Empirical Functions for Highly Charged Ion Abundances in Solar Wind Charge Exchange Models: Addressing Post‐2011 ACE Data Limitations

Abstract Upcoming imaging missions—NASA's LEXI and ESA/CAS's SMILE—will target solar wind charge exchange X‐ray (SWCX) emission from Earth's magnetosheath. This emission is generated by highly charged ions colliding with neutrals in Earth's exosphere. Accurate SWCX models require data on exospheric neutral densities, as well as solar wind flux and composition. The Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Solar Wind Ionic Composition Spectrometer (SWICS) provided the needed solar wind composition data from 1998 until an instrument anomaly in 2011 limited its outputs. To address this, we developed empirical functions using ion ratios () still available from ACE, partially compensating for missing composition data. The results underscore the need for a new mission to measure solar wind composition and support future SWCX analysis efforts.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2025-04-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl114374
Primary Topic
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Empirical Functions for Highly Charged Ion Abundances in Solar Wind Charge Exchange Models: Addressing Post‐2011 ACE Data Limitations

Dimitra Koutroumpa, Jim M. Raines, S. T. Lepri, L. Zhao et al.
Geophysical Research Letters
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
article

Empirical Functions for Highly Charged Ion Abundances in Solar Wind Charge Exchange Models: Addressing Post‐2011 ACE Data Limitations

Dimitra Koutroumpa, Jim M. Raines, S. T. Lepri, L. Zhao, K. D. Küntz, Jennifer Alyson Carter
article en

Abstract

Abstract Upcoming imaging missions—NASA's LEXI and ESA/CAS's SMILE—will target solar wind charge exchange X‐ray (SWCX) emission from Earth's magnetosheath. This emission is generated by highly charged ions colliding with neutrals in Earth's exosphere. Accurate SWCX models require data on exospheric neutral densities, as well as solar wind flux and composition. The Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Solar Wind Ionic Composition Spectrometer (SWICS) provided the needed solar wind composition data from 1998 until an instrument anomaly in 2011 limited its outputs. To address this, we developed empirical functions using ion ratios () still available from ACE, partially compensating for missing composition data. The results underscore the need for a new mission to measure solar wind composition and support future SWCX analysis efforts.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 52(8)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), University of Leicester (GB), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), University of Michigan (US), Sorbonne Université (FR), Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (FR), Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (FR)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Royal Society, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 94%
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
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