Turbulence, Spatial Transport, and Heating of the Solar Wind

W. H. Matthaeus, G. P. Zank, C. W. Smith and S. Oughton,

Physical Review Letters, submitted (1999)

Abstract:

A phenomenological theory describes radial evolution of plasma turbulence in the solar wind from 1 Astronomical Unit (AU) to 50 AU. The theory includes a simple closure for local anisotropic magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, spatial transport, and driving by large-scale shear and pickup ions. Results compare well to plasma and magnetic field data from the Voyager 2 spacecraft, providing a basis for a concise, tractable description of turbulent energy transport in a variety of astrophysical plasmas.