Lecture 17: The solar wind
o Topics to be covered:
o Solar wind
o Inteplanetary
magnetic field
The solar wind
o Biermann (1951) noticed that many comets showed excess ionization and abrupt
changes in the outflow of material in their tails - is this due to a solar wind?
o Assumed comet orbit perpendicular to line-of-sight (vperp) and tail at angle =>
tan = vperp/vr
o From observations, tan ~ 0.074
o But vperp is a projection of vorbit
=> vperp = vorbit sin ~ 33 km s-1
o From 600 comets, vr ~ 450 km s-1.
o See Uni. New Hampshire course (Physics 954) for further details:
http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/Physics954/Syllabus.html
The solar wind
o STEREO satellite image sequences of comet tail buffeting and disconnection.
Parker’s solar wind
o Parker (1958) assumed that the outflow from the Sun is steady, spherically
symmetric and isothermal.
o As PSun>>PISM => must drive a flow.
o Chapman (1957) considered corona to be in hydrostatic equibrium:
dP
= −ρg
dr
dP GM S ρ
+ =0 Eqn. 1
dr r2
o If first term >> than second €
=> produces an outflow:
€ dP GM S ρ dv
+ 2
+ ρ =0 Eqn. 2
dr r dt
o This is the equation for a steadily expanding solar/stellar wind.
€
Parker’s solar wind (cont.)
o As, dv = dv dr = dv v =>
dP GM S ρ
+ + ρv
dv
=0
dt dr dt dr dr r2 dr
or dv 1 dP GM S
v + + 2 =0 Eqn. 3
dr ρ dr r
€ €
o Called the momentum equation.
€
o Eqn. 3 describes acceleration (1st term) of the gas due to a pressure gradient (2nd
term) and gravity (3rd term). Need Eqn. 3 in terms of v.
o Assuming a perfect gas, P = R T/ (R is gas constant; is mean atomic
weight), the 2nd term of Eqn. 3 is:
dP Rρ dT RT dρ
= +
dr µ dr µ dr
Isothermal wind => dT/dr 0 1 dP $ RT ' 1 dρ
⇒ =& ) Eqn. 4
ρ dr % µ ( ρ dr
€
Parker’s solar wind (cont.)
o Now, the mass loss rate is assumed to be constant, so the Equation of Mass
Conservation is: dM
= 4 πr 2 ρv = const ⇒ r 2 ρv = const Eqn. 5
dt
o Differentiating, d(r 2 ρv) 2 dv dr 2 dρ
= r ρ + ρv + r 2v =0
dr dr dr dr
1 dρ 1 dv 2
€ => =− − Eqn. 6
ρ dr v dr r
o Substituting Eqn. 6€into Eqn. 4, and into the 2nd term of Eqn. 3, we get
€ dv RT # 1 dv 2 & GM S
v + %− − (+ 2 =0
dr µ $ v dr r ' r
# RT & dv 2RT GM S
⇒ %v − ( − + 2 =0
$ µv ' dr µr r
o A critical point occurs when dv/dr 0 i.e., when 2RT = GM2 S
µr r
€
o Setting v c = RT / µ => rc = GM S /2v c2
€
€
Parker’s solar wind (cont.)
1 dv v c2
o Rearranging => (v − v ) v dr = 2 r 2 (r − rc )
2 2
c
Eqn. 7
o Gives the momentum equation in terms of the flow velocity.
o €
If r = rc, dv/dr -> 0 or v = vc, and if v = vc, dv/dr -> ∞ or r = rc.
o An acceptable solution is when r = rc and v = vc (critical point).
o A solution to Eqn. 7 can be found by direct integration:
" v %2 " v %2 "r% Eqn. 8
rc
$ ' − ln$ ' = 4 ln$ ' + 4 +C Parker’s “Solar
# vc & # vc & # rc & r Wind Solutions”
where C is a constant of integration. Leads to five solutions depending on C.
€
Parker’s solutions
o Solution I and II are
double valued. Solution II
also doesn’t connect to
the solar surface.
v/vc
o Solution III is too large
(supersonic) close to the
Sun - not observed.
Critical point
o Solution IV is called the
solar breeze solution.
o Solution V is the solar
wind solution (confirmed r/rc
in 1960 by Mariner II). It
passes through the critical
point at r = rc and v = vc.
Parker’s solutions (cont.)
o Look at Solutions IV and V in more detail.
o Solution IV: For large r, v 0 and Eqn. 8 reduces to:
# v &2 #r& v #r&
2
−ln% ( ≈ 4 ln% ( ⇒ = % (
$ vc ' $ rc ' v c $ rc '
o Therefore, r2v rc2vc = const or v ≈ 1
r2
€
const const
o From Eqn. 5: ρ = 2 = 2 = const
rv rc v c
€
o From Ideal Gas Law: P∞ = R ∞ T/ => P∞ = const
€
o The solar breeze solution results in high density and pressure at large r
=>unphysical solution.
Parker’s solutions (cont.)
o Solution V: From the figure, v >> vc for large r. Eqn. 8 can be written:
" v %2 "r% "r%
$ ' ≈ 4 ln$ ' ⇒ v ≈ v c 2 ln$ '
# vc & # rc & # rc &
o The density is then: const const
ρ= ≈
r 2v r 2 ln(r /rc )
€
=> 0 as r ∞.
o As plasma is isothermal
€ (i.e., T = const.), Ideal Gas Law => P 0 as r ∞.
o This solution eventually matches interstellar gas properties => physically
realistic model.
o Solution V is called the solar wind solution.
Observed solar wind
o Fast solar wind (>500 km s-1)
comes from coronal holes.
o Slow solar wind (<500 km s-1)
comes from closed magnetic
field areas.
o Figure from McComas et al.,
Geophysical Research Letters,
(2008).
Interplanetary magnetic field
B or v
Br or vr
o Solar rotation drags magnetic field into an
Archimedian spiral (r = a ).
o Predicted by Eugene Parker => Parker B
Spiral: r
r - r0 = -(v/ )( - 0)
o Winding angle: Bφ vφ (r0, 0)
tanψ = =
Br v r
Ω(r − r0 )
=
vr
o Inclined at ~45º at 1 AU ~90º by 10 AU.
€
Alfven radius
o Close to the Sun, the solar wind is too weak to modify structure of magnetic field:
2 B2
1/2 ρv <<
8π
o Solar magnetic field therefore forces the solar wind to co-rotate with the Sun.
o When the solar wind becomes super-Alfvenic B2
€ 2
1/2 ρv >>
8π
o This typically occurs at ~50 Rsun (0.25 AU).
2 B2
o Transition between regimes occurs at the Alfven radius (rA), where 1/2 ρv =
€ 8π
M
o Assuming the Sun’s field to be a dipole, B =
r3 €
$ M 2 '1/ 6
=> rA = & 2)
€ % 4 πρv (
€
The Parker spiral
Heliosphere
