Radial evolution of nonthermal electron populations in the low-latitude solar wind: Helios, Cluster, and Ulysses Observations

Details Radial evolution of nonthermal electron populations in the low-latitude solar wind: Helios, Cluster, and Ulysses Observations Radial evolution of nonthermal electron populations in the low-latitude solar wind: Helios, Cluster, and Ulysses Observations

May 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009jgra..11405104s&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 114, Issue A5, CiteID A05104

Physics

Plasma Physics

13

Interplanetary Physics: Solar Wind Plasma, Space Plasma Physics: Transport Processes, Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy: Instruments And Techniques, Space Plasma Physics: Instruments And Techniques, Space Plasma Physics: General Or Miscellaneous

Scientific paper

We have performed a statistical study of a substantial amount of solar wind electron velocity distribution functions (eVDFs). In our data set, we combine measurements acquired onboard three spacecrafts (Helios, Cluster II, and Ulysses) in the low ecliptic latitudes covering the heliocentric distance from 0.3 up to 4 AU. In this study, we focus on the nonthermal properties of the measured eVDFs in both the slow and the fast solar wind regimes. The aim of the present study is (1) to provide, for the first time, an analytical model to fit separately all three components of the solar wind eVDFs (i.e., the core, the halo, and the strahl) and (2) to study the fractional densities of the three electron components and also the non-Maxwellian character of the high-energy eVDF tails as a function of the radial distance from the sun. Basically, our study is incremental to the previous studies of the fast solar wind and primarily extends their conclusions on a large number of slow wind observations in the ecliptic plane. We confirm that the halo and the strahl relative densities vary in an opposite way. The relative number of strahl electrons is decreasing with radial distance, whereas the relative number of halo electrons is increasing. The fractional density of the core population remains roughly constant. These findings suggest that there are mechanisms in the solar wind that scatter the strahl electrons into the halo. Also, we find that the relative importance of the nonthermal electrons in the fast solar wind is slightly higher compared to the slow wind.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Radial evolution of nonthermal electron populations in the low-latitude solar wind: Helios, Cluster, and Ulysses Observations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Radial evolution of nonthermal electron populations in the low-latitude solar wind: Helios, Cluster, and Ulysses Observations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Radial evolution of nonthermal electron populations in the low-latitude solar wind: Helios, Cluster, and Ulysses Observations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-813457