastava, N., Yardley, S. L., & Zhukov, A. N., Investigating Remote-sensing Techniques to Reveal Stealth Coronal Mass Ejections, Front. Astron. Space Sci., 8, 109, 2021, DOI

[30] Yardley, S. L., Brooks, D. H., & Baker, D., Widespread occurrence of high-velocity upflows in solar active regions, A&AL, 650, L10, 2021, DOI

[31] Brooks, D. H., & Yardley, S. L., The source of the major solar energetic particle events from super active region 11944, Sci. Adv., 7, eabf0068, 2021, DOI

[32] Yardley S. L., Mackay, D. H., & Green, L. M., Simulating the Coronal Evolution of Bipolar Active Regions to Investigate the Formation of Flux Ropes, Sol. Phys., 296, 10, 2021, DOI

[33] Patsourakos, S., Vourlidas, A., Török, T., Kliem, B., Antiochos, S. K., Archontis, V., Aulanier, G., Cheng, X., Chintzoglou, G., Georgoulis, M. K., Green, L. M., Leake, J. E., Moore, R., Nindos, A., Syntelis, P., Yardley, S. L., Yurchyshyn, V., & Zhang, J., Decoding the Pre-Eruptive Magnetic Field Configurations of Coronal Mass Ejections, Space Sci. Rev., 216, 131, 2020, DOI

[34] Yardley, S. L., Savcheva, A., Green, L. M., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Long, D. M., Williams, D. R., & Mackay D. H., Understanding the plasma and magnetic field evolution of a filament using observations and Nonlinear force-free field modelling, ApJ, 887, 240, 2019, DOI

[35] Pagano, P., Mackay, D. H., & Yardley, S. L., A New Space Weather Tool for Identifying Eruptive Active Regions, ApJ, 886, 81, 2019, DOI

[36] Pagano, P., Mackay, D. H., & Yardley, S. L., A Prospective New Diagnostic Technique for Distinguishing Eruptive and Non-eruptive Active Regions, ApJ, 883, 112, 2019, DOI

[37] Yardley, S. L., Green, L. M., van Driel-Gesztelyi, Williams, D. R., & Mackay, D. H., The Role Of Flux Cancellation in Eruptions from Bipolar Active Regions, ApJ, 866, 8, 2018, DOI

[38] Yardley S. L., Mackay, D. H., & Green, L. M., Simulating the Coronal Evolution of AR 11437 using SDO/HMI Magnetograms, ApJ, 852, 82, 2018, DOI

[39] Dacie, S., Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Long, D. M., Baker, D., Janvier, M., Yardley, S. L., & Pérez-Suárez, D., Evolution of the magnetic field distribution of active regions, A&A, 596, A69, 2016, DOI

[40] Yardley, S. L., Green, L. M., Williams, D. R., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Valori, G., & Dacie, S., Flux Cancellation and the Evolution of the Eruptive Filament of 2011 June 7, ApJ, 827, 151, 2016, DOI

[41] Baker D., Brooks, D. H., Demoulin, P., Yardley, S. L., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Green, L. M., & Long, D. M., FIP Bias Evolution in a Decaying Active Region, ApJ, 802, 104, 2015, DOI