Ion Charge States in the Fast Solar Wind: New Data Analysis and Theoretical Refinements

Abstract

We present a further investigation into the increased ionization observed in element charge states in the fast solar wind compared to its coronal hole source regions. Once ions begin to be perpendicularly heated by ion cyclotron waves and execute large gyro-orbits, density gradients in the flow can excite lower hybrid waves that then damp by heating electrons in the parallel direction. We give further analysis of charge state data from polar coronal holes at solar minimum and maximum, and also from equatorial coronal holes. We also consider further the damping of lower hybrid waves by ions and the effect of non-Maxwellian electron distribution functions on the degree of increased ionization, both of which appear to be negligible for the solar wind case considered here. We also suggest that the density gradients required to heat electrons sufficiently to further ionize the solar wind can plausibly result from the turbulent cascade of MHD waves.

27 pages, accepted by ApJ

References in corpus (3)

• Stochastic Ion Heating by a Lower Hybrid Wave: II
• Collisional Ionization Equilibrium for Optically Thin Plasmas. I. Updated Recombination Rate Coefficients for Bare though Sodium-like Ions
• Anisotropic weak turbulence of Alfven waves in collisionless astrophysical plasmas

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