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Wave reflection and wave disorder in the solar transition zone and corona

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Abstract

The reflection coefficient for sound or Alfvén waves reaching the transition zone is evaluated. A family of temperature profiles, including T 5/2 dT/dz = constant, permits analytical solutions for the velocity and yields the reflection coefficient as a function of both the wavelength and the temperature jump across the zone. When the temperature jump is large, even waves appreciably shorter than the zone thickness are reflected efficiently.

Wave reflection disorders the waves in and below the transition zone, because rising waves there interact with reflected waves in a manner more similar to turbulence than to shock steepening.

The distribution in directions of hydromagnetic waves is determined by the non-uniformity of their sources. Most inhomogeneities in the wave source cause the waves to resemble isotropic fastmode waves more than Alfvén waves. This places severe restrictions on possible sources of Alfvén waves.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Astronomy Program, University of Maryland, 20742, College Park, Md., U.S.A.

    Donat G. Wentzel

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  1. Donat G. Wentzel
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Wentzel, D.G. Wave reflection and wave disorder in the solar transition zone and corona. Sol Phys 58, 307–318 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00157276

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00157276

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