Electron heat flux constraints in the solar wind

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.873532· OSTI ID:338682

Gary, S P; Skoug, R M; Daughton, W ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

Enhanced fluctuations from electromagnetic heat flux instabilities may, through wave-particle scattering, constrain the electron heat flux which flows parallel to the background magnetic field in the solar wind. A corollary of this hypothesis is that instability thresholds should correspond to observable bounds on the heat flux. Here plasma and magnetic field data from February and March 1995 of the Ulysses mission is analyzed in terms of the core/halo electron model to yield scaling relations of dimensionless electron parameters and empirical upper bounds on the dimensionless heat flux as functions of the core {beta}. Use of these scaling relations in linear Vlasov theory for the whistler and Alfv{acute e}n heat flux instabilities in homogeneous plasmas yields threshold conditions on the dimensionless heat flux which are also functions of the electron core {beta}. The empirical bounds and the theoretical thresholds are similar and are therefore consistent with the hypothesis. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}

• OSTI ID: 338682
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 6; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
CHARGED-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
FLUCTUATIONS
HEAT FLUX
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
SOLAR WIND