A turbulence-driven model for heating and acceleration of the fast wind in coronal holes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a turbulence-driven model explaining the heating and acceleration of the fast solar wind in coronal holes through MHD fluctuation dissipation, matching observed solar wind properties.

Contribution

It presents a novel turbulence-based model that incorporates scale-separated transport equations to simulate solar wind acceleration and heating in coronal holes.

Findings

Model reproduces observed proton temperatures and densities.

Predicts wind speeds consistent with satellite measurements.

Accounts for fluctuation amplitudes observed remotely and in situ.

Abstract

A model is presented for generation of fast solar wind in coronal holes, relying on heating that is dominated by turbulent dissipation of MHD fluctuations transported upwards in the solar atmosphere. Scale-separated transport equations include large-scale fields, transverse Alfvenic fluctuations, and a small compressive dissipation due to parallel shears near the transition region. The model accounts for proton temperature, density, wind speed, and fluctuation amplitude as observed in remote sensing and in situ satellite data.