The non-ideal finite Larmor radius effect in the solar atmosphere

Abstract

ABSTRACT The dynamics of the partially ionized solar atmosphere is controlled by the frequent collisions and charge exchange between the predominant neutral hydrogen atoms and charged ions. At signal frequencies below or of the order of either of the collision or charge exchange frequencies, the magnetic stress is felt by both the charged and neutral particles simultaneously. The resulting neutral-mass loading of the ions leads to the rescaling of the effective ion-cyclotron frequency (it becomes the Hall frequency), and the resultant effective Larmor radius becomes of the order of few kms. Thus, the finite Larmor radius effect that manifests as the ion and neutral pressure stress tensors operates over macroscopic scales. Whereas parallel and perpendicular (with respect to the magnetic field) viscous momentum transport competes with the Ohm and Hall diffusion of the magnetic field in the photosphere–chromosphere, the gyroviscous effect becomes important only in the transition region between the chromosphere and corona, where it competes with the ambipolar diffusion. The wave propagation in the gyroviscous effect-dominated medium depends on the plasma β (a ratio of the thermal and magnetic energies). The abundance of free energy makes gyro waves unstable with the onset condition exactly opposite of the Hall instability. However, the maximum growth rate is identical to the Hall instability. For a flow gradient of ${\sim} 0.1 \, \mbox{s}^{-1}$, the instability growth time is 1 min. Thus, the transition region may become subject to this fast-growing gyroviscous instability.