Abstract

Recent models of the fast solar wind are characterized by low coronal electron temperatures while proton, α-particle, and minor ion temperatures are expected to be quite high and generally anisotropic, including large temperatures perpendicular to the magnetic field and parallel beams. This entails that the electric field should be relatively unimportant and that solar wind outflows with both high asymptotic flow speeds but maintaining a low mass flux should be a natural outcome of plasma expansion along open polar magnetic field lines. In this chapter we will explain why such changes with respect to the classical, electron thermally driven solar wind have come about and outline the most important remaining concerning the astrophysics of coronal winds.

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