Are Spicules Related to Coronal Heating?

We suggest that the waxing and waning of chromospheric and coronal heating leads to a dynamic solar atmosphere which, under the right circumstances, may produce spicules. Little is known about the heating process. However, Anderson and Athay (1989a) concluded from their study of chromospheric heating that the heating rate per gram of chromospheric matter is only a small fraction of the heating rate per gram of coronal matter. We postulate that the increased heating rate in the corona is a consequence of heating charged particles as opposed to heating neutral atoms. This leads to a specific degree of hydrogen ionization at which coronal heating begins to predominate over chromospheric heating. It also introduces the likelihood that the waxing and waning of the heating rates will have relatively large consequences in the levels where hydrogen ionization is becoming significant. It is demonstrated that changes in the heating rates are capable of inducing increases and decreases in coronal mass comparable to the mass contained in a typical spicule.     

太阳风离子尺度湍流与太阳风加热

太阳风源自太阳大气,在行星际空间传播过程中被持续加热,然而究竟是何种能量加热了太阳风至今未研究清楚.太阳风普遍处于湍动状态,其湍动能量被认为是加热太阳风的重要能源.然而,太阳风湍流通过何种载体、基于何种微观物理机制加热了太阳风尚不明确,这是相关研究的关键问题.将回顾人类对太阳风加热问题的研究历史,着重介绍近年来我国学者在太阳风离子尺度湍流与加热方面取得的研究进展,展望未来在太阳风加热研究中有待解决的科学问题和可能的研究方向.     

Filamentation Instability of Nonlinear Alfvén Waves and Plasma Heating associated with Recombination Effect

We investigate plasma heating associated with the effect of recombination and the filamentation instability of Alfvén waves propagating along homogeneous magnetic field in low-beta plasmas, by using an MHD simulation code. The linear instability of Alfvén waves leading to the filamentation is investigated by imposing small density perturbations across a magnetic field. We show results of the nonlinear stage of the above filamentation instability and the plasma heating through a two-dimensional simulation. It is shown that the plasma heating is caused by localized heating and whole heating, which are associated with the filamentation instability and the effect of recombination, respectively. We discuss the implication of these results for plasma heating processes observed in the chromosphere of the Sun.     

Photon heating of the atmosphere at F-region heights

The transfer of energy from an ionizing photon to the atoms and molecules of the neutral gas in the F-region of the atmosphere is investigated. It is found that photoionization heating should be divided into two parts: (1) photoelectron heating associated with the slowing down of the fast photoelectrons formed by photoionization; and (2) reaction heating associated with the chemical reactions undergone by the ions formed in the photoionization process. The photoelectron heating will take place near the time and place of photoionization while the reaction heating will occur at the time and place of the ionic reactions.

Photoelectron and reaction heating rates per unit column are computed for the daytime, and reaction heating rates per unit column are computed for the nighttime. It is concluded that: (1) chemical reactions at night lead to a small but significant amount of F-region heating; and (2) reaction heating during the day is nearly proportional to the cosine of the solar zenith angle except near sunrise and sunset.     

A siphon mechanism for supplying prominence mass

We examine a siphon-like mechanism for moving mass from the chromosphere to a gravitational well at the top of a magnetic loop to form a prominence. The calculations assume no apriori flow velocity at the loop base. Instead heating in the loop legs drives the flow. The prominence formation process requires two steps. First, the background heating rate must be reduced to on the order of 1 % of the initial heating rate required to maintain the coronal loop. This forms an initial condensation at the top of the loop. Second, the heating must take place only in the loop legs in order to produce a pressure differential which drives mass up into the well at the top of the loop. The heating rate in the loop must be increased once the prominence has begun to form or full prominence densities can not be achieved in a reasonable time. We conclude that this heating driven siphon-like mechanism is feasible for producing and maintaining prominences.     

In situ measurements of heating parameters in the auroral ionosphere

Four sounding rocket payloads were launched in early 1977 to measure heating parameters in the auroral oval. Geophysical conditions were different for the four flights: auroral arc substorm main phase diffuse aurora, and auroral arc with negative bay. The conductivity tensor and the heating rates of particle and Joule heating are determined. The heating rates range in the order of a few tens of mWm^?2. These magnitudes accord with those determined with the aid of backscatter facilities and other sounding rocket observations.     

Tidal heating in Enceladus

The heating in Enceladus in an equilibrium resonant configuration with other saturnian satellites can be estimated independently of the physical properties of Enceladus. We find that equilibrium tidal heating cannot account for the heat that is observed to be coming from Enceladus. Equilibrium heating in possible past resonances likewise cannot explain prior resurfacing events.     

Observability of coronal heating processes

The mechanisms that could possibly heat the corona are briefly reviewed with emphasis on their observability. Observing enhanced wave flux at footpoints of active regions would confirm wave heating. Observation of nonthermal electrons in tiny coronal events (nanoflares) would confirm dissipation of current sheets. Presence of large scale flows in coronal arcades would underline the importance of turbulent resistivity for coronal heating. A comparison of HeI absorption in quiet and active regions demonstrates the difficulty of interpreting data that connect chromospheric dynamics with coronal heating. Finally, the implications of the search for observations of coronal heating processes are mentioned.     

