Isotopic Composition of Solar Wind Calcium Measured by CELIAS/MTOF on board SOHO

R. Kallenbach, F.M. Ipavich, P. Bochsler, S. Hefti, P. Wurz, M.R. Aellig, M.A. Coplan, A.B. Galvin, J. Geiss, F. Gliem, G. Gloeckler, H. Grünwaldt, M. Hilchenbach, D. Hovestadt, and B. Klecker

ApJ Letters, 1997, in press.

We present first results on the Ca isotopic abundances derived from the high resolution Mass Time-of-Flight (MTOF) spectrometer of the charge, element, and isotope analysis system (CELIAS) experiment on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). We obtain isotopic ratios 40Ca/42Ca = (116 ± 47) and 40Ca/44Ca = (47 ± 8), consistent with terrestrial values. This is the first in situ determination of the solar wind calcium isotopic composition and is important for studies of stellar modeling and solar system formation since the present-day solar Ca isotopic abundances are unchanged from their original isotopic composition in the solar nebula.


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Last Update: January 5, 1998, Peter Wurz