Heating and Acceleration of the Solar Wind by Ion Acoustic Waves—Parker Solar Probe

Abstract

The heating of the solar wind has been shown to be correlated with certain ion acoustic waves. Here calculations of the heating are made, using the methods used previously for STEREO observations, which show that the strong damping of ion acoustic waves rapidly delivers their energy to the plasma of the solar wind. It is shown that heating by the observed waves is not only sufficient to produce the observed heating but can also provide much or all of the outward acceleration of the solar wind.