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On the solar wind composition during the November 1997 solar particle events: WIND/MASS observations
Author(s) -
WimmerSchweingruber Robert F.,
Kern Olivier,
Hamilton Douglas C.
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 - 10.1029/1999gl010676
Subject(s) - solar wind , solar energetic particles , atmospheric sciences , coronal mass ejection , physics , astrophysics , astronomy , plasma , quantum mechanics
November 1997 saw a series of very intense and unusual solar particle events that have been well studied [ Cohen et al., 1999; Lario et al., 1998; Mason et al., 1999; Mazur et al., 1999; Möbius et al., 1999]. However, the composition of the solar wind has not previously been analyzed. We report the elemental and charge‐state composition of the solar wind during these events. We find unusually broad and high charge‐state distributions for O, Si, and Fe. Fe/O was enhanced by a factor >3–5 relative to the ambient solar wind in the magnetic cloud and in the following material. We speculate whether the observed compositional similarities in the solar wind and energetic particles might, in part, be explained by a common reservoir out of which both kinds of particles were accelerated.