ON THE RELATION BETWEEN CORONAL HEATING, FLUX TUBE DIVERGENCE, AND THE SOLAR-WIND PROTON FLUX AND FLOW SPEED

A one-fluid solar wind model is used to investigate some relations bet ween coronal heating, the flux tube divergence near the Sun, and the s olar wind proton flux and how speed. The effects of energy addition to the supersonic region of the flow are also studied. We allow for a me chanical energy flux that heats the corona, and an Alfven wave energy flux that adds energy, mainly to the supersonic flow, both as momentum and as heat. We find that the mechanical energy flux determines the s olar wind mass flux, and in order to keep an almost constant proton fl ux at the orbit of Earth with changing flow geometry, that the mechani cal energy flux must vary linearly with the magnetic field in the inne r corona. This thermally driven wind generally has a low asymptotic fl ow speed. When Alfven waves are added to the thermally driven flow, th e asymptotic flow speed is increased and is determined by the ratio of the Alfven wave and the mechanical energy fluxes at the coronal base. Flow speeds characteristic of recurrent high-speed solar wind streams can be obtained only when the Alfven wave energy flux, deposited in t he supersonic flow, is larger than the mechanical energy flux heating the corona.