Premium
Energy‐dependent ionization states of shock‐accelerated particles in the solar corona
Author(s) -
Reames D. V.,
Ng C. K.,
Tylka A. J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1999gl003656
Subject(s) - atomic physics , ion , plasma , corona (planetary geology) , ionization , physics , solar wind , range (aeronautics) , electron , solar flare , shock (circulatory) , shock wave , acceleration , particle acceleration , solar energetic particles , coronal mass ejection , astrophysics , materials science , nuclear physics , astrobiology , mechanics , medicine , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics , venus , composite material
We examine the range of possible energy dependence of the ionization states of ions that are shock‐accelerated from the ambient plasma of the solar corona. If acceleration begins in a region of moderate density, sufficiently low in the corona, ions above ∼0.1 MeV/amu approach an equilibrium charge state that depends primarily upon their speed and only weakly on the plasma temperature. We suggest that the large variations of the charge states with energy for ions such as Si and Fe observed in the 1997 November 6 event are consistent with stripping in moderately dense coronal plasma during shock acceleration. In the large solar‐particle events studied previously, acceleration occurs sufficiently high in the corona that even Fe ions up to 600 MeV/amu are not stripped of electrons.