NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Adiabatic cooling of solar wind electronsIn thermally driven winds emanating from regions in the solar corona with base electron densities of n0 not less than 10 exp 8/cu cm, a substantial fraction of the heat conductive flux from the base is transfered into flow energy by the pressure gradient force. The adiabatic cooling of the electrons causes the electron temperature profile to fall off more rapidly than in heat conduction dominated flows. Alfven waves of solar origin, accelerating the basically thermally driven solar wind, lead to an increased mass flux and enhanced adiabatic cooling. The reduction in electron temperature may be significant also in the subsonic region of the flow and lead to a moderate increase of solar wind mass flux with increasing Alfven wave amplitude. In the solar wind model presented here the Alfven wave energy flux per unit mass is larger than that in models where the temperature in the subsonic flow is not reduced by the wave, and consequently the asymptotic flow speed is higher.
Document ID
19920041919
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Sandbaek, Ornulf
(NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Leer, Egil
(Oslo, University Blindern, Norway; High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, CO, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 97
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Solar Physics
Accession Number
92A24543
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASA ORDER W-17016
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available