Perpendicular proton heating due to energy cascade of fast magnetosonic waves in the solar corona
Abstract
Observational data and theoretical models suggest that the wave spectrum in the solar wind and corona may contain a fast magnetosonic mode component. This paper presents two-dimensional hybrid simulations of the energy cascade among the fast waves in the vicinity of the proton inertial scale. The initial spectrum consists of modes propagating in the positive direction, defined by the mean magnetic field, and is allowed to evolve freely in time. The plasma beta is set to low values typical of the solar corona. The cascade proceeds from lower to higher wavenumbers and mostly in the direction across the magnetic field. The highly oblique fast waves are strongly dissipated on the protons. The resulting proton heating is preferentially perpendicular to the magnetic field. If the wave intensity is constrained by the observed density spectra in the corona, the heating is fast enough to generate the solar wind.
Department
Physics
Publication Date
2-1-2010
Journal Title
Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1088/0004-637X/709/2/1003
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Markovskii, Sergei A.; Vasquez, Bernard J.; and Chandran, Benjamin D.G., "Perpendicular proton heating due to energy cascade of fast magnetosonic waves in the solar corona" (2010). Astrophysical Journal. 25.
https://scholars.unh.edu/physics_facpub/25
Rights
© 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.