Identification

Title

Nonlinear model of high-speed solar-wind streams

Abstract

A hydrodynamic model describing the generation and propagation of high-speed plasma streams in the solar wind is presented. The model is based upon numerical integrations of the conservation equations for a time-dependent, spherically symmetric, radial flow of interplanetary plasma. The nearly radial nature of the solar wind flow justifies the use of the model to approximate ‘corotating streams,’ e.g., nonspherically symmetric flows that are steady in a frame of reference rotating with the sun. The predicted variations in solar wind properties are in good agreement with those observed at 1 AU for a reasonable choice of parameters characterizing a ‘coronal disturbance’ at the heliocentric distance of 28 Rs. This choice must include a perturbation of the coronal temperature but need not include perturbations of the coronal density or mass efflux. The streams produced by such a disturbance ‘steepen’ in transit to the orbit of the earth, with formation of a pair of shocks predicted at slightly larger heliocentric distances. The average dependencies of density and temperature upon the solar wind speed deduced from the model resemble those inferred from solar wind observations. This suggests that the major density changes associated with high-speed streams are the products of interplanetary compression and rarefaction within the evolving stream structure. The same processes explain the deviations of proton temperature from their average dependence on solar wind speed; however, that basic dependence appears to reflect the temperature changes imposed on the plasma in the corona.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7mg7p0g

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

1973-01-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact