Preferential heating of oxygen 5{sup +} ions by finite-amplitude oblique Alfvén waves
- Centre for mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Heliophysics Science Division, Greenbelt, 20771 MD (United States)
- Departamento de Física, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160 - C, Concepción (Chile)
Minor ions in the fast solar wind are known to have higher temperatures and to flow faster than protons in the interplanetary space. In this study we combine previous research on parametric instability theory and 2.5D hybrid simulations to study the onset of preferential heating of Oxygen 5{sup +} ions by large-scale finite-amplitude Alfvén waves in the collisionless fast solar wind. We consider initially non-drifting isotropic multi-species plasma, consisting of isothermal massless fluid electrons, kinetic protons and kinetic Oxygen 5{sup +} ions. The external energy source for the plasma heating and energization are oblique monochromatic Alfvén-cyclotron waves. The waves have been created by rotating the direction of initial parallel pump, which is a solution of the multi-fluid plasma dispersion relation. We consider propagation angles θ ≤ 30°. The obliquely propagating Alfvén pump waves lead to strong diffusion in the ion phase space, resulting in highly anisotropic heavy ion velocity distribution functions and proton beams. We discuss the application of the model to the problems of preferential heating of minor ions in the solar corona and the fast solar wind.
- OSTI ID:
- 22590909
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1720, Issue 1; Conference: SOLAR WIND 14: 14. international solar wind conference, Weihai (China), 22-26 Jun 2015; Other Information: (c) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ASTROPHYSICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DISPERSION RELATIONS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
HEAVY IONS
INTERPLANETARY SPACE
MONOCHROMATIC RADIATION
MULTICHARGED IONS
OXYGEN IONS
PARAMETRIC INSTABILITIES
PHASE SPACE
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
PROTON BEAMS
SOLAR CORONA
SOLAR ELECTRONS
SOLAR PROTONS
SOLAR WIND