Abstract
It is shown that the viscous attenuation of Alfvenic fluctuations is anisotropic and is proportional to the fluctuation component parallel to the mean magnetic field. If the ratio between the parallel and perpendicular components is a constant, then the viscous attenuation experienced by waves with wavelengths larger than the collisional free-path will be concentrated within 20 R⊚. Between 0.3 AU and l AU, no Alfvenic fluctuations of any frequency is appreciably damped by viscosity determined by Coulomb collision. The mechanism of viscous attenuation caonot explain the observed radial development of the spectrum. If, near the Sun, the Alfvenic fluctuations do have a parallel component, then the viscous damping will have an important accelerating effect on the solar wind in fast diverging stream tubes. If the parallel component is negligible, then the Alfvenic fluctuation will not be attenuated by any classical viscosity.
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