Electron-Temperature Asymmetry and the Structure of the Solar Wind.
Abstract
The observational fact that, in the frame of the solar wind, outgoing thermal electrons have a somewhat larger mean energy than those incoming corresponds to an outward 'heat flow' that can be simulated in the extreme by a purley exospheric model. In the present work, microinstabilities of the interplanetary plasma are studied within the framework of an underlying electron-proton solar exosphere. Although collisions are neglected by definition, heat-flow moments of the distribution functions are significantly bounded by virture of geometry. This fact permits velocity-space instabilities driven by heat flow to be analyzed under the most extreme conditions (exospheric) conceivably attainable. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 30, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0745576
Entities
People
- Aharan Eviator
- Michael Schulz
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation