Paper detail

Dependence of ion temperatures on alpha-proton differential flow vector and heating mechanisms in the solar wind

According to \emph{Wind} observations between June 2004 and May 2019, this Letter investigates the proton and alpha particle temperatures in the space of ($θ_d$, $V_d/V_A$) for the first time, where $θ_d$ and $V_d$ are the radial angle and magnitude of alpha$-$proton differential flow vector respectively, $V_A$ is the local Alfvén speed. Results show that the temperatures significantly depend on $θ_d$ as well as $V_d/V_A$. In case of low proton parallel beta ($β_{p{\parallel}} < 1$), it is found that the proton perpendicular temperature is clearly enhanced when $θ_d$ is small ($\lesssim 45^\circ$) and $V_d/V_A \gtrsim 0.5$. On the contrary, the perpendicular temperature of alpha particles is considerably enhanced when $θ_d$ is large ($\gtrsim 90^\circ$) or $V_d/V_A$ is sufficiently small. The maximum of proton parallel temperature takes place at $θ_d \sim 90^\circ$ accompanied by higher $β_{p{\parallel}}$ and by larger turbulence amplitude of magnetic fluctuations in inertial range. This study should present strong evidence for cyclotron resonance heating of protons and alpha particles in the solar wind. Other mechanisms including Landau resonance and stochastic heating are also proposed, which tend to have different ($θ_d$, $V_d/V_A$) spaces than cyclotron resonance heating.