1. EVOLUTION OF SOLAR WIND FLUCTUATIONS AND THE INFLUENCE OF TURBULENT ‘MIXING’
- Author
-
Sean Oughton and William H. Matthaeus
- Subjects
Convection ,Physics ,Solar wind ,Classical mechanics ,Magnetic energy ,Turbulence ,Physics::Space Physics ,Mechanics ,Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence ,Kinetic energy ,Mixing (physics) ,WKB approximation - Abstract
We present various numerical and analytical solutions for the transport of solar wind turbulence. The model used takes into account the effects of convection, expansion, and wave propagation, as well as the recently illuminated effects of (non-WKB) 'mixing' terms. The radial evolution of the fluctuating kinetic energy, magnetic energy, and normalized cross helicity is computed, and, it is demonstrated that in appropriate limits the solutions converge to the WKB forms. In the general case, solutions which differ substantially from those predicted by WKB theory are obtained. The degree of turbulent 'mixing' shows considerable dependence on the nature of the turbulence, giving rise to varying levels, at 1 AU, of the ratio of 'inward' and 'outward' fluctuation energies and the ratio of kinetic to magnetic energies in the fluctuations. The transport properties described here may provide at least a partial explanation for the observed mixing of cross helicities with increasing heliocentric distance in the solar wind.
- Published
- 1992
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