Dynamical evidence for nonlinear Langmuir wave processes in type III solar radio bursts

Abstract

The nonlinear processes and evolution of Langmuir waves in the source regions of type III solar radio bursts are explored in detail. Langmuir waves recorded by the Time Domain Sampler of the STEREO/WAVES instrument can be roughly classified into six groups based on the waveform, power spectra, and field strength perpendicular to the local magnetic field. It is argued that these groups correspond to either different stages of the evolution of Langmuir waves generated by electron beams or differ due to the direction of the magnetic field relative to the solar wind velocity. Approximately half of the observed Langmuir waves have strong perpendicular fields, meaning that understanding how these fields are produced is crucial for understanding type III sources. Most events recorded are either localized waveforms consistent with Langmuir eigenmodes or have two or more spectral peaks consistent with electrostatic (ES) decay of Langmuir/z mode waves. The remaining events appear to correspond to either earlier or later stages of Langmuir wave evolution or are decay events for which the Doppler shift is insufficient to distinguish the beam-driven and product Langmuir waves. This is supported by the fact that most events exceed the threshold for ES decay even though their spectra show no evidence for decay and some of the events are observed when the solar wind flow is approximately perpendicular to the magnetic field, minimizing Doppler shifting. Low-frequency fields produced by intense Langmuir waves are quantitatively consistent with density perturbations produced by the ponderomotive force, ion-acoustic waves produced by ES decay, or sheath rectification. Above the observed nonlinear threshold, quantitative analysis suggests that the observed low-frequency signals are consistent with perturbations produced by ponderomotive effects and ion-acoustic waves produced by ES decay, but effects of sheath rectification may also contribute. Key Points About half of the observed Langmuir events have strong perpendicular fields Waveforms are determined by the angle between the solar wind and magnetic field Evidence for nonlinear Langmuir processes is found ©2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.