<p>We have very good data on the heavy metals in the solar wind <a href="http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/gallery/Particle/cel001.html" rel="noreferrer">from the Charge, Element, Isotope Analysis System (CELIAS) on SOHO</a>:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/4xJ8T.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/4xJ8T.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>Some of these elements were previously known; others were observed for the first time. The new ones are phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, titanium, chromium, and nickel. They were detected in smaller amounts than, say, carbon, oxygen or calcium.</p>

<p>Now, the seeming overabundance of heavier elements, with the peak at iron, might seem surprising. One would think that the lighter metals - carbon, oxygen, etc. - might appear in higher quantities, given their substantially lower masses, which make it easier for them to escape the Sun's atmosphere. However, this is due to experimental bias. The instruments on SOHO were designed to search for these particular heavier elements, which of course led to the detection of several new isotopes. We now have a much better picture of what heavy metals can be found in the solar wind, but the chart above should <em>not</em> be taken as evidence of the relative quantities, as a whole.</p>

<p>Additionally, there actually <em>is</em> some neutral hydrogen, both in the solar wind and the solar atmosphere (see <a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1994ApJ...420..913O" rel="noreferrer">Olsene et al. (2004)</a> and <a href="http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/publication/document/2001_collier_etal_04.pdf" rel="noreferrer">Collier et al. (2001)</a>). It should be present in the corona, and can be detected and modeled by Lyman $\alpha$ scattering. It was also detected and studied by the Low Energy Neutral Atom (LENA) imager on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAGE" rel="noreferrer">IMAGE</a>. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-31T15:29:44.937Z
Perhaps make the caveat about the plot in boldface as a novice user might mistakenly think there's more iron than carbon or oxygen in the solar wind, which is not true...
honeste_vivere
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-17T15:36:11.190Z
2016-09-17T17:48:52.207Z
2016-09-17T17:48:52.207Z
HDE 226868
<p>We have <em>better</em> data on the heavy metals in the solar wind from ACE and Genesis:</p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/maps.13266" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/maps.13266</a></p>
<p>To an extent CI meteorites are cross-confirmation… to an extent. Samples in hand, certainly macroscopic samples, are easier to put decimal places on. But then, primitive meteorites measure the solar <em>nebula</em>, not the present Sun or the solar wind. Due to the vagarities of plasma physics, some ions will be acclerated preferentially.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-01T22:28:55.573Z
2022-08-01T22:28:55.573Z
caInstrument
<p>Is the composition of the Solar Wind known? I'm especially interested in the heavy metals present. Most accounts deny the existence of anything other than electrons, protons, and some alpha particles; but it seems to me that if we can identify most of the known elements in the Sun's photosphere, then they are likely to exist in the Solar Wind at some concentration. If not, what is the detection limit (ppm? ppb? ppt?) we have so far established? Have any limits been established for atom clusters (dust?)? As a secondary question, I guess that (neutral) hydrogen and (negative hydride) H(-) do not exist in the solar wind due to its temperature being too high. Is this correct, and if so, is it true throughout the heliosphere or does the solar wind cool enough for the formation of bound species?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-19T19:03:59.203Z
Just to clarify: wanted to make sure you're aware that stars can't produce elements larger than $Fe$ (only supernovas can)
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-02T22:21:03.067Z
@Carl See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-process
PM 2Ring
<observational-astronomy><solar-wind><elemental-abundances>
What is the composition of the Solar Wind?
Li Zhi
# What is the composition of the Solar Wind?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-09-16)

Is the composition of the Solar Wind known? I'm especially interested in the heavy metals present. Most accounts deny the existence of anything other than electrons, protons, and some alpha particles; but it seems to me that if we can identify most of the known elements in the Sun's photosphere, then they are likely to exist in the Solar Wind at some concentration. If not, what is the detection limit (ppm? ppb? ppt?) we have so far established? Have any limits been established for atom clusters (dust?)? As a secondary question, I guess that (neutral) hydrogen and (negative hydride) H(-) do not exist in the solar wind due to its temperature being too high. Is this correct, and if so, is it true throughout the heliosphere or does the solar wind cool enough for the formation of bound species?

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, solar-wind, elemental-abundances

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Just to clarify: wanted to make sure you're aware that stars can't produce elements larger than $Fe$ (only supernovas can)  
> **username_2**: @username_1 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-process  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-09-17. Score: 11

We have very good data on the heavy metals in the solar wind [from the Charge, Element, Isotope Analysis System (CELIAS) on SOHO](http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/gallery/Particle/cel001.html):

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/4xJ8T.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/4xJ8T.jpg)

Some of these elements were previously known; others were observed for the first time. The new ones are phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, titanium, chromium, and nickel. They were detected in smaller amounts than, say, carbon, oxygen or calcium.

Now, the seeming overabundance of heavier elements, with the peak at iron, might seem surprising. One would think that the lighter metals - carbon, oxygen, etc. - might appear in higher quantities, given their substantially lower masses, which make it easier for them to escape the Sun's atmosphere. However, this is due to experimental bias. The instruments on SOHO were designed to search for these particular heavier elements, which of course led to the detection of several new isotopes. We now have a much better picture of what heavy metals can be found in the solar wind, but the chart above should *not* be taken as evidence of the relative quantities, as a whole.

Additionally, there actually *is* some neutral hydrogen, both in the solar wind and the solar atmosphere (see [Olsene et al. (2004)](http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1994ApJ...420..913O) and [Collier et al. (2001)](http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/publication/document/2001_collier_etal_04.pdf)). It should be present in the corona, and can be detected and modeled by Lyman $\alpha$ scattering. It was also detected and studied by the Low Energy Neutral Atom (LENA) imager on [IMAGE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAGE).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Perhaps make the caveat about the plot in boldface as a novice user might mistakenly think there's more iron than carbon or oxygen in the solar wind, which is not true...  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2022-08-01. Score: 1

We have *better* data on the heavy metals in the solar wind from ACE and Genesis:

<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/maps.13266>

To an extent CI meteorites are cross-confirmation… to an extent. Samples in hand, certainly macroscopic samples, are easier to put decimal places on. But then, primitive meteorites measure the solar *nebula*, not the present Sun or the solar wind. Due to the vagarities of plasma physics, some ions will be acclerated preferentially.


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