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Radial variation of solar‐wind parameters
Author(s) -
Jokipii J. R.
Publication year - 1976
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/gl003i003p00141
Subject(s) - physics , variation (astronomy) , solar wind , atmospheric sciences , turbulence , wind speed , anisotropy , environmental science , meteorology , thermal , computational physics , mechanics , astrophysics , optics , plasma , quantum mechanics
It is demonstrated that since fluctuations in the solar wind are not small, they can have important effects on the observed average values of parameters in the solar wind and their radial variation. The effect is distinct from the dynamical effect of waves and turbulence and results from the averaging process. It is concluded that, for example, the average density of the solar wind need not vary as 1/r², even if the average velocity is constant and radial. The effect on thermal anisotropies might also be important. The magnitudes of the effects depend on presently unknown correlations between fluctuations in the solar wind.