A Mechanism for the Fractionation of Isotopes in 3He-rich Solar Energetic Particle Events

Abstract

Abstract By employing our charge-consistent acceleration model we demonstrate a possibility to explain the isotopic ratios observed in a number of 3He-rich events. We investigate the dependence of isotopic ratios of heavy ions on the energy of the particles, the acceleration efficiency, the product of acceleration time, and the number density of ambient electrons, of the plasma temperature, and of the spectral index of the magnetic fluctuations by which the ions are energized in the acceleration region. On the basis of the energy spectra of heavy ions and their isotopic ratios observed in the event of 2002 August 20 by the Solar Isotope Spectrometer on board the Advanced Composition Explorer (SIS/ACE) we put constraints on the plasma parameters in the acceleration region. Our investigation gives evidence that the spectral index of the fluctuations with which the ions interact is greater than 2, and that the plasma temperature is about 1 MK.