HELIUM ABUNDANCE IN SOLAR WIND

Observations of hydrogen and helium ions in the solar wind have been carried out by the Goddard Space Flight Center - University of Maryland plasma instrument on Explorer 34. These ions are completely separated by means of electrostatic and magnetic fields. The average value of the ratio of number densities is 0.051 ± .02, derived from over 3000 h of measurement. Variations about this value from about 0.01 up to greater than 0.15 occur, and there are more high values than can be explained by random variation. A tentative association with some geomagnetic storms is suggested. The above value of abundance, assuming that plasma emitted in the ecliptic plane is a fair sample of the output of the sun, combined with other recent work by other methods indicate that the solar abundance may be about half the previously quoted estimates of approximately 0.1. © 1969 D. Reidel Publishing Company.