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Title: CORONAL PLUMES IN THE FAST SOLAR WIND

Abstract

The expansion of a coronal hole filled with a discrete number of higher density coronal plumes is simulated using a time-dependent two-dimensional code. A solar wind model including an exponential coronal heating function and a flux of Alfven waves propagating both inside and outside the structures is taken as a basic state. Different plasma plume profiles are obtained by using different scale heights for the heating rates. Remote sensing and solar wind in situ observations are used to constrain the parameter range of the study. Time dependence due to plume ignition and disappearance is also discussed. Velocity differences of the order of {approx}50 km s{sup -1}, such as those found in microstreams in the high-speed solar wind, may be easily explained by slightly different heat deposition profiles in different plumes. Statistical pressure balance in the fast wind data may be masked by the large variety of body and surface waves which the higher density filaments may carry, so the absence of pressure balance in the microstreams should not rule out their interpretation as the extension of coronal plumes into interplanetary space. Mixing of plume-interplume material via the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability seems to be possible within the parameter ranges of the modelsmore » defined here, only at large distances from the Sun, beyond 0.2-0.3 AU. Plasma and composition measurements in the inner heliosphere, such as those which will become available with Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus, should therefore definitely be able to identify plume remnants in the solar wind.« less

Authors:
 [1]; ; ;  [2]
  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)
  2. Predictive Science, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121-2910 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21578332
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 736; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/736/1/32; Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ALFVEN WAVES; HELIOSPHERE; PLUMES; SIMULATION; SOLAR CORONA; SOLAR WIND; TIME DEPENDENCE; TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS; WAVE PROPAGATION; ATMOSPHERES; HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES; SOLAR ACTIVITY; SOLAR ATMOSPHERE; STELLAR ACTIVITY; STELLAR ATMOSPHERES; STELLAR CORONAE; STELLAR WINDS

Citation Formats

Velli, Marco, Lionello, Roberto, Linker, Jon A, and Mikic, Zoran. CORONAL PLUMES IN THE FAST SOLAR WIND. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/736/1/32.
Velli, Marco, Lionello, Roberto, Linker, Jon A, & Mikic, Zoran. CORONAL PLUMES IN THE FAST SOLAR WIND. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/736/1/32
Velli, Marco, Lionello, Roberto, Linker, Jon A, and Mikic, Zoran. 2011. "CORONAL PLUMES IN THE FAST SOLAR WIND". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/736/1/32.
@article{osti_21578332,
title = {CORONAL PLUMES IN THE FAST SOLAR WIND},
author = {Velli, Marco and Lionello, Roberto and Linker, Jon A and Mikic, Zoran},
abstractNote = {The expansion of a coronal hole filled with a discrete number of higher density coronal plumes is simulated using a time-dependent two-dimensional code. A solar wind model including an exponential coronal heating function and a flux of Alfven waves propagating both inside and outside the structures is taken as a basic state. Different plasma plume profiles are obtained by using different scale heights for the heating rates. Remote sensing and solar wind in situ observations are used to constrain the parameter range of the study. Time dependence due to plume ignition and disappearance is also discussed. Velocity differences of the order of {approx}50 km s{sup -1}, such as those found in microstreams in the high-speed solar wind, may be easily explained by slightly different heat deposition profiles in different plumes. Statistical pressure balance in the fast wind data may be masked by the large variety of body and surface waves which the higher density filaments may carry, so the absence of pressure balance in the microstreams should not rule out their interpretation as the extension of coronal plumes into interplanetary space. Mixing of plume-interplume material via the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability seems to be possible within the parameter ranges of the models defined here, only at large distances from the Sun, beyond 0.2-0.3 AU. Plasma and composition measurements in the inner heliosphere, such as those which will become available with Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus, should therefore definitely be able to identify plume remnants in the solar wind.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/736/1/32},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21578332}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 736,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Wed Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}