SHINE: Kinetic Heating of Coronal Hole Ions for Generation of the Solar Wind by Imbalanced Turbulence

University Of New Hampshire, Durham NH

Investigators

Abstract

The project will investigate the turbulent generation of the fast solar wind by using an existing numerical model that solves the coupled quasilinear equations of proton diffusion and resonant wave growth. During this project, the Principal Investigator (PI) will progressively add more physical processes to the numerical model and finally compare the simulation output with observations. At each step, the team will explore the consequences of expanding their model on the heating and acceleration of coronal hole protons and minor ions. The PI asserts that these investigations will lead to more detailed kinetic models of the generation of the solar wind in the corona, enabling improved understanding and predictions of the state of the heliospheric environment. This work will also provide new insights into self-consistent plasma kinetics and the dissipation of plasma turbulence. Specifically, the team will add nonlinear wave effects, such as resonance broadening and turbulent transport, to their simulations in order to yield realistic Alfvén wave growth in the solar wind. They will also incorporate such nonlinear calculations into their inhomogeneous coronal hole model. The team plans to construct a detailed kinetic model for the radial evolution of coronal hole protons as heated by imbalanced wave fields, obtaining predictions for the kinetic particle and wave states. The PI will also compare his model's output with actual coronal hole observations taken by existing spacecraft instruments. The modeling effort will yield predictions of particle and wave fluxes that will guide the development of, and be tested by, future NASA spacecraft missions, such as 'Solar Orbiter' and 'Solar Probe Plus.' The tasks will be performed within the theoretical turbulence and reconnection group at the University of New Hampshire, which will provide opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to participate in this project.