Low-frequency electrostatic waves in the solar wind
Abstract
Electrostatic ion cyclotron waves are one of the ubiquitous features in space and laboratory plasmas. Here we present a linear study of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in the solar wind. We model the solar wind by three-component magnetised plasma consisting of hot electrons with kappa distribution and fluid cold protons and doubly charged Helium ions. A numerical analysis of the linear electrostatic dispersion relation has been carried out for slow solar wind parameters and for -oblique wave propagation. The system supports four different modes i.e., fast and slow acoustic modes, and proton and Helium cyclotron modes. It has to be emphasised that for parallel propagation, physically acceptable solution to the dispersion relation are those of fast and slow acoustic modes. For oblique propagation, the coupling between various modes can be seen. Moreover, when the angle of propagation is increased the separation between acoustic modes and cyclotron modes increases and at perpendicular propagation, only proton and Helium-cyclotron modes can exist. The effect of various parameters like number density and temperature of Helium ions and kappa index on the dispersive properties has also been investigated. As the number density of helium ions increases, frequency of proton cyclotron mode decreases and frequency of Helium cyclotron mode increases at a fixed wave number. When the value of kappa increases, the frequency of the proton cyclotron mode increases but it does not have significant effect on the frequency of the Helium cyclotron mode. Likewise, when the temperature of Helium ions increases, the frequency of Helium cyclotron mode increases, however, the frequency of proton cyclotron mode remains more or less unchanged.
- Publication:
-
41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016cosp...41E1877S