Estimated Heating Rates Due to Cyclotron Damping of Ion-scale Waves Observed by the Parker Solar Probe

Abstract

Circularly polarized waves consistent with parallel-propagating ion cyclotron waves (ICWs) and fast magnetosonic waves (FMWs) are often observed by the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) at ion kinetic scales. Such waves damp energy via cyclotron resonance, and cyclotron damping is expected to play a significant role in the enhanced, anisotropic heating of the solar wind observed in the inner heliosphere. We employ a linear plasma dispersion solver, PLUME , to evaluate the frequencies of ICWs and FMWs in the plasma rest frame and Doppler-shift them to the spacecraft frame, calculating their damping rates at frequencies where persistently high values of circular polarization are observed. We find that such ion-scale waves are observed during 20.37% of PSP Encounters 1 and 2 observations and their plasma frame frequencies are consistent with them being transient ICWs. We estimate significant ICW dissipation onto protons, consistent with previous empirical estimates for the total turbulent damping rates, indicating that ICW dissipation could account for the observed enhancements in the proton temperature and its anisotropy with respect to the mean magnetic field.

Keywords

• Solar wind
• Space plasmas
• Plasma astrophysics
• Solar coronal heating
• Interplanetary turbulence