A kinetic study of solar wind electrons
Abstract
The evolution of the distribution function for a test population of electrons in an isothermal electron-proton corona has been studied using a Fokker-Planck description. The aim is to investigate whether a suprathermal tail forms due to the energy dependence of the Coulomb cross section. We find that a Maxwellian test population, injected into this background close to the coronal base with a temperature equal to that of the background electrons, maintains its shape throughout the transition from collision-dominated to collisionless flow. No significant suprathermal tail in the electron distribution function is seen in the outer corona.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the eigth International solar wind Conference: Solar wind eight
- Pub Date:
- July 1996
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.51359
- Bibcode:
- 1996AIPC..382...58L
- Keywords:
-
- 96.60.Vg;
- 52.65.Ff;
- Particle emission solar wind;
- Fokker-Planck and Vlasov equation