Progress in the Study of Interplanetary Discontinuities
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)
This paper summarizes some of the recent rebirth of interest in interplanetary discontinuities. Vasquez et al. have developed a new method of searching for discontinuities that allows the study of structures with small angles of rotation. Those discontinuities are consistent with the in situ generation of discontinuities by Alfvenic turbulence. Borovsky has proposed that discontinuities with large rotation angles are the boundaries of flux tubes originating at the Sun. We conclude that both the Sun and turbulence are important sources of interplanetary discontinuities. We also argue that, at least in the slow solar wind, Tsurutani's in-situ generation by phase-steepened Alfven waves may be a manifestation of exhaust fan reconnection. We furthermore suggest that such reconnection may be responsible for the Walen ratio ([4pirho]{sup 1/2}|DELTAv|/|DELTAB|) across rotational discontinuities being less than the theoretically predicted value of unity. Whether or not the wind consists of discrete flux tubes rather than being simply discontinuous remains to be determined.
- OSTI ID:
- 21371712
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1216, Issue 1; Conference: 12. international solar wind conference, Saint-Malo (France), 21-26 Jun 2009; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3395834; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALFVEN WAVES
ASTROPHYSICS
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
MAGNETIC FLUX
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
ROTATION
SOLAR WIND
SUN
TURBULENCE
TURBULENT FLOW
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
MECHANICS
MOTION
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PHYSICS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
STARS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR WINDS