The effects of high-frequency Alfven waves on coronal heating and solar wind acceleration

Wave effects in a two-fluid model for the solar corona and wind are studied. Heating and acceleration are achieved by high-frequency Alfven waves, which are assumed to be created through small-scale reconnections in the chromospheric network. The wave energy flux F-w is given in the model as a lower boundary condition. Waves with a power spectrum of the form P-0(f/f(0))(-1) in the frequency range from 1 to 800 Hz and with P-0 = 40 x 10(11) nT(2)/Hz and f(0) = 10(-5) Hz, corresponding to an integrated amplitude of 35 km/s, can heat the corona to a temperature of 10(6) K at r = 1.2 R(circle dot), and 2.6 x 10(6)K (the maximum) at r = 2 R(circle dot), starting from 4 x 10(5) K at r = 1 R(circle dot). Thermal and wave pressure gradients accelerate the wind to speeds of 100 km/s at r = 1.2 R(circle dot), and 212 km/s at r = 2 R(circle dot), starting from 2 km/s at r = 1 R(circle dot) in a rapidly diverging stream tube. Asymptotic wind speeds in the observed range of 700 to 800 km/s at 0.3 AU are obtained with wave amplitudes of 30 to 37 km/s in the frequency range from 1 to 30 Hz, corresponding to P-0 = 90 x 10(11) nT(2)/Hz.