Related papers: Radial evolution of stochastic heating in low-$\be…
We extend previous theories of stochastic ion heating to account for the motion of ions along the magnetic field. We derive an analytic expression for the ion-to-proton perpendicular temperature ratio in the solar wind for any ion species,…
Stochastic heating is a non-linear heating mechanism driven by the violation of magnetic moment invariance due to large-amplitude turbulent fluctuations producing diffusion of ions towards higher kinetic energies in the direction…
We consider ion heating by turbulent Alfven waves (AWs) and kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) with perpendicular wavelengths comparable to the ion gyroradius and frequencies smaller than the ion cyclotron frequency. When the turbulence amplitude…
The solar wind undergoes significant heating as it propagates away from the Sun; the exact mechanisms responsible for this heating are not yet fully understood. We present for the first time a statistical test for one of the proposed…
Recent theoretical studies argue that the rate of stochastic ion heating in low-frequency Alfv\'en-wave turbulence is given by $Q_\perp = c_1 [(\delta u)^3 /\rho] \exp(-c_2/\epsilon)$, where $\delta u$ is the rms turbulent velocity at the…
Low-frequency Alfven-wave turbulence causes ion trajectories to become chaotic, or "stochastic," when the turbulence amplitude is sufficiently large. Stochastic orbits enable ions to absorb energy from the turbulence, increasing the…
Spacecraft measurements show that protons undergo substantial perpendicular heating during their transit from the Sun to the outer heliosphere. In this paper, we use {\em Helios~2} measurements to investigate whether stochastic heating by…
We investigate how the proton distribution function evolves when the protons undergo stochastic heating by strong, low-frequency, Alfv\'en-wave turbulence under the assumption that $\beta$ is small. We apply our analysis to protons…
Characterizing the plasma state in the near-Sun environment is essential to constrain the mechanisms that heat and accelerate the solar wind. In this study, we use Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations from Encounters 1 through 24 to…
Collisionless dissipation of turbulence is important for heating plasmas in astrophysical, space physics, and laboratory environments, controlling energy, momentum and particle transport. We analyze Parker Solar Probe observations to…
Stochastic heating refers to an increase in the average magnetic moment of charged particles interacting with electromagnetic fluctuations whose frequencies are smaller than the particles' cyclotron frequencies. This type of heating arises…
Over decades of solar wind observations, heavy ions have been observed to have a higher temperature and flow faster than protons in the solar corona and heliosphere. Remote observations have largely been limited to the low corona ($<…
Solar wind ions are observed to be heated in the directions perpendicular to the large-scale magnetic field, with preferential heating given to heavy ions. In the solar corona, this heating may be responsible for the generation of the wind…
The measured spectrum of kinetic Alfven wave fluctuations in the turbulent solar wind plasma is used to calculate the electron and ion distribution functions resulting from quasi-linear diffusion. The modified ion distribution function is…
We revisit the theory of stochastic heating of ions and investigate its phase-space signatures in kinetic turbulence of relevance to low-$\beta$ portions of the solar wind. We retain a full scale-dependent approach in our treatment, and…
We have performed a 2.5 dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation that resolves the propagation and dissipation of Alfven waves in the solar atmosphere. Alfvenic fluctuations are introduced on the bottom boundary of the extremely large…
Finite-amplitude low-frequency Alfv\'en waves are commonly found in plasma environments, such as space plasmas, and play a crucial role in ion heating. The nonlinear interaction between oblique Alfv\'en wave spectra and ions has been…
This paper employs a recent turbulent heating prescription to predict the ratio of proton-to-total heating due to the kinetic dissipation of Alfvenic turbulence as a function of heliocentric distance. Comparing to a recent empirical…
A likely candidate mechanism to heat the solar corona and solar wind is low-frequency "Alfv\'enic" turbulence sourced by magnetic fluctuations near the solar surface. Depending on its properties, such turbulence can heat different species…
In order to compare the x-wind with observations, one needs to be able to calculate its thermal and ionization properties. We formulate the physical basis for the streamline-by-streamline integration of the ionization and heat equations of…