Temperature Anisotropy Distribution and Evolution in Inhomogeneous Solar Wind

Abstract:

The solar wind displays temperature anisotropy associated with the protons, which is often represented as a rhombic shape data distribution in (T_perp/T_ll, β_ll) space. The upper-right and lower-right boundaries of such a data distribution appear to be limited by various kinetic plasma instabilities driven by the proton temperature anisotropy. To understand such boundaries, the present authors developed a quasi-linear model in inhomogeneous solar wind plasma in which the instability-driven dissipation terms appear on the right-hand sides of the equations for T_perp and T_ll, while self-consistently computing for the wave intensities. Such a formalism successfully reproduced the upper-right and lower-right boundaries. However, in order to explain the vast majority of data points within the distribution that are found well away from the boundaries and possessing near isotropy, T_perp ≈ T_ll, one must include effects other than the collisionless dissipations, i.e., other than dissipations due to instabilities. The present paper employs an improved quasi-linear theory that incorporates not only the instability-driven collisionless dissipation terms, but also the dissipations due to binary collisions (which is often called the collisional age) as well as the dissipations due to spontaneous thermal emissions. The set of equations for T_perp and T_ll as well as for the waves are solved over inhomogeneous solar wind model, and the results will be discussed. The present approach may help in interpreting existing and future satellite data, including those from the near future Solar Probe Plus and Solar Orbiter Missions.