Articles | Volume 30, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1361-2012
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1361-2012
Regular paper
 | 
19 Sep 2012
Regular paper |  | 19 Sep 2012

Computational and theoretical study of the wave-particle interaction of protons and waves

P. S. Moya, A. F. Viñas, V. Muñoz, and J. A. Valdivia

Abstract. We study the wave-particle interaction and the evolution of electromagnetic waves propagating through a plasma composed of electrons and protons, using two approaches. First, a quasilinear kinetic theory has been developed to study the energy transfer between waves and particles, with the subsequent acceleration and heating of protons. Second, a one-dimensional hybrid numerical simulation has been performed, with and without including an expanding-box model that emulates the spherical expansion of the solar wind, to investigate the fully nonlinear evolution of this wave-particle interaction. Numerical results of both approaches show that there is an anisotropic evolution of proton temperature.