Dissipation range dynamics: Kinetic Alfven waves and the importance of beta(e)

In a previous paper we argued that the damping of obliquely propagating kin etic Alfven waves, chiefly by resonant mechanisms, was a likely explanation for the formation of the dissipation range for interplanetary magnetic fie ld fluctuations. This suggestion was based largely on observations of the d issipation range at 1 AU as recorded by the Wind spacecraft. We pursue this suggestion here with both a general examination of the damping of obliquel y propagating kinetic Alfven waves and an additional examination of the obs ervations. We explore the damping rates of kinetic Alfven waves under a wid e range of interplanetary conditions using numerical solutions of the linea rized Maxwell-Vlasov equations and demonstrate that these waves display the nearly isotropic dissipation properties inferred from the previous paper. Using these solutions, we present a simple model to predict the onset of th e dissipation range and compare these predictions to the observations. In t he process we demonstrate that electron Landau damping plays a significant role in the damping of interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations which lea ds to significant heating of the thermal electrons.