Ionization states of heavy elements observed in the 14-15 May anomalous solar particle event
The charge states of heavy ions accelerated in the (He-3)-Fe rich solar particle event of 14-15 May 1974 were determined using data from the experiment on IMP-8. In addition to (F+11), (Fe+12), and (Fe+13) (O+5) and (F+16), (Fe+17), and (Fe+18) are also abundant suggesting variations in coronal temperatures over a range from 400,000 to 5,000,000 K. The presence of (O+5), (Fe+16), and (Fe+18) suggests that a plasma mechanism as proposed by Fisk (1978) selectively heats these ions prior to their acceleration.