Related papers: Dependence of ion temperatures on alpha-proton dif…
Proton energization at magnetic discontinuities generated by phase-steepened fronts of parallel propagating, large-amplitude Alfv\'enic fluctuation is studied using hybrid simulations. We find that dispersive effects yield to the collapse…
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…
This paper reviews our growing understanding of the physics behind coronal heating (in open-field regions) and the acceleration of the solar wind. Many new insights have come from the last solar cycle's worth of observations and theoretical…
Past observations show that solar wind (SW) acceleration occurs inside the sub-Alfvenic region, reaching the local Alfven speed at typical distances ~ 10 - 20 Rs (solar radii). Recently, Parker Solar Probe (PSP) traversed regions of…
The first observed connection between kinetic instabilities driven by proton temperature anisotropy and estimated energy cascade rates in the turbulent solar wind is reported using measurements from the Wind spacecraft at 1 AU. We find…
Circularly polarized, nearly parallel propagating waves are prevalent in the solar wind at ion-kinetic scales. At these scales, the spectrum of turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind steepens, often called the transition-range, before…
Recent in situ observations from Parker Solar Probe (PSP) near perihelia reveal ion beams, temperature anisotropies, and kinetic wave activity. These features are likely linked to solar wind heating and acceleration. During PSP Encounter 17…
The extreme temperatures and non-thermal nature of the solar corona and solar wind arise from an unidentified physical mechanism that preferentially heats certain ion species relative to others. Spectroscopic indicators of unequal…
In fast wind or when the local Coulomb collision frequency is low, observations show that solar wind minor ions and ion sub-populations flow with different bulk velocities. Measurements indicate that the drift speed of both alpha particles…
Evidence for inhomogeneous heating in the interplanetary plasma near current sheets dynamically generated by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence is obtained using measurements from the ACE spacecraft. These coherent structures only…
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…
Electron bulk heating during magnetic reconnection with symmetric inflow conditions is examined using kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The degree of electron heating is well correlated with the inflowing Alfv\'en speed $c_{Ar}$…
Using linear Vlasov theory of plasma waves and quasi-linear theory of resonant wave-particle interaction, the dispersion relations and the electromagnetic field fluctuations of fast and Alfven waves are studied for a low-beta multi-ion…
We utilize observations from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) to study the radial evolution of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere. We analyze electron velocity distribution functions observed by the Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas, and…
In situ measurements of the fast solar wind reveal non-thermal distributions of electrons, protons and, minor ions extending from $0.3$ AU to the heliopause. The physical mechanisms responsible for these non-thermal properties and the…
We report the results of 1D particle-in-cell simulations of ultrarelativistic shock waves in proton-electron-positron plasmas. We consider magnetized shock waves, in which the upstream medium carries a large scale magnetic field, directed…
We investigate coronal heating and acceleration of the high- and low-speed solar wind in the open field region by dissipation of fast and slow magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) waves through MHD shocks. Linearly polarized \Alfven (fast MHD) waves…
We study the interaction of an ion with a fluctuation in the electromagnetic fields that is localized in both space and time. We study the scale-dependence of the interaction in both space and time, deriving a generic form for the ion's…
Spacecraft observations have shown that the proton temperature in the solar wind falls off with radial distance more slowly than expected for an adiabatic prediction. Usually, previous studies have been focused on the evolution of the…
We investigate properties of plasma turbulence from magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) to sub-ion scales by means of two-dimensional, high-resolution hybrid particle-in-cell simulations. We impose an initial ambient magnetic field, perpendicular to…