Abstract
A simple theoretical expression for the mean kinetic temperature of the protons in a steady state as a function of heliocentric distance is derived. The basic assumption is that the temperature anisotropy of the protons is invariant in space where binary encounters are rare. For an assumed base temperature of 5 × 10 5K at a distance of 0.05 AU, the calculated temperature at a distance of 1 AU is in the range (2–4) × 10 4K for an average anisotropy factor of 3: this range of temperatures is close to the observed average value under so-called ‘quiet’ conditions. Measurement of the anisotropy factor at different heliocentric distances is required to test the basis of the model.
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