A Generalized Model for the Proton Expansion in Astrophysical Winds. III. The Collisional Transfers and Their Properties

This is the third and last of a series of papers that present a new theoretical approach to modeling the expansion of the solar and terrestrial polar winds by solving the Fokker-Planck equation. The Coulomb collisional transfers between the different species that compose these winds are presented after the velocity distribution function and the set of transport equations associated with the generalized model. The method and the assumptions used to calculate these terms are described. They are derived from generic expressions, which must be numerically estimated for specific applications. Their new properties are analyzed in the context of the terrestrial polar wind, and their potential importance in the processes of heating and acceleration of the solar wind is discussed. Because the generalized model is adapted to reproduce the high suprathermal part of the velocity distribution function currently observed in the solar wind, we also emphasize the role of this contribution in the collisional transfers. In the terrestrial polar wind, the region of energy transfer between H⁺ and O⁺ ions is thinner than previously predicted. In the solar wind, the region of energy transfer between electrons and protons in the inner corona is larger than previously thought. The role of the thermal and mirror forces and the mechanisms of isotropization of the electrons are underlined.