Radial evolution of Alfv\'en wave Parametric Decay Instability in the near-Sun solar wind: Effects of Temperature Anisotropy

TL;DR

This study investigates how temperature anisotropy influences the growth rate of Alfvén wave parametric decay instability in the near-Sun solar wind, using linear dispersion relations under various expansion models.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of temperature anisotropy effects on PDI growth rates in the near-Sun solar wind across different expansion scenarios.

Findings

Temperature anisotropy increases PDI growth rates for low plasma beta (<0.1).

Anisotropy with T_perp > T_parallel enhances growth rates by ~1.5 times near the Sun.

Anisotropy with T_parallel > T_perp decreases growth rates at larger heliocentric distances.

Abstract

Parametric decay instability (PDI) of Alfv\'en wave is thought to play an important role in the dissipation of the large-amplitude Alfv\'en waves and in the heating of magnetized plasmas. Temperature anisotropy is frequently observed by spacecraft, including Parker Solar Probe (PSP), in the near-Sun solar wind, yet its impact on PDI in the near-Sun solar wind has been understudied. We calculate the maximum growth rates of PDI, $\gamma_{\max}/\omega_{0}$, where $\omega_0$ is the frequency of the parent wave, by solving the linear dispersion relation of Chew-Goldberger-Low (CGL) equations under several expanding background models. To assess the effect of temperature anisotropy, the growth rate is compared with that derived from ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). From $R_0$ ($ = 1.02R_\odot$) to $30R_0$, we consider three expansion cases: (i) spherically symmetric adiabatic expansion with constant wind speed, (ii) Multi-source observation- and model-constrained expansion, and (iii) a PSP-constrained profile of $(\beta_{\parallel},\xi)$, where $\beta_\parallel=8\pi p_{\parallel0}/B_0^2$ is the parallel plasma beta and $\xi=T_{\perp0} / T_{\parallel0}$ is the temperature anisotropy, that includes Parker-spiral effects. We find that temperature anisotropy increases $\gamma_{\max}/\omega_{0}$ for $\beta\lesssim 0.1$ in the near-Sun solar wind: in the case of (iii), temperature anisotropy with $T_{\perp0} > T_{\parallel0}$ increases $\gamma_{\max}/\omega_{0}$ by factors of $\sim 1.5$ over $R\simeq 1$--$10\,R_0$, whereas temperature anisotropy with $T_{\parallel0}>T_{\perp0}$ decreases $\gamma_{\max}/\omega_{0}$ at larger $R$. Our results suggest that the temperature anisotropy plays an important role in the onset of PDI even in low-$\beta$ regimes, such as the near-Sun solar wind.