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Thermal iron ions in high speed solar wind streams, 2. Temperatures and bulk velocities
Author(s) -
Mitchell D. G.,
Roelof E. C.,
Feldman W. C.,
Bame S. J.,
Williams D. J.
Publication year - 1981
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/gl008i007p00827
Subject(s) - magnetometer , ion , solar wind , streams , thermal , hydrogen , helium , magnetic field , physics , thermal velocity , oxygen , analytical chemistry (journal) , plasma , flow velocity , materials science , atomic physics , flow (mathematics) , chemistry , meteorology , nuclear physics , environmental chemistry , computer network , quantum mechanics , computer science , mechanics
Thermal velocities v Fe = (2kT/m) ½ and magnetic field‐aligned bulk flow velocity increments Δ V Fe = V Fe ‐ V H are estimated using the recently discovered sensitivity to iron ions in high speed solar wind streams (V H > 600 kms −1 ) of the NOAA/JHU Energetic Particles Experiment (EPE) on IMP 7/8. Comparison with LASL hydrogen plasma measurements and GSFC magnetometer data in several recurrent streams in 1974 reveals that O ≤ ΔV Fe ≲ V A and V H ≲ v Fe ≲ V A where V A is the local Alfvén velocity. These relationships for iron are consistent with those found in earlier analyses of helium and oxygen and suggest that both the heating and bulk flow of heavy ions are controlled locally by wave/particle interactions.