Physics
Scientific paper
May 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003aps..dmp.f1004d&link_type=abstract
American Physical Society, 34th Meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, May 20-24, 2003, Boulder, Colo
Physics
Scientific paper
The unexpected discovery of X-rays with several hundred eV in energy originating in comets raises questions about the identification of the observed spectral features and the nature of the excitation mechanisms. It is argued that a major source of the X-rays is electron capture into excited states in collisions of highly-stripped heavy ions of the solar wind with the cometary gases followd by line emission. Recent laboratory data are analysed and a theoretical model is developed that yields a quantitative interpretation of the measurements. The model is used to interpret the observations of several comets and conclusions are drawn about the composition of the solar wind. The contribution of electron capture of solar wind ions in the heliosphere to the diffuse soft X-ray background is explored.
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