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Processes affecting abundances in the solar wind

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Abstract

Data on composition in the solar wind are summarized and compared with best estimates of abundances in the outer convective zone of the Sun. Several mechanisms of element and isotope fractionation are discussed in relation to observed abundances and their variations.

The evidence available so far indicates that in addition to ion fractionation in the corona there is a separation mechanism operating at low solar altitude that affects solar wind composition. It is suggested that the systematic depletion of helium observed in the solar wind is in part caused by ion-neutral separation in the chromosphere-transition zone. Conditions for this mechanism to be effective are discussed. It is shown that ion-neutral separation is much more pronounced than ion-ion separation under these conditions. Therefore, this mechanism should fractionate elements according to the rate at which first ionization occurs. This implies that isotope fractionation by this mechanism is minor.

Ion-neutral separation may be responsible for the general depletion that is observed in the slow interstream solar wind as well as in the fast streams coming out of coronal holes. However, the occurrences of very low He/H ratios are probably caused in the corona.

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  1. Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Johannes Geiss

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Geiss, J. Processes affecting abundances in the solar wind. Space Sci Rev 33, 201–217 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00213254

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