Abstract
[1] Time variations in plasma beta and a parameter which measures isotropy in suprathermal electron pitch angle distributions show a remarkably close correspondence throughout the solar wind. The finding implies that high-beta plasma, with its multiple magnetic holes and sharp field and plasma gradients, is conducive to electron pitch-angle scattering, which reduces heat flux from the Sun without field-line disconnection. Thus the finding impacts our understanding of signatures we use to determine magnetic topology in the heliosphere.
Department
Physics
Publication Date
6-2003
Journal Title
Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1029/2003GL017036
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Crooker, N. U., D. E. Larson, S. W. Kahler, S. M. Lamassa, and H. E. Spence (2003), Suprathermal electron isotropy in high-beta solar wind and its role in heat flux dropouts, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 1619, doi:10.1029/2003GL017036, 12.
Rights
Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.
