Heating of the Solar Wind by Ion Acoustic Waves

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that ion acoustic waves decay rapidly, supplying a significant portion of the energy responsible for heating the solar wind, and may play a key role in converting magnetic turbulence into particle energy.

Contribution

It provides calculations showing ion acoustic wave decay as a major mechanism for solar wind heating, highlighting its importance in energy transfer processes.

Findings

Ion acoustic wave decay supplies a large fraction of solar wind heating.

The process could be crucial in converting magnetic turbulence to particle energy.

Ion acoustic waves may account for nearly all observed solar wind heating.

Abstract

Calculations are made of the energy supplied to the solar wind by the rapid decay of density fluctuations, identified as ion acoustic waves. It is shown that this process supplies an appreciable fraction, perhaps nearly all, of the observed heating of the solar wind. This process may be an important step in the conversion of magnetic turbulence to particle energy