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Constraints on solar wind acceleration mechanisms from Ulysses plasma observations: The first polar pass
Author(s) -
Barnes Aaron,
Gazis Paul R.,
Phillips John L.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/95gl03532
Subject(s) - solar wind , polar wind , physics , acceleration , polar , heat flux , plasma , atmospheric sciences , wind speed , geophysics , magnetopause , meteorology , mechanics , astronomy , heat transfer , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics
The mass flux density and velocity of the solar wind at polar latitudes can provide strong constraints on solar wind acceleration mechanisms. We use plasma observations from the first polar passage of the Ulysses spacecraft to investigate this question. We find that the mass flux density and velocity are too high to reconcile with acceleration of the solar wind by classical thermal conduction alone. Therefore acceleration of the high‐speed wind must involve extended deposition of energy by some other mechanism, either as heat or as a direct effective pressure, due possibly to waves and/or turbulence, or completely non‐classical heat transport.