Formation of fluctuations in a molecular slab via isobaric thermal instability

Frictional heating by the ion-neutral drift is calculated and its effect on the isobaric thermal instability is studied. Ambipolar drift heating of a one-dimensional self-gravitating magnetized molecular slab is used under the assumptions of quasi-magnetohydrostatic and local ionization equilibrium. We see that ambipolar drift heating is inversely proportional to density and its value in some regions of the slab can be significantly larger than the average heating rates of cosmic rays and turbulent motions. The results show that isobaric thermal instability can occur in some regions of the slab, and thus it may produce slab fragmentation and formation of astronomical unit scale condensations.     

A Shock-Wave Heating Model for Chondrule Formation: Effects of Evaporation and Gas Flows on Silicate Particles

A shock-wave heating model is one of the possible models for chondrule formation. We examine, within the framework of a shock-wave heating model, the effects of evaporation on the heating of chondrule precursor particles and the stability of their molten state in the postshock flow. We numerically simulate the heating process in the flow taking into account evaporation. We find that the melting criterion and the minimum radius criterion do not change significantly. However, if the latent heat cooling due to the evaporation dominates the radiative cooling from the precursor particle, the peak temperature of the precursor particle is suppressed by a few hundred Kelvins. We also find that the total gas pressure (ram plus static) acting on the precursor particle exceeds the vapor pressure of the molten precursor particle. Therefore, it is possible to form chondrules in the shock-wave heating model if the precursor temperature increases up to the melting point.     

Heating experiments of the Tagish Lake meteorite: Investigation of the effects of short‐term heating on chondritic organics

We present in this study the effects of short‐term heating on organics in the Tagish Lake meteorite and how the difference in the heating conditions can modify the organic matter (OM) in a way that complicates the interpretation of a parent body's heating extent with common cosmothermometers. The kinetics of short‐term heating and its influence on the organic structure are not well understood, and any study of OM is further complicated by the complex alteration processes of the thermally metamorphosed carbonaceous chondrites—potential analogues of the target asteroid Ryugu of the Hayabusa2 mission—which had experienced posthydration, short‐duration local heating. In an attempt to understand the effects of short‐term heating on chondritic OM, we investigated the change in the OM contents of the experimentally heated Tagish Lake meteorite samples using Raman spectroscopy, scanning transmission X‐ray microscopy utilizing X‐ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy, and ultraperformance liquid chromatography fluorescence detection and quadrupole time of flight hybrid mass spectrometry. Our experiment suggests that graphitization of OM did not take place despite the samples being heated to 900 °C for 96 h, as the OM maturity trend was influenced by the heating conditions, kinetics, and the nature of the OM precursor, such as the presence of abundant oxygenated moieties. Although both the intensity of the 1s?σ* exciton cannot be used to accurately interpret the peak metamorphic temperature of the experimentally heated Tagish Lake sample, the Raman graphite band widths of the heated products significantly differ from that of chondritic OM modified by long‐term internal heating.     

太阳活动区冕环若干研究进展

日冕加热是太阳物理中一个基本问题。随着一批高性能仪器（如TRACE、SOHO、Yohkoh）投入观测，作为太阳日冕中一种基本结构的冕环，其观测资料日益丰富。冕环加热是日冕加热的一个重要组成部分，越来越得到人们的重视。在简要介绍冕环最新观测和研究进展后，以其一维模型为基础，着重讨论了现有冕环加热结构和加热机制的研究进展。     

Heating experiments simulating atmospheric entry heating of micrometeorites: Clues to their parent body sources

Abstract— Depending on their velocity, entry angle and mass, extraterrestrial dust particles suffer certain degrees of heating during entry into Earth's atmosphere, and the mineralogy and chemical composition of these dust particles are significantly changed. In the present study, pulse-heating experiments simulating the atmospheric entry heating of micrometeoroids were carried out in order to understand the mineralogical and chemical changes quantitatively as well as to estimate the peak temperature experienced by the particles during entry heating. Fragments of the CI chondrites Orgueil and Alais as well as pyrrhotites from Orgueil were used as analogue material. The experiments show that the volatile elements S, Zn, Ga, Ge, and Se can be lost from 50 to 100 μm sized CI meteorite fragments at temperatures and heating times applicable to the entry heating of similar sized cosmic dust particles. It is concluded that depletions of these elements relative to CI as observed in micrometeorites are mainly caused by atmospheric entry heating. Besides explaining the element abundances in micrometeorites, the experimentally obtained release patterns can also be used as indicators to estimate the peak heating of dust particles during entry. Using the abundances of Zn and Ge and assuming their original concentrations close to CI, a maximum heating of 1100–1200 °C is obtained for previously analyzed Antarctic micrometeroites. Thermal alteration also strongly influenced the mineralogy of the meteorite fragments. While the unheated samples mainly consisted of phyllosilicates, these phases almost completely transformed into olivine and pyroxene in the fragments heated to ≥800 °C. Therefore, dust particles that still contain hydrous minerals were probably never heated to temperatures ≥800 °C in the atmosphere. During continued heating, the grain size of the newly formed silicates increased and the composition of the olivines equilibrated. Applying these results quantitatively to Antarctic micrometeorites, typical peak temperatures in the range of 1100–1200 °C during atmospheric entry heating are deduced. This temperature range corresponds to the one obtained from the volatile element concentrations measured in these micrometeorites and points to an asteroidal origin of the particles.     

Mechanisms of coronal heating

The Sun is a mysterious star. The high temperature of the chromosphere and corona present one of the most puzzling problems of solar physics. Observations show that the solar coronal heating problem is highly complex with many different facts. It is likely that different heating mechanisms are at work in solar corona. Recent observations show that Magnetic Carpet is a potential candidate for solar coronal heating.     

The thermospheric heating efficiency under electron precipitation conditions

A time-dependent model calculation of the interaction between energetic electrons and the thermosphere is performed to evaluate the heating efficiency. All energy channels which contribute to the neutral heating of the atmosphere are considered in detail. Neutral chemical reactions and deactivation of metastables are found to be the major heat sources. It is shown that, below 150km, the heating efficiency is on the order of 60% and nearly independent of altitude. At higher altitude, its value decreases in a manner depending on the atmosphere density and composition. It is concluded that, in the dayside polar cusp, particle heating may be an important source of thermospheric motion.     

Equinox tidal heating of the upper atmosphere

Evaluations are presented of the time-average heating at different latitudes and heights due to energy flux divergence of the equinox diurnal and semidiurnal tides calculated by Forbes (1982a,h)from 0 to 400 km.It is found that diurnal tidal heating maximizes in the region of 80 km and semidiurnal has a sharp maximum at 108 km. Thermospheric diurnal oscillations give rise to a second region of heating that maximizes at 200 km and effectively transports energy from low to high latitudes.Global means are evaluated for the time-averaged vertical energy fluxes and heating rates: below 130 km, the results for the diurnal tide agree with those for the (1,1) mode alone, and for the semidiurnal tide, heating rates below 130 km are the same as those that would he obtained without the thermospheric semidiurnal excitation.Comparisons are made from 90 to 170 km between the combined diurnal and semidiurnal heating rates and previously reported rates due to e.u.v. radiation, S_q currents and gravity waves.     

On Mechanisms of Proton Perpendicular Heating in the Solar Wind:Test Results Based on Wind Observations

The solar wind protons undergo significant perpendicular heating when they propagate in the interplanetary space.Stochastic heating and cyclotron resonance heat...     

Influence of heating rate on the condensational instability

We determine by analysis and numerical simulation the effect that various heating rates have on the linear and nonlinear evolution of a typical plasma within a solar magnetic flux tube subject to the condensational instability. We first derive a dispersion relation for infinitesimal disturbances to a condensationally unstable fluid subject to heating rates which are functions of temperature and thermal pressure. This relation leads to an algebraic model for predicting solar flux tube stability in the longwavelength limit as a function of temperature. We find that linear stability depends strongly on the heating rate. We then present the results of numerical simulations of the nonlinear evolution of the condensational instability in a solar magnetic flux tube. Different heating rates lead to quite different nonlinear evolution, as evidenced by the behaviour of the global internal energy. Almost all of the heating rates that we consider produce saturation in bifurcated states, but at somewhat different temperatures and mass densities.     

The melting of asteroidal-sized bodies by unipolar dynamo induction from a primordial T Tauri sun

This paper examines the heating of asteroidal parent bodies by electrical induction during early solar evolution and prior to positioning of the sun onto the main sequence. Under the conditions assumed, which include a high initial solar spin rate, interplanetary electric fields of order 1 V/m would have existed in frames of reference comoving with the planets, leading to electrical heating from joule losses in the asteroidal interiors. The mechanism additionally requires the high plasma efflux characteristic of T Tauri objects and the presence of a circumstellar obscuration of the type commonly associated with early stellar objects. The proper combination of circumstellar obscuration, solar spin, solar wind flow, and starting planetary temperatures is shown to lead to asteroidal heating competitive with that found for a class of fossil radioactive species. The time dependence of the solar spin and plasma flow are shaped so as to be consistent with current views on the evolution to T Tauri objects and of the spin down of stars. Calculations also include cases of joint heating by fossil radionuclides and electrical induction, and show a complicated relationship due to the intrinsic nonlinearity of the electrical heating mechanism. Implications regarding the pre-main sequence dynamics of the sun are contained in the hypothesis of electrical heating if the contribution from radionuclides and gravitational accretion can be shown to be insufficient to account for the heating episode. Finally, some consequences of the mechanism applied to planets in the presence of an intense solar wind are considered.