Thermodynamics of pure fast solar wind: radial evolution of the temperature-speed relationship in the inner heliosphere
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Author(s)
Perrone, Denise
Stansby, D
Horbury, TS
Matteini, L
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A strong correlation between speed and proton temperature has been observed, across many years, on hourly averaged measurements in the solar wind. Here, we show that this relationship is also observed at a smaller scale on intervals of a few days, within a single stream. Following the radial evolution of a well-defined stream of coronal-hole plasma, we show that the temperature–speed (T–V) relationship evolves with distance, implying that the T–V relationship at 1 au cannot be used as a proxy for that near the Sun. We suggest that this behaviour could be a combination of the anticorrelation between speed and flux-tube expansion factor near the Sun and the effect of a continuous heating experienced by the plasma during the expansion. We also show that the cooling index for the radial evolution of the temperature is a function of the speed. In particular, T⊥ in faster wind, although higher close to the Sun, decreases more quickly with respect to slower wind, suggesting that it has less time to interact with the mechanism(s) able to heat the plasma. Finally, we predict the expected T–V relationship in fast streams closer to the Sun with respect to the Helios observations, which Parker Solar Probe will explore in the near future.
Date Issued
2019-09-01
Date Acceptance
2019-07-02
Citation
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2019, 488 (2), pp.2380-2386
ISSN
0035-8711
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Start Page
2380
End Page
2386
Journal / Book Title
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume
488
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2019 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model)
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000482332500060&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sun: corona
Sun: heliosphere
solar wind
PROTON TEMPERATURE
VELOCITY
DEPENDENCE
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-07-10