On the acceleration of alpha particles in the fast solar wind

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JA00825· OSTI ID:7172966

Gomberoff, L ^[1]; Hernandez, R ^[2]

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1. Univ. de Chile, Santiago (Chile)
2. Univ. de Concepcion (Chile)

Recently, Gomberoff and Elgueta (1991) showed that in a plasma composed of anisotropic protons and alpha particles drifting along an external magnetic field with a small velocity relative to the protons, strong left-hand polarized electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves can be generated. These waves can accelerate the alpha particles to velocities well in excess of the proton bulk velocity. Here the authors assume a more realistic model of the solar wind by considering a double-humped proton distribution. It is shown that the secondary proton beam has no important effects on the ion cyclotron waves for beam densities of the order of those observed in fast solar wind conditions. The fact that the alpha proton drift velocity is modulated by the Alfven velocity remains unexplained.

• OSTI ID: 7172966
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 97:A8; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCELERATION
ALPHA PARTICLES
ANISOTROPY
BARYONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CYCLOTRON FREQUENCY
DISPERSION RELATIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
INTERACTIONS
ION DRIFT
ION PLASMA WAVES
ION WAVES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEONS
PLASMA WAVES
PROTONS
RADIATIONS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ALPHA PARTICLES
SOLAR PARTICLES
SOLAR PROTONS
SOLAR RADIATION
SOLAR WIND
STELLAR RADIATION
VELOCITY