Interplanetary observational constraints on Alfvén wave acceleration of the solar wind

Spacecraft and interplanetary remote sensing observations of wave spectra are used to constrain the possible role of Alfvén waves in the acceleration of high‐speed streams in the solar wind. The observations suggest a method for extrapolating the wave energy flux near 1 AU back to the Sun in a way that accounts for dissipation. Applying this method both for typical parameters and in the case of a well‐studied high‐speed stream leads to the conclusion that the Alfvén waves observed in the solar wind were not sufficiently energetic near the Sun to accelerate the streams.