Can slow solar shock waves heat the corona?

Abstract

Based on the solution to a generalized Riemann-Kotchine problem, the appearance of dissipative slow shock waves in the plasma of the solar corona, which occur when rotational discontinuities are refracted at a contact discontinuity in the transition region between the chromosphere and corona, is studied. The oblique interaction between a solar rotational discontinuity A and stationary contact discontinuity C in the transition region is considered in the scope of the magnetohydrodynamic model. Here, due to the presence of a large number of nonlinear Alfven waves, there is a real possibility of the appearance of a rotational discontinuity moving to the solar corona in the chromosphere. The appearance of dissipative slow MHD shock waves with an insignificant change in the magnetic field as a result of refraction of nondissipative rotational discontinuities at a contact discontinuity in the transition region is proved. It is supposed that a wave source of plasma heating can exist in upper layers of the corona because of the motion of slow shock waves undergoing the Landau damping. Thus, a new model of heat transfer from the chromosphere to the solar corona is proposed.