On the relative magnitude of streaming velocities of alpha particles and protons at 1 AU

Details On the relative magnitude of streaming velocities of alpha particles and protons at 1 AU On the relative magnitude of streaming velocities of alpha particles and protons at 1 AU

Dec 1976

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1976ap%26ss..45..411c&link_type=abstract

Astrophysics and Space Science, vol. 45, Dec. 1976, p. 411-417.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

1

Alpha Particles, Interplanetary Space, Particle Acceleration, Relativistic Velocity, Solar Protons, Solar Wind, Magnetohydrodynamic Flow, Mathematical Models, Particle Motion, Plasma Dynamics, Solar Electrons

Scientific paper

Alpha-particle streaming velocities in the solar wind have been found to be larger than proton streaming velocities at a heliocentric distance of 1 AU. This paper investigates the physical processes responsible for the velocity differences and the heliocentric distances at which they act. An accelerating force acting preferentially on alpha-particles is postulated, and a three-fluid model consisting of continuity, momentum, and energy equations is used to describe the average behavior of electrons, protons, and alpha-particles in the quiet solar wind. Three basic properties of the postulated accelerating force are considered: its strength, the heliocentric distance at which it is most effective, and the interplanetary region over which it acts. Numerical solution of the model equations indicates that a weak force of limited range acting in the vicinity of 1 AU is a necessary and sufficient condition for the observed velocity differences. It is concluded that if the accelerating force is effective only at smaller heliocentric distances, the excess in the alpha-particle streaming velocities vanishes at distances less than 1 AU due to the equalization effect of the dynamical friction force.

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