(Abridged) Turbulence in the solar wind is believed to generate an energy
cascade that is supported primarily by Alfv\'en waves or Alfv\'enic
fluctuations at MHD scales and by kinetic Alfv\'en waves (KAWs) at kinetic
scales k⊥ρi≳1. Linear Landau damping of KAWs increases with
increasing wavenumber and at some point the damping becomes so strong that the
energy cascade is completely dissipated. A model of the energy cascade process
that includes the effects of linear collisionless damping of KAWs and the
associated compounding of this damping throughout the cascade process is used
to determine the wavenumber where the energy cascade terminates. It is found
that this wavenumber occurs approximately when ∣γ/ω∣≃0.25,
where ω(k) and γ(k) are, respectively, the real frequency and
damping rate of KAWs and the ratio γ/ω is evaluated in the limit as
the propagation angle approaches 90 degrees relative to the direction of the
mean magnetic field.Comment: Submitted to Ap