The effect on empirical atmospheric modeling of the mass-flux as an independent parameter

Observational data on atmospheric structure and mass fluxes from the sun and Be stars are applied to test the adequacy of the original Parker 'hot corona' approach to predicting atmospheric structure and the size of the mass flux from only the radiative and nonradiative energy fluxes, and from gravity, and imposing the condition that thermal and escape points must coincide. Observations do not support this latter condition. It is concluded that the Parker approach is an asymptotic approximation to the very low mass flux limit in a nonvariable stellar atmosphere.