A search for evidence of the evolution of rotational discontinuities in the solar wind from nonlinear Alfven waves

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA095iA01p00013· OSTI ID:5155248

Neugebauer, M ^[1]; Buti, B ^[2]

---

1. California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena (United States)
2. Physical Research Lab., Ahmedabad (India)

The nonlinear theory of the steepening of Alfven waves into solitons and then into rotational discontinuities (RDs) predicts correlations between the {beta} of the plasma, the sense of polarization of the discontinuity, and changes of magnetic field strength and plasma density across the discontinuity. The predicted correlations have been searched for in ISEE 3 field and plasma data, but no statistically significant evidence for the evolution of RDs from Alfven solitons could be found. Approximately equal numbers of right- and left-handed discontinuities were observed. Some of the rotations approached 180{degree}, but none exceeded that value. Nearly all the RDs in the 33-day data set were propagating outward from the Sun, which implies that sunward propagating Alfvenic fluctuations produced by stream interactions in the interplanetary medium seldom steepen into discontinuities before reaching 1 AU. The only unambiguously sunward propagating RD in the data set showed all of the expected relations for a steepened Alfven soliton. Interplanetary processes, such as changing wave speeds and {beta} and refraction of the discontinuities, may have changed the properties of the RDs created close to the Sun to such an extent that any original correlations are no longer detectable at 1 AU. Another possible explanation of the basically negative result is that some of the RDs produced near the Sun may have steepened from fast or slow Kortewet-de Vries solitons.

• OSTI ID: 5155248
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 95:A1; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640104* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Solar Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALFVEN WAVES
ATMOSPHERES
CORRELATIONS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
INTERPLANETARY SPACE
KORTEWEG-DE VRIES EQUATION
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PLASMA DENSITY
QUASI PARTICLES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
SOLAR CORONA
SOLAR WIND
SOLITONS
SPACE
STELLAR ATMOSPHERES
STELLAR CORONAE
VELOCITY
WAVE PROPAGATION