Abstract
Singly-ionized helium with a velocity distribution extending up to double the solar wind velocity has been detected in interplanetary space. This distribution unambiguously determines the source: interstellar neutrals, ionized and accelerated in the solar wind. The observed significant flux increase in early December is due to the gravitational focusing of the interstellar neutral wind on the downwind side of the Sun.
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Möbius, E., Hovestadt, D., Klecker, B. et al. Direct observation of He+ pick-up ions of interstellar origin in the solar wind. Nature 318, 426–429 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/318426a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/318426a0
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