Abstract
Fast solar wind streams are known to be dominated by Alfvenic
turbulence, i.e. large amplitude magnetic field and quasi-incompressible
velocity fluctuations with a correlation corresponding to waves
propagating away from the Sun. At the same time the Ulysses spacecraft
showed That microstreams, persistent long period (1/2-2 days)
fluctuations in the radial velocity field, are ubiquitous in the fast
wind. This contribution explores the possible causal relation between
microstreams and Alfvenic turbulence. We carry out a parametric study of
the stability of the microstream jets to Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH)
instabilities: starting from the profiles of density, radial speed and
magnetic field observed in the solar wind, we investigate both at what
distance from the Sun KH instabilities may be triggered and the ensuing
nonlinear dynamics.