Abstract
We calculate charge state distributions of Kr and Xe in a model for two different types of solar wind using the effective ionization and recombination rates provided from the OPEN_ADAS data base. The charge states of heavy elements in the solar wind are essential for estimating the efficiency of Coulomb drag in the inner corona. We find that xenon ions experience particularly low Coulomb drag from protons in the inner corona, comparable to the notoriously weak drag of protons on helium ions. It has been found long ago that helium in the solar wind can be strongly depleted near interplanetary current sheets, whereas coronal mass ejecta are sometimes strongly enriched in helium. We argue that if the extraordinary variability of the helium abundance in the solar wind is due to inefficient Coulomb drag, the xenon abundance must vary strongly. In fact, a secular decrease of the solar wind xenon abundance relative to the other heavier noble gases (Ne, Ar, Kr) has been postulated based on a comparison of noble gases in recently irradiated and ancient samples of ilmenite in the lunar regolith. We conclude that decreasing solar activity and decreasing frequency of coronal mass ejections over the solar lifetime might be responsible for a secularly decreasing abundance of xenon in the solar wind.
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge discussions with Rainer Wieler and helpful suggestions from an anonymous reviewer. The data for ionization and recombination rates of Kr and Xe are taken from ADAS, which is a project managed by the University of Strathclyde and funded through membership universities and astrophysics and fusion laboratories in Europe and worldwide.
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Bochsler, P., Fludra, A. & Giunta, A. Charge States of Krypton and Xenon in the Solar Wind. Sol Phys 292, 128 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-017-1150-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-017-1150-z