Further aspects of weak shock theory applied to the solar chromosphere

The low chromosphere now seems definitely to require mechanical heating, and dissipation of initially acoustic waves by shocking is one of the most promising possibilities. Results of recent calculations indicate that the weak shock theory may be applicable here, but discrepancies exist among various applications of this theory, and the explanations offered to date are not completely satisfactory. It is shown here that the different approximations used by different authors to evaluate the mechanical flux integral play an important role in producing these discrepancies, in addition to the already well known effects of the density scale heights and the wave periods. Arguments are presented favoring Ulmschneider's method for evaluation of this flux integral.