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Solar‐wind acceleration by energetic particles
Author(s) -
Florinski V.,
Jokipii J. R.
Publication year - 1997
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 - 10.1029/97gl52456
Subject(s) - cosmic ray , solar wind , physics , interplanetary medium , particle acceleration , population , astrophysics , interplanetary spaceflight , acceleration , interplanetary magnetic field , solar energetic particles , spectral line , astronomy , thermal , computational physics , coronal mass ejection , plasma , meteorology , classical mechanics , nuclear physics , demography , sociology
We present results from a two‐fluid model of the solar wind which includes the thermal gas and a non‐thermal particle population. Low‐energy solar cosmic rays (10 to 100 keV) can help accelerate the wind by transferring some of their momentum to comoving magnetic irregularities. We find that increases in the wind velocity of the order of 100 km/s are not uncommon when a small amount (approximately 0.01 of the total pressure at the Sun) of cosmic rays is added in the solar corona. We discuss possible cosmic ray spectra and interplanetary diffusion ranges necessary to produce this effect. Cosmic ray spectra obtained from our model are consistent with experimental data at the 1 AU distance.