HR: 15:45h
AN: SH34A-02 [Abstracts]
TI: Anomalous Solar Wind Composition Observed With SWICS on ACE in January 2005
AU: * Gloeckler, G
EM: gg10@umail.umd.edu
AF: Department of Physics and IPST, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-4111 United States
AU: * Gloeckler, G
EM: gg10@umail.umd.edu
AF: Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143 United States
AU: Zurbuchen, T H
AF: Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143 United States
AU: Fisk, L A
AF: Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143 United States
AU: Geiss, J
AF: International Space Science Institute, Hallerstrasse 6, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AB:
During a ~20 day period in January 2005 the Sun released some of the most unusual solar wind, characterized at times by
periods of high densities of 3He++ and at other times by extremely low or very high ionization states of heavy
ions. Such episodes seem to be rare, with the last reported occurrence in May 1998 (Gloeckler et al., 1999). In the January 2005 events the solar wind 3He++ density increased by ~40 during a ~10 hour interval on day 8 and again
on days 16, 19 and 27. Very low charge states of all detectable minor ions (C, N, O, Ne, Si and Fe) were observed during
short intervals on day 9. For example, during these periods all charge states of oxygen, from 1 to 8 were seen. At the time
around the big blast of the ~1400-1500 km/s solar wind (from day ~18.27 to ~18.35) a very hot solar wind (e.
g. almost all C+6, O+8) was observed. We will report on these and other aspects of this unusual solar wind and
compare them to the May 1998 observations. Implications of these results will be discussed.
Gloeckler, G., et al., Unusual composition of the solar wind in the 2-3 May 1998 CME observed with SWICS on ACE, Geophys.
Res. Lett. 26,157-160, 1999.
DE: 2164 Solar wind plasma
DE: 2169 Sources of the solar wind
DE: 7509 Corona
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly