The effect of magnetic turbulence energy spectra and pickup ions on the heating of the solar wind

C. S. Ng, A. Bhattacharjee, P. A. Isenberg, D. Munsi, C. W. Smith

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

In recent years, a phenomenological solar wind heating model based on a turbulent energy cascade prescribed by the Kolmogorov theory has produced reasonably good agreement with observations on proton temperatures out to distances around 70 AU, provided the effect of turbulence generation due to pickup ions is included in the model. In a recent study [Ng et al., J. Geophys. Res., 115, A02101 (2010)], we have incorporated in the heating model the energy cascade rate based on Iroshnikov-Kraichnan (IK) scaling, derivable from incompressible magnetohydrodynamics. We showed that the IK cascade rate can also produce good agreement with observations, with or without the inclusion of pickup ions. This effect was confirmed both by integrating the model using average boundary conditions at 1 AU, and by applying a method [Smith et al., Astrophys. J., 638, 508 (2006)] that uses directly observed values as boundary conditions. The reduction of effects due to pickup ions is because less turbulence is generated by pickup ions for the IK spectrum, which has a shallower spectral index than the Kolmogorov spectrum. In this paper, we will discuss more on this part of the theory.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationPickup Ions Throughout the Heliosphere and Beyond - Proceedings of the 9th Annual International Astrophysics Conference
Subtitle of host publicationDedicated to the Memory of Sir W. Ian Axford January 2, 1933 - March 13, 2010
Pages174-179
Number of pages6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010
Externally publishedYes
Event9th Annual International Astrophysics Conference on Pickup Ions Throughout the Heliosphere and Beyond: Dedicated to the Memory of Sir W. Ian Axford January 2, 1933 - March 13, 2010 - Maui, HI, United States
Duration: Mar 14 2010Mar 19 2010

Publication series

NameAIP Conference Proceedings
Volume1302
ISSN (Print)0094-243X
ISSN (Electronic)1551-7616

Other

Other9th Annual International Astrophysics Conference on Pickup Ions Throughout the Heliosphere and Beyond: Dedicated to the Memory of Sir W. Ian Axford January 2, 1933 - March 13, 2010
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityMaui, HI
Period3/14/103/19/10

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

Keywords

  • MHD turbulence
  • Pickup ions
  • Solar wind heating
  • Wave-particle interaction

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