Solar Cycle Abundance Variations in Corotating Interaction Regions: Evidence for a Suprathermal Ion Seed Population

Details Solar Cycle Abundance Variations in Corotating Interaction Regions: Evidence for a Suprathermal Ion Seed Population Solar Cycle Abundance Variations in Corotating Interaction Regions: Evidence for a Suprathermal Ion Seed Population

Apr 2012

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012apj...748l..31m&link_type=abstract

The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 748, Issue 2, article id. L31 (2012).

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Acceleration Of Particles, Interplanetary Medium, Solar Wind, Sun: Abundances

Scientific paper

We have surveyed the heavy ion composition of corotating interaction regions (CIRs) over the recent solar minimum and combined this with our earlier survey to cover the 1998-2011 period encompassing a full solar cycle and onset of the new cycle. We find that the solar minimum CIR intensities and spectral forms are similar to those in active periods, indicating that the basic acceleration mechanism does not vary with solar activity for energies below a few MeV nucleon-1. However, the heavy ion abundances show a clear correlation with sunspot number, where heavy ions are more enhanced during active periods. Over the mass range He-Fe, the enhancement is organized by a power law in Q/M with exponent -1.9, with Fe/O varying by a factor of ~6. During solar minimum CIR Fe/O was ~0.05, well below the corresponding solar wind ratio. Previous studies have shown that rare ions (He+, 3He) enhanced in CIRs come from the suprathermal ion pool. The observations presented here extend this evidence, indicating that in addition to rare He+ and 3He the CIR major heavy ion species are accelerated out of the suprathermal ion pool, not the bulk solar wind.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Solar Cycle Abundance Variations in Corotating Interaction Regions: Evidence for a Suprathermal Ion Seed Population does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Solar Cycle Abundance Variations in Corotating Interaction Regions: Evidence for a Suprathermal Ion Seed Population, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Solar Cycle Abundance Variations in Corotating Interaction Regions: Evidence for a Suprathermal Ion Seed Population will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1285